The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) focuses on all students, with and without disabilities. It is not specifically focused on the education of students with disabilities, as is the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA, 2004). Nevertheless, NCLB has had a tremendous impact on the ways in which special education is provided and assessed in the schools, which are among the many concerns facing educational administrators and policymakers. This article focuses on two specific special education issues that have been seriously affected by the current implementation of NCLB and are being discussed in regard to this law's reauthorization. These are (1) the assessment of students with disabilities; and (2) the definition of highly qualified special education teachers. Professionals in the field of special education and educational policymakers have been struggling with these two issues and are currently attempting to find a workable balance between requirements and pragmatics.