ABSTRACT
The No Child Left Behind (No Child Left Behind [NCLB], 2002) legislation mandated that every child in every public and charter school in the country be tested in reading and math in Grades 3 through 8 and at least once in Grades 10 to 12. Further, science assessments must be administered at least once during Grades 3 to 5, 6 to 9, and 10 to 12. Additionally, states must ensure that districts administer tests of English proficiency to all limited-English-proficient students. Students may also undergo state assessments in other subject areas (e.g., history, geography, writing skills) based on state requirements; however, NCLB only requires assessments in reading/language arts, math, and science. While most school districts have conducted group assessments for decades, the needs for group academic assessments have increased since the inception of NCLB.
