No Child Left Behind and Students with Disabilities in Rural and Small Schools

The recently enacted No Child Left Behind Act (2001) places unprecedented pressure on schools to raise the academic achievement of all students. Through annual testing of students, schools are to use the results of these assessments to demonstrate that they are making adequate yearly progress (AYP). The provisions in No Child Left Behind (NCLB) apply to all states, districts, and schools equally, regardless of size or location. There are concerns, however, about applying the law's provisions in rural schools. Specifically, concerns surround the measurement of adequate yearly progress. In many rural schools, the number of students is small and this is especially true when disaggregating results for subgroups. The current study investigated the implementation of accountability reforms in rural schools and sought to identify schools that were experiencing better than expected results for students, especially students with disabilities. Findings indicate that validly measuring AYP in small rural schools is especially problematic given the small number of students in the subgroup, volatility in year to year scores, and changes in service delivery policies. Implications for accountability and policy are discussed.