ABSTRACT
The boldness of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act is epic, and its goals and scope are unprecedented in American education. States must design assessment and accountability systems and set academic standards so that, by 2014, all schools within a state attain 100 percent proficiency for all major racial, income, language, and disability subgroups. Schools must demonstrate annual gains in achievement toward the full proficiency goal, and there must be sanctions for schools that fail to meet annual yearly progress (AYP) requirements. States must develop programs and policies to help students in failing schools, including options to choose nonfailing schools. Needless to say, NCLB has been controversial, and criticism has come from many quarters.
