Education for the Disadvantaged: Overview of ESEA Title 1-A Amendments Under the No Child Left Behind Act

Publication Date: October 2004

Publisher: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Author(s):

Research Area: Education

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Abstract:

Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) authorizes aid to local educational agencies (LEAs) for the education of disadvantaged children. Title I-A grants are used to provide supplementary educational and related services to low-achieving and other pupils attending schools with relatively high concentrations of pupils from low-income families. Title I-A has detailed provisions regarding pupil assessment, program improvement, allocation of funds, school selection, fiscal accountability, and parental involvement, but very few constraints on such matters as the specific resources for which funds are used.

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, P.L. 107-110, builds upon Title I-A provisions adopted in 1994 which required participating states to adopt curriculum content and pupil performance standards, and assessments linked to these, at three grade levels in reading and mathematics; initiated steps toward identifying lowperforming schools and LEAs; attempted to increase targeting of funds on high poverty LEAs and schools; and increased flexibility.

Highlights of the Title I-A provisions of P.L. 107-110 include (a) participating states are required to implement standards-based assessments for pupils in each of grades 3-8 in reading and mathematics by the 2005-2006 school year, and to implement assessments at three grade levels in science by the 2007-2008 school year; (b) states receiving Title I-A funds are required to participate in National Assessment of Educational Progress tests in 4th and 8th grade reading and mathematics every two years; (c) adequate yearly progress (AYP) standards, with a goal of all pupils reaching a proficient or advanced level of achievement on state assessments within 12 years, must be developed by states and applied to each public school, LEA, and state; (d) pupils at schools participating in Title I-A that fail to meet AYP for two consecutive years must be offered public school choice options, and if a Title I-A school fails to meet AYP for a third consecutive year, pupils from low-income families must be offered the opportunity to receive instruction from a supplemental services provider of their choice; (e) "corrective actions" must be taken with respect to Title I-A schools that fail to meet AYP for four consecutive years, and those that fail for five years must be "restructured"; (f) Title I-A allocation formulas are modified to increase targeting on high poverty states and LEAs under the Education Finance Incentive Grant formula, move Puerto Rico gradually toward parity with the states, and increase state minimum grants; (g) states must ensure that all of their teachers in core subject areas are "highly qualified" by the end of the 2005-2006 school year; (h) within four years, all paraprofessionals paid with Title I-A funds must have completed at least two years of higher education or met a "rigorous standard of quality"; and (i) the authorization level for Title I-A is specified for each year, rising from $13.5 billion for FY2002 to $25 billion for FY2007. Issues regarding implementation of these requirements and other provisions are being considered by the 108th Congress. This report will be updated regularly, to reflect legislative and implementation developments.