What is new about NCLB?
NCLB redefines the federal role in K–12 education by requiring states and districts to take specific actions. While these actions demonstrate how well students are achieving, they must also demonstrate consistent progress over time in closing the achievement gap between disadvantaged students and their peers. Some ESEA requirements have remained relatively the same under NCLB, others have changed significantly, and still others have been added. Today’s law is most often characterized by buzz-words such as “standards,” “testing,” “accountability,” and “teacher quality.” These are the tenets upon which NCLB rests. Under ESEA’s 1994 reauthorization, states were required to develop and adopt standards. This is still their responsibility; however, NCLB places a focus on “challenging academic standards” and tests based on those standards for all students in the areas of reading, math, and science. Benchmarks for ensuring the rigor of state standards and assessments are provided by states’ pa
