House Committee on Education and Labor
U.S. House of Representatives

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Mike Castle (R-DE), the top Republican on the U.S. House Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education, today unveiled comprehensive legislation to reform and renew the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). Castle’s bill, the Improving NCLB for All Students Act, includes key reforms that will make NCLB more flexible and responsive to the needs of students and schools.  The bill incorporates bipartisan proposals outlined last year, and is expected to serve as a blueprint for reauthorization of this landmark law.

“Although the legislative year is drawing to a close, the school year is just about to get started,” said Castle.  “We must continue the education reform dialogue and press ahead in our efforts to make the No Child Left Behind Act stronger and more reflective of what students and schools need to succeed.”

Castle’s bill reflects core elements of the NCLB reauthorization discussion draft released last fall by the Chairman and Senior Republican Member of the Education and Labor Committee, Rep. George Miller (D-CA) and Rep. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-CA).  Specifically, the Improving NCLB for All Students Act would:

•    Allow states to use growth models to measure individual student progress over time;

•    Define a reliable and comparable graduation rate;

•    Make NCLB work better for English Language Learners by allowing states and school districts to administer alternate assessments to ELL students and extend the time in which they can receive credit for their scores;

•    Ensure the academic progress of students with disabilities can be accurately measured and reported;

•    Create two separate and distinct school improvement and assistance systems to better target resources to schools with the greatest challenges; and

•    Maintain the successful Reading First program, which supports states and school districts implementing reading programs in high-need schools in grades K-3.  The bill also strengthens program accountability and expands support to higher grade levels through a Striving Readers program for students in grades 4-12.

“Congressman Castle has been at the forefront of the education reform movement, pressing for constant innovation on behalf of our nation’s students,” said Rep. McKeon.  “This legislation sets forth a clear path for reform, and it should be welcomed by members on both sides of the aisle as the foundation upon which NCLB renewal can be built.”

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