No Child Left Behind

No Child Left Behind - Parent Information

Under the No Child Left Behind Act, what does a parent have the right to know?

Under this act, parents of children in schools that receive Title I dollars have the right to request information regarding the professional qualifications of the student’s classroom teachers including, at a minimum, the following:

• Whether the teacher has met State qualification and licensing criteria for the grade levels and subject area in which the teacher provides instruction.
• Whether the teacher is teaching under emergency or other provisional status through which State qualifications or licensing criteria have been waived.
• The baccalaureate degree major of the teacher, any other graduate certification or degree held by the teacher, and the field of discipline of the certification or degree.
• Timely notice that the parents’ child has been assigned, or has been taught for four or more consecutive weeks by a teacher of a core academic subject who is not highly qualified.
• Whether the child is provided services by paraprofessionals, and if so, their qualifications.

How do I know my child is being served by a paraprofessional?

A paraprofessional, sometimes referred to as an instructional assistant, is a person that is employed by the district and assigned to a classroom or classrooms to provide instructional support consistent with the instruction provided by the classroom teacher or teachers.

Paraprofessionals hired after January 8, 2002, must have:

• Completed at least two years of study at an institution of higher education.

• Obtained an associate’s or higher degree; or

• Met a rigorous standard of quality, and can demonstrate, through a formal State exam or local academic assessment, knowledge of, and the ability to assist in instructing either of the following:

b. Reading readiness, writing readiness, and mathematics readiness.

Paraprofessionals hired before January 8, 2002, must have met these requirements no later than January 8, 2006.

Certain exceptions may apply. Contact Steve Warren, Assistant Superintendent at 330-7600 for more information.

What do I have the right to know in regards to school improvement?

At any stage of school improvement - initial identification, corrective action, and restructuring - the school district must furnish parents with a detailed explanation of the causes and consequences of the school’s performance, and how they can be involved. The notice must contain the following:

• An explanation of what identification means, and how the school compares in terms of academic achievement with other schools in the district and state.
• The reason for the identification.
• An explanation of what the school is doing to address the problem. An explanation of what the school district or state is doing to help the school address the problem.
• An explanation of how the parents can become involved in addressing the academic issues that caused the school to be identified.
• An explanation of the parents’ option to transfer their child to another public school (with transportation paid for or provided by the LEA), and, if applicable, the opportunity to access supplemental educational services.