RFB&D Connects with the No Child Left Behind Law

Introduction

The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) was signed into law on January 8, 2002. This law replaces the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and encompasses four major principles of education reform:

• Accountability
• State and district control
• Parental options, and
• An emphasis on evidence-based instruction and teacher quality

The law consists of nine Titles, the first two of which are particularly relevant to RFB&D. They are as follows:

• Title I - Improving the Academic Achievement of the Disadvantaged
• Title II - Preparing, Training and Recruiting High Quality Teachers and Principals

Title I contains information regarding school reform and the implementation of NCLB. Subsections address school improvement grants, Reading First and early literacy grants, evaluation and assessment components, supplemental education services, and general provisions for the education of minority and disadvantaged youth. Title II includes subsections that address teacher quality and the role of technology in education.

Schools receive funding to meet the NCLB mandates in two ways: either automatically, based on the number of students identified as disadvantaged in their district, according to an established formula, or competitively, through state grant processes.

RFB&D connects with three different aspects of the NCLB law. They are as follows:

1. Supplemental Education Services

As part of the accountability component of NCLB, schools must improve student achievement as defined by each state's Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) report. If a school does not demonstrate adequate progress, it is placed on a “plan for assistance.” A school that remains on this plan for two years is required to provide parents with options for supplemental education services.

These academic services are offered outside of the school day and at no cost to the parent. When defining supplemental education services, the law states: “These services may include academic assistance such as tutoring, remediation and other educational interventions, provided that such approaches are consistent with the content and instruction used by the local educational agency (LEA) and are aligned with the State's academic content standards.” Most supplemental services are tutorial in nature and involve direct student contact.

RFB&D's Learning Through Listening program and services are research-based and can be used to supplement nearly any academic intervention program designated as a supplemental education service. Because RFB&D provides students with the audio versions of textbooks and literature, the Learning Through Listening (LTL) program enables students to access educational content in social studies, science, language arts, math and many other academic areas.

Read RFB&D's Effectiveness Research Summary:
Download in PDF format
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2. The Reading First Initiative

Reading First is a grant-funded program to states from the Department of Education (DoEd). These highly competitive grants are then awarded to districts whose reading improvement plans are comprehensive and scientifically based. There is no single “approved” reading program; rather, any program that meets the designated DoEd criteria may receive funds. Programs may include both for-profit and nonprofit entities. Publishers such as SRA (Open Court) and the Wilson program, Fundamentals, are among accepted Reading First programs.

RFB&D may partner with established, comprehensive reading programs and school districts in order to complete an application for a Reading First grant. Research shows that RFB&D's Learning Through Listening programs and services promote reading fluency and comprehension. In terms of fluency, RFB&D provides students with practice reading the printed text, assists with guided and repeated readings and helps to motivate students to read independently. In terms of comprehension, RFB&D provides oral access to print text, assists with decoding and vocabulary development, and can be used concurrently with story guides and other strategic learning devices.

Again, we encourage you to read RFB&D's Effectiveness Research Summary:
Download in PDF format
Download in RTF format

3. Teacher quality and the role of technology in education

Title II, Part D of the NCLB law entitled, Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) Program, provides grant funding for technology in education. Grant funds may be used as follows:

• To adapt or expand applications of technology to enable teachers to increase student academic achievement
• To implement proven and effective courses and curricula that include integrated technology.

EETT funds can be used to partner with educational technology organizations for the implementation, classroom integration and professional development of educational technology programs. RFB&D is available to partner with districts to provide Learning Through Listening programs and services.

Read more about RFB&D's programs and services on its website at www.rfbd.org.

Summary

NCLB is a comprehensive education reform law that challenges the educational system to use proven methodologies to:

• Close the achievement gap between disadvantaged youth and their peers
• Be accountable for learning outcomes
• Provide parental choice
• Strengthen teacher quality

Funding to support NCLB is specifically targeted for schools with high populations of disadvantaged youth and those not demonstrating annual yearly progress.

RFB&D can partner with schools to meet the mandates of NCLB in three ways:

1. RFB&D's Learning Through Listening can be used in conjunction with nearly any academic intervention program which the school has approved as a supplemental education service.
2. RFB&D is open to collaborating with established comprehensive reading programs and school districts to write a successful application for a Reading First grant.
3. RFB&D is available to provide teacher training and development for the classroom integration of RFB&D's audio textbooks.

Resources and Links

US Department of Education Home Page:
http://www.ed.gov

No Child Left Behind Section of the US Department of Education Site:
http://www.ed.gov/nclb/landing.jhtml