Last Updated on December 13, 2002

Final Regs
Secretary Paige released final regulations for the No Child Left Behind Act that cover Title I, accountability, parent
options, teacher quality, & more http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/11-2002/11262002.html

Draft Non-Regulatory Guidance on Paraprofessionals
ED released draft non-regulatory guidance on paraprofessionals, who are required under NCLB to have completed at least 2 years of postsecondary school, obtained an associate's degree or higher, & demonstrated the knowledge & ability to assist in reading, writing, & math instruction. http://www.ed.gov/offices/OESE/SASA/paraprofessional.html

Summary of the Law

On January 8, 2002, President Bush signed into law the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. The Act, which embodies his education reform plan sent to Congress on January 23, 2001, is the most sweeping reform of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) since ESEA was enacted in 1965. It redefines the federal role in K-12 education and will help close the achievement gap between disadvantaged and minority students and their peers. It is based on four basic 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.

Visit their Website at www.ed.gov/nclb/. The new "No Child Left Behind"
Website offers:
* An executive summary of the Act
* A preliminary overview of programs & changes
* The text of the Act
* The conference committee report
* What the Act means for your state

The federal government has also created a website on NLCB for parents.

School Choice information

If your child is in one of the 82 public schools identified as "needing improvement" or "corrective action"
you may be able to transfer your child to another public school that is performing well. The law requires the Department of Education to offer the option of tranferring to any parent whose child attends one of the targeted 85 schools.

Parents who wish to transfer their child to another school can file a request for a Geographic Exception with their home school from January 1st - March 1st for the following school year. Should the demand for space exceed the supply, priority students will be accepted first. Priority Students are students who receive free or reduced price lunch and score the lowest grades on their report cards in math and reading/English. .

Before a student with an IEP or 504 plan transfers to another school, there must be an informal review by the home school to be certain that the requested school has the appropriate program and services to meet plan requirements. And while some transportation will be provided through NCLB, students who have transportation as a related service in their IEP will no longer receive curb to curb service.

Supplemental Services Information

NCLB Supplemental services are intended to provide extra academic help to low income students who remain at a school needing improvement or corrective action. Supplemental services occur outside of the regular school day and may include tutoring, after school programs, remedial classes or summer school. The focus is on reading, language arts and/or mathematics. Priority will be given to students who have the lowest grades in mathematics or language arts and who receive free or reduced-price lunch.

If your child receives NCLB supplemental services, your home school will work with you and the provider that is selected to develop a plan for improvement that supports the goals of your child's MP/IEP. However, these services are not considered part of your child's MP or IEP.

Remember: These option for NCLB Supplemental Services is tied to schools that are underperforming. If your school improves to the point where it is making Adequate Yearly Progress, these options may not be available.

Proposed Guidelines for Geographic Exceptions

New INTERIM GUIDELINES FOR IMPLEMENTING GEOGRAPHIC EXCEPTIONS are being put into place for parents who want to apply for a Geographic Exception (G.E.) for the 2003-2004 School Year. Geographic Exceptions allow a student to attend a school other than the school in their home geographic area.

In 2003-2004 NCLB students will have priority for G.E.s, along with students who want to attend a particular Program of Study (for example, Learning Centers and Hawaiian Immersion). Application forms will be available in early January and must be turned in by March 1st to be considered.

If there are more requests for G.E.s than available spaces at a particular school, then NCLB students grades 1-12 who are eligible for the free or reduced lunch program (no or low-cost school lunches) and who have the lowest ranking (making poor grades in math and reading or English) will be considered first. The priority for upcoming kindergartners will be their ability to qualify for the free or reduced lunch program.

Mid March is the time frame when most parents will find out if their child has been granted a G.E. Parents must register their child at their "new" school within 10 working days from the postmarked date of the notification. If the child is NOT registered within 10 working days, the G.E. space will be given to the next child.

"Things for Parents to Consider"

Parent organizations have put together a list of "Things for Parents to Consider" to assist you in determining whether a Geographic Exception is appropriate for your child.

Link to DOE Information

Visit the Hawaii Department of Education's Web site on No Child Left Behind for copies of parent letters and fact sheets in various languages. For a listing of schools that are considered in need of improvement or corrective action here's an update dated September 2002