It's 1,200 pages of legislation that will profoundly affect every school district in America on a level never seen before.

The federal No Child Left Behind Act, signed into law in January by President Bush, raises the accountability of all public schools and brings new hope to parents who have children in failing schools.

"The basic premise is all children can learn," said Dr. Rita Fisher, assistant superintendent of the Jackson School District. "If we can help more children achievement their potential, that's a good thing."

The NCLB Act has four basic principles: Stronger accountability for results; greater flexibility and local control of funding; expanded options for parents; and using scientifically-proven programs and techniques.

"This legislation makes so much sense. There's not an educator in the world who wouldn't say, 'Yes, this is right,'" said Mark Bowles, superintendent of the Cape Girardeau School District.

Local school administrators say their districts are well on their way to meeting the new demands set forth by No Child Left Behind.

More students to be tested

The biggest change involves statewide assessments given to students each spring. Missouri's current assessment system revolves around the Missouri Assessment Program -- a set of tests in math, communication arts, science, social studies and health/P.E. given to students at various grade levels through elementary and high school.

Third- and seventh-graders take the communication arts and science tests; fourth- and eighth-graders take the math and social studies tests; fifth-graders take the health/PE test; 10th-graders take the math and science tests; and 11th-graders take the communication arts and social studies tests.

Under NCLB, all students in third through eighth grade will be required to take the math and communication arts tests each year.

The additional testing won't mean too much of a change in local schools' curriculum or teaching methods because districts have been concentrating on the MAP test at all grade levels since the state began administering it in 1998.

According to Dee Beck with the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, the current MAP test content and format meets federal guidelines, but the state must develop new tests for those grades that aren't currently included in the communication arts and math testing.

Cost concern

Local administrators have mixed views of the additional testing. They say testing children every year will more accurately depict a student's progress, but there's also the cost to consider.

The tests cost state taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars every year. By adding four grade levels to the math and communication arts tests at every school in the state, the cost of those two tests will essentially be quadrupled.

Neither school nor DESE officials know whether federal funds will be used to cover the extra testing costs.

"I'm excited about having the test results from every year. That's been one of the complaints about the MAP," Fisher said. "And hopefully there will be some dollars following the legislation."

In conjunction with the new legislation, Missouri received an additional $200 million in federal funding this year. But it's up to DESE to decide where the money goes.

Missouri schools will begin the new system MAP testing in the spring of 2006. The NCLB Act requires that all students must fall into the proficient score level on state tests by 2014, including students with learning disabilities.

Schools will be required to make a certain percentage-point gain on MAP scores each year. If that gain, known as Adequate Yearly Progress, is not made, schools will be labeled as failing and parents will be allowed to transfer their students to another school.

According to Fisher, if a failing school receives federal Title I funding, then parents have the option of requesting that their children be moved to a non-Title I school in the district after the first year AYP is not met.

In the second year AYP is not met, schools must provide, if a parent requests it, transportation and the cost of their student attending a public or charter school of their choice outside the district, Fisher said.

MAP scores are broken out into different subgroups based on race, gender and learning disabilities. Under NCLB, if one subgroup within a particular school doesn't make AYP, then the entire school is labeled as failing.

Waiting on definition

Missouri educators are currently waiting on DESE to determine exactly what AYP requirements will be and to define the term "proficient" when it comes to MAP scores.

Right now, students scoring at the proficient level on Missouri's assessments are considered above grade level. The new legislation defines proficiency as on-grade level. State education leaders are currently working to redefine the MAP scoring levels to be in correlation with federal terms.

In the meantime, local school officials say they've already complied with almost every mandate the state has handed down so far. But it's the AYP requirements that have them most concerned.

"The stronger districts will be able to make the adjustments. Right now, we're just uncertain of what those adjustments will be," said Dr. Ron Anderson, superintendent of the Jackson School District.

Both Anderson and Bowles said their school districts are several steps ahead of many of the NCLB requirements. For example, an important aspect of NCLB is strengthening teacher quality.

The act requires that all teachers have certification, a bachelor's degree and have demonstrated subject area competency.

School administrators estimated that less than 1 percent of teachers in the Cape Girardeau and Jackson school districts do not meet those guidelines, and those that don't have until 2005 to come into compliance.

Local school districts also have many of the supplemental education services called for under NCLB already in place, such as tutoring, after-school services and summer school programs for children in failing schools.

"We're way ahead of the state on supplemental service. We have been for several years," said Cathy Evans, assistant superintendent of the Cape Girardeau School District.

According to DESE, the No Child Left Behind Act is the most widespread reformation of education policy since the enactment of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in 1965.

"This is a fairly heavy hand through the federal government that we haven't experienced before to my knowledge," said Anderson. "Education has been a state responsibility historically. This is quite a bold piece of legislation."

cclark@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 128