When President Bush signed into law the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), dramatic changes were made to education in this country.

This new law represents the most sweeping changes to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act since it was enacted in 1965. It changes the federal government’s role in kindergarten-through-grade 12 education by asking schools to describe their success in terms of student achievement. The act contains the President’s four basic education reform principles: stronger accountability for results, increased flexibility and local control, expanded options for parents, and an emphasis on teaching methods that have been proven to work.

What is AZ LEARNS?
The following is a synopsis of key elements of this state legislation. If you would like a detailed description of Arizona LEARNS, please visit www.ade.az.gov/azlearns.

Similar in scope and nature to NCLB, Arizona Governor Jane Hull signed into law Arizona LEARNS, which will provide schools with a definition of academic progress and accountability. The goals of Arizona LEARNS are to promote greater student achievement and establish rewards for results, using the Arizona Academic Standards as the benchmark.

After October, 2002, schools across the state received achievement profiles and labels identifying them as “Excelling,” Highly Performing,” “Performing Plus,” “Performing,” “Underperforming” or after two years, “Failing to Meet Academic Standards.” The Arizona LEARNS labeling formula is based on AIMS data from 2000 to 2003 and Stanford 9 test data from 2001 to 2003. Effective School Year 2004-2005, the Terra Nova has replaced the SAT9 in Grades two and nine. For Grades 3-8, norm-referenced (NRT) scores are taken from the AIMS Dual purpose Assessment (AIMS DPA).

The Arizona Legislature and the Arizona Board of Education have set the standards for each of the labels. The labels “Excelling,” Highly Performing,” “Performing Plus,” “Performing,” “Underperforming” and “Failing to Meet Academic Standards” are based on (1) a school’s baseline level of achievement and amount of improvement over time on AIMS and (2) one year’s growth on Stanford 9. A “Failing to Meet Academic Standards” school is one that receives an “Underperforming” label for two consecutive years. Schools that receive “Excelling,” Highly Performing,” “Performing,” have no further responsibilities under Arizona LEARNS. “Underperforming” schools must initiate a series of actions to increase student achievement. “Failing to Meet Academic Standards” schools are subject to additional actions above and beyond those mandated by the “Underperforming” label.

What is Tempe Elementary School District Doing about NCLB?
The Tempe School District continues to actively work toward increasing student achievement. Assessment data over the last several years shows that student achievement continues to increase. Much of this success can be attributed to a refocused effort on analyzing student assessment data, implementing scientifically based instructional strategies, and evaluating the results of these refocused efforts. Additionally, each school redesigned its instructional efforts to continue this upward trend of student achievement.

Regardless of what label a school in Tempe Elementary receives, the focus will continue to be on success for all students. As the Arizona Department of Education continues to evaluate the performance of students and assign labels, the Tempe Elementary School District will continue its work to ensure that that no child is left behind.

Informational Websites
Read more about No Child Left Behind at www.nochildleftbehind.gov.

No Child Left Behind & Arizona LEARNS- English (pdf file - 77kb)

No Child Left Behind & Arizona LEARNS- Spanish (pdf file - 83kb)

FAQ Regarding NCLB and Arizona LEARNS- English (pdf file - 73kb)

FAQ Regarding NCLB and Arizona LEARNS- Spanish (pdf file - 85kb)

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