[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 73 (Friday, May 21, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E961]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          INTRODUCTION OF THE NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND REFORM ACT

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                            HON. ROB SIMMONS

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 20, 2004

  Mr. SIMMONS. Mr. Speaker, I rise before you today to introduce The No 
Child Left Behind Reform Act, which will make three basic changes to 
the No Child Left Behind Act. This bill was originally authored by my 
distinguished colleague from Connecticut, Senator Chris Dodd was 
recently introduced in the Senate. The legislation I rise to introduce 
today is a House companion to this bill.
  No Child Left Behind was passed in 2002 with bipartisan majorities in 
the House and Senate in an acknowledgement that the achievement gap 
among our nation's children must be closed. Since its passage, I have 
made very deliberate efforts to communicate with educators who will be 
responsible for implementation of the law. Like most of them, I remain 
committed to the goals and the general strategy of the policy.
  Toward this effort, I have established an Education Roundtable with 
whom I have met numerous times to discuss this reform. Through this 
Roundtable, I have met with more than 100 educators over the course of 
the last two years and have discovered that there are several common 
concerns. As a result, I am introducing this legislation in an effort 
to make the No Child Left Behind Act and even stronger educational 
tool. The legislation will meet the challenges brought to my attention 
by educators, administrators and parents who deal with these issues 
every day at the local level.
  First, the No Child Left Behind Reform Act will allow schools to 
consider measures other than test scores when determining achievement. 
Currently, the law holds schools accountable for student achievement 
measured solely by scores on two tests administered on one day. It 
gives schools no credit for progress on other academic indicators, such 
as dropout rates, the number of students who participate in advanced 
placement courses, and measures of individual student improvement over 
time. This legislation will allow schools to be recognized for 
succeeding in these areas.
  Second, the No Child Left Behind Reform Act will allow schools to 
target school choice and supplemental services to those students whose 
group fails to make AYP. Under implementation of the current law, if a 
school is in need of improvement it is expected to offer school choice 
and supplemental services to all students. This does not allow a school 
to target its resources to those who are most in need. By targeting 
those students in groups that fail to meet AYP, this legislation 
presents the most efficient way to maximize the effect of these 
resources.
  Finally, the No Child Left Behind Reform Act provides flexibility to 
teachers looking to meet ``highly qualified'' standards. As it is, the 
law requires teachers to be ``highly qualified'' to teach every subject 
that they teach. This is certainly a necessary component to the law but 
some of the educators with whom I have met have expressed concerns. The 
problems arise for those teachers in the fields of math and science who 
are now required to become certified in various disciplines such as 
biology, earth science and chemistry. It also applies to teachers in 
rural middle schools who teach multiple subjects and are struggling to 
become certified in all of those subjects.

  The legislation I am introducing today will allow middle grade level 
teachers who teach multiple subjects as well as math and science 
teachers to take one assessment test for all of the subjects they 
teach. Each state will determine what the test will consist of based on 
the needs of their state.
  Mr. Speaker, these changes will provide significant assistance to 
schools in Connecticut and other states across the country currently 
struggling to comply with the No Child Left Behind Act. Clearly, we 
have encountered some unintended consequences of No Child Left Behind. 
If we are not able to restructure the law to address these issues we 
run the risk of losing the worthwhile goals that motivated the passage 
of this important legislation. I ask my colleagues to join me in 
support of the No Child Left Behind Reform Act.

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