| Assessment
The No Child Left Behind Act sets out several new requirements for assessing
and reporting on student performance and pressures states to comply with previous
mandates.
Beginning in 2005-06, states will be required to test all students annually
in grades 3-8 in mathematics and reading or language arts. States also must
comply with the 1994 requirement for testing students at least once annually
in mathematics and reading/language arts at grade levels 10-12.
In addition, science assessments must be developed and put into place by the
2007-08 school year and administered not less than one time during grades 3-5,
6-9 and 10-12.
States' annual assessments must be aligned to state standards and include the
participation of all students, including most students with disabilities and
limited English proficiency. Test results must include individual student scores
and be reported by race, income and other categories to measure not just overall
trends, but also gaps among, and progress of, various subgroups of students.
Results of math and reading assessments will be the primary indicators of whether
schools and districts have made adequate yearly progress.
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