No Child Left Behind (NCLB)

No Child Left Behind (NCLB) is a federally-enacted law governing elementary and secondary education. It affects states and school districts in four basic ways.

• Greater accountability for results.
• Increased district flexibility for spending federal money.
• Expanded options for parents.
• Increased emphasis on teaching methods that have been proven to work.

These changes support the district's current focus on delivering a strong standards-based educational program designed to improve student achievement in the gateway skills of reading, writing, and mathematics.

Effect for District Schools

• 145 schools will receive Federal Title I funds in 2008-09 as set forth in the NCLB. The district and schools receiving these funds must ensure that they are meeting the educational needs of low-achieving students in high-poverty schools and working to close the achievement gap between high and low-performing students.
  
  Parents whose children attend Title I schools may request information from their schools about the professional qualifications of their children's classroom teachers, including any paraeducators working in the classrooms with their children.
  
  Teacher Qualification Information Request Form: English | Spanish | Somali | Vietnamese | Lao
  
  

• The state has designated some Title I schools as Program Improvement schools. Based on state test scores of students, these schools have not made adequate yearly progress for two consecutive years. District schools not listed may still be affected by NCLB because they may be identified to be receiving schools for students electing to leave Program Improvement schools.

Parent Notification and Involvement

No Child Left Behind requires that districts provide information to parents about a variety of education related issues. Many of these notifications are provided in letters sent directly to parents at their home.

• Letters regarding continuing English Learner (EL) students

  • Grades 1-2: English | Spanish
  • Grades 3-12: English | Spanish
• Request to Withhold Student Information from Military Recruiters:
  English | Spanish | Cambodian | Lao | Somali | Vietnamese

Educating Homeless Students

Title IX of No Child Left Behind requires, among other things, that the district notify parents in homeless situations, via a letter from the Superintendent , of their child's educational rights under this act. The San Diego Unified School District provides schools with materials that help explain parents' rights under NCLB.

To learn more, read frequently asked questions about homeless student education .

Highly Qualified Paraeducators

Under NCLB, paraeducators who directly assist with instruction in a classroom setting, and whose site or department receives Title I funding, must comply with the new minimum qualification requirements. To ensure that all students will benefit from the intent of NCLB, the district has determined that all paraeducators, regardless of how the site receives its funding, must comply with these new requirements.
View the Highly Qualified Paraeducator Requirement Fact Sheet .

Private, Non-Profit Schools

In accord with No Child Left Behind (NCLB), the San Diego Unified School District has an obligation to achieve equitable participation of private school children, teachers and other education personnel in major federal programs. Participation is limited to private schools that have non-profit status.