No Educator Left Behind:
Accountability

No Educator Left Behind is a series providing answers from the U.S. Department of Education to questions about the federal No Child Left Behind Act and how it will affect educators. If you have a question about No Child Left Behind, send an e-mail to Ellen Delisio, and we will submit your question to the Department of Education.

QUESTION:

What does the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act say about passing students who do not master state-mandated objectives just to keep the school's failure rate down? Shouldn't parents and students be held more accountable for students' performance?

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION:

Clearly, passing students who have not met the standards is not an acceptable way for schools to meet the adequate yearly progress (AYP) requirements of NCLB. While it is frustrating when students and parents are not as motivated as we would like them to be, teachers and schools have an obligation to do their best to teach all students.

If significant numbers of students are not making adequate progress, schools need to find ways to improve. NCLB provides more than $4 billion that states and districts can use to provide professional development for teachers. These funds can be used to support professional development to help teachers deal with students who are not making progress, as well as with their parents. This professional development can be tailored to identify effective instructional practices for students with different learning styles, special needs, or limited English proficiency. It can also be targeted toward improving student behavior in the classroom or finding ways to involve parents in their children's education.

Read previous questions and answers in our No Educator Left Behind archive.