NCLB Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A district has schools in 'improvement status' under NCLB. What financial obligation does the district have toward students who choose to transfer?
- The state pays all transportation costs
- The district must provide transportation using Title I funds (Correct answer)
- Parents bear all transportation costs
- The federal government reimburses transportation directly
Correct answer: The district must provide transportation using Title I funds
Districts were required to provide transportation to students transferring under NCLB's public school choice option, funded from the school's Title I allocation.
Question 2: Under NCLB, what percentage of a Title I school's federal funds could be reserved for Supplemental Educational Services and public school choice transportation combined?
- 10%
- 15% (Correct answer)
- 20%
- 25%
Correct answer: 15%
Title I schools in improvement were required to reserve up to 20% of their Title I allocation for SES and public school choice transportation costs.
Question 3: Which NCLB term describes the requirement that all teachers in core academic subjects be 'highly qualified' by the 2005–2006 school year?
- Teacher Proficiency Standard
- Highly Qualified Teacher (HQT) requirement (Correct answer)
- Core Teacher Credential Mandate
- Qualified Educator Benchmark
Correct answer: Highly Qualified Teacher (HQT) requirement
NCLB's Highly Qualified Teacher requirement mandated that all teachers in core subjects hold a state license, a bachelor's degree, and demonstrate subject-matter competency.
Question 4: A state that received a waiver from the U.S. Department of Education under NCLB's flexibility authority was most likely replacing AYP with what kind of alternative?
- A locally determined proficiency benchmark
- A growth-based accountability system using college-readiness goals (Correct answer)
- A purely graduation-rate-based measure
- A state-designed norm-referenced ranking
Correct answer: A growth-based accountability system using college-readiness goals
States receiving NCLB waivers typically replaced AYP with college- and career-readiness goals and growth-based accountability models that measured student progress over time.
Question 5: Which grade bands were required under NCLB to be tested annually in reading and mathematics for AYP purposes?
- Grades 3–8 and once in high school (Correct answer)
- Grades K–5 and grades 9–12
- Grades 4, 8, and 12 only
- Grades 1–12 every year
Correct answer: Grades 3–8 and once in high school
NCLB required annual testing in reading and math for grades 3–8 and at least once in high school (grades 10–12).
Question 6: What is 'corrective action' in the context of NCLB's school improvement stages?
- Year 1: a formal notice sent to parents about missed AYP
- Year 3: requiring a school to implement at least one significant change such as curriculum replacement or staff restructuring (Correct answer)
- Year 4: mandatory closure and conversion to a charter school
- Year 2: offering public school choice and tutoring
Correct answer: Year 3: requiring a school to implement at least one significant change such as curriculum replacement or staff restructuring
Corrective action, triggered after three consecutive years of missed AYP, required schools to implement at least one major intervention such as replacing curriculum or removing relevant staff.
Question 7: How did NCLB's AYP framework treat students with the most significant cognitive disabilities for assessment and proficiency purposes?
- They were fully exempt from all state assessments
- They could be assessed using alternate assessments, with a capped percentage counting as proficient (Correct answer)
- They were assessed under regular grade-level standards only
- States could exclude them entirely from AYP calculations
Correct answer: They could be assessed using alternate assessments, with a capped percentage counting as proficient
NCLB allowed alternate assessments for students with significant cognitive disabilities, but capped at 1% of all tested students the number whose scores could count as proficient for AYP.
NCLB Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) 4
A district has schools in 'improvement status' under NCLB.
What financial obligation does the district have toward students who choose to transfer?