OXFORD – SAD 17 Superintendent Mark Eastman on Monday outlined for board members what he called “the changing landscape in education” forced upon schools by the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

The act requires that all schools in the nation make yearly progress toward the goal of “universal proficiency” in learning results among all children: rich, poor, male, female, academically gifted or learning disabled.

Ensuring high achievement for all students, he said, “is a dramatic shift” from the days in the 1950s when “equal educational opportunity” and access to an education was the dominant focus.

Maine schools already have established high standards under the Maine Learning Results, which require districts to establish local systems for gauging student performance. While these tests are much more likely to reflect what students are learning, Eastman said the federal government “wanted to force the agenda” by taking a snapshot based on standardized testing.

One of the biggest problems the district has encountered in trying to adhere to the law is time, he said. It takes a lot of staff time to make sense of the test results, and make changes in the classroom as needed.

“We need new tools to help us achieve the new mission, including time to assess, calibrate, score and analyze student data and the staff development to support that process,” Eastman said.

Among administrators’ concerns are that federal officials are requiring a lot of information quickly, he said.

“It’s a huge task,” he added.