Myths and Realities about Testing On Jan. 8, 2002, President
Bush signed into law the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. This
new law embodies his education reform plan and is the most
sweeping reform of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act
(ESEA) since it was enacted in 1965. The new law redefines the
federal government's role in kindergarten-through-grade-12
education. Designed to help close the achievement gap between
disadvantaged and minority students and their peers, the new law
will change the culture of America's schools so that they define
their success in terms of student achievement and invest in the
achievement of every child. The act 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.
The first principle of accountability for results involves the
creation of standards in each state for what a child should know
and learn in reading and m