NCLB School Improvement and Sanctions 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under NCLB, schools identified for improvement must develop a two-year plan. Who must be involved in creating this plan?
- Only school administrators and teachers
- Parents, teachers, and school staff (Correct answer)
- Only the state education agency
- The federal Department of Education and district officials
Correct answer: Parents, teachers, and school staff
NCLB requires that the school improvement plan be developed with involvement from parents, teachers, and other school staff.
Question 2: What is the primary purpose of the 'highly qualified teacher' requirement in relation to school improvement under NCLB?
- To increase teacher salaries in low-performing schools
- To ensure all students, especially in poor schools, have access to effective teachers (Correct answer)
- To create a national teacher certification exam
- To reduce the number of teachers needed in schools
Correct answer: To ensure all students, especially in poor schools, have access to effective teachers
The highly qualified teacher requirement aimed to ensure equitable access to effective teachers, particularly for students in high-poverty and low-performing schools.
Question 3: A district fails to make AYP for the second consecutive year at the district level. What must the district do under NCLB?
- The district itself must develop an improvement plan (Correct answer)
- Only individual schools in the district must create plans
- The state takes over the district immediately
- Federal funds are automatically suspended
Correct answer: The district itself must develop an improvement plan
Under NCLB, districts that fail to make AYP for two consecutive years must also develop and implement a district improvement plan.
Question 4: Under NCLB, what must a state do if it identifies a school for restructuring but the district fails to implement the required changes?
- The state must close the school immediately
- The state must ensure the restructuring actions are implemented (Correct answer)
- The federal government automatically takes over
- Title I funds for the entire district are eliminated
Correct answer: The state must ensure the restructuring actions are implemented
If a district fails to carry out required restructuring, the state must ensure the restructuring actions are implemented, potentially taking over state responsibility.
Question 5: Which subgroup's failure to meet AYP can place an otherwise well-performing school into School Improvement status under NCLB?
- Only the school's overall student population
- Any single subgroup, such as English Language Learners or students with disabilities (Correct answer)
- Only the lowest-income subgroup
- At least three subgroups simultaneously
Correct answer: Any single subgroup, such as English Language Learners or students with disabilities
Under NCLB's disaggregated accountability system, the failure of any single subgroup to meet AYP targets can cause the entire school to miss AYP.
Question 6: What is the minimum number of students typically required in a subgroup for that subgroup to count toward AYP determinations under NCLB?
- 5 students
- 10 students
- At least 30 students, though states set their own minimums (Correct answer)
- 100 students
Correct answer: At least 30 students, though states set their own minimums
States set their own minimum subgroup sizes (n-size), typically around 30 students, below which a subgroup's performance is not counted for AYP purposes.
Question 7: Under NCLB's school choice provision, students in schools identified for improvement have the right to transfer to a school that has NOT been identified for which status?
- School Improvement, corrective action, or restructuring (Correct answer)
- Any school with lower test scores
- Any school outside their zip code
- Only schools in a different state
Correct answer: School Improvement, corrective action, or restructuring
Transfer students must move to a school that has not been identified for School Improvement, corrective action, or restructuring under NCLB.
NCLB School Improvement and Sanctions 4
Under NCLB, schools identified for improvement must develop a two-year plan.
Who must be involved in creating this plan?