In 2001, overwhelming bipartisan majorities in Congress passed the monumental national education reform law known as No Child Left Behind (NCLB). In 2002 it was signed into law by President Bush. This year, Congress is reviewing possible revisions to NCLB and plans to reauthorize it. The goal of the controversial law is to have every child learning at grade level by 2014.

NCLB created a monitoring system of schools and districts to ensure students are making adequate yearly progress or AYP toward reaching proficiency by 2014. To meet goals, schools must show overall improvement plus gains by minority students, low-income students, students with limited English skills and students with disabilities. Each subgroup must meet the bar or the entire school is listed as not making AYP—one of several common criticisms of NCLB. The NCLB accountability system uses test scores, percentage of students taking the tests and school attendance.

The NCLB legislation’s greatest success has been to change the focus of the K-12 public education system from universal access to universal proficiency. It has brought attention to the needs of underperforming groups of students who were previously overlooked. It requires greater accountability for student achievement on the part of teachers and schools.

Locally, the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) ensures that schools comply with the federal No Child Left Behind law. ADE also measures schools under a state accountability system called Arizona Learns.