Is No Child Left Behind an un (Or Under) Funded Federal Mandate? Evidence from Texas‪.‬

INTRODUCTION The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) requires that states establish academic performance goals for all students and for separate groups of students characterized by race, ethnicity, poverty, disability, and limited English proficiency. The legislation mandates annual testing of all students in grades three through eight and testing at least once in grades 10 through 12. The legislation also requires that schools make annual progress in meeting state-determined student performance goals. By 2013-14, the NCLB law mandates that 100 percent of students in each sub-group perform at a proficient level as determined by test standards established by each state. Those schools that fail to meet their adequate yearly progress (AYP) goals will be subject to sanctions. To help states meet the requirements imposed by NCLB, over the past two years Congress increased federal funding for elementary and secondary education by over 40 percent.