In the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, two new components were added to the already existing nine components of Comprehensive School Reform. The new list of eleven components provides a guide for schools to use in creating a research-based comprehensive school reform plan. While whole school reform models are typically adopted by schools engaging in comprehensive school reform, each school and district is responsible for ensuring that their school plan, including their selected model(s), is based on scientifically based research and addresses each of the eleven components.

Also available is a School Self Assessment Tool, that schools can use to assess school readiness according to the eleven components.

1. Effective Research-Based Methods and Strategies: A comprehensive school reform program employs proven strategies and methods for student learning, teaching, and school management that are based on scientifically based research and effective practices and have been replicated successfully in schools.
2. Comprehensive Design: A comprehensive design for effective school functioning integrates instruction, assessment, classroom management, professional development, parental involvement, and school management. By addressing needs identified through a school needs assessment, it aligns the school's curriculum, technology, and professional development into a plan for schoolwide change. The ultimate goal of this design is to enable all students to meet challenging State content and student academic achievement standards.
3. Professional Development: The program provides high-quality and continuous teacher and staff professional development and training. The professional development involves proven, innovative strategies that are both cost effective and easily accessible and ensures that teachers are able to use State assessments and challenging State academic content standards to improve instructional practice and student academic achievement.
4. Measurable Goals and Objectives: A comprehensive school reform program includes measurable goals for student academic achievement and establishes benchmarks for meeting those goals. The Department encourages LEAs to link these goals to the State's definition of adequate yearly progress (AYP) in Section 1111(b)(2) of the ESEA.
5. Support within the school: Teachers, principals, administrators, and other staff throughout the school support the program in a CSR school. They demonstrate this support by, among other activities, understanding and embracing the school's comprehensive reform program, focusing on continuous improvement of classroom instruction, and participating in professional development.
6. Support for teachers and principals:A CSR program provides support for teachers, principals, administrators, and other school staff by creating shared leadership and a broad base of responsibility for reform efforts. The program encourages teamwork and the celebration of accomplishments. These and other means of support are part of the school's comprehensive design.
7. Parent and Community Involvement: The program provides for the meaningful involvement of parents and the local community in planning, implementing, and evaluating school improvement activities. In addressing this component, schools create strategies that are consistent with the parental involvement requirements of Title I, Part A. (See section 1118 of the ESEA.) Schools pay special attention to building parents' capacity for involvement and design ways in which parents can be brought into the instructional program and contribute to the academic achievement of their children.
8. External Technical Support and Assistance: The program uses high-quality external support and assistance from an entity that has experience and expertise in schoolwide reform and improvement, such as an institution of higher education.
9. Annual Evaluation: The program ensures accountability by including a plan for the annual evaluation of the implementation of school reforms and the student results achieved. The evaluation helps ensure that the school is making progress toward achieving its measurable goals and benchmarks and that necessary adjustments and improvements will be made to the reform strategies.
10. Coordination of Resources: The comprehensive program must identify Federal, State, local and private financial and other resources that schools can use to coordinate services that support and sustain comprehensive school reform.
11. Strategies that improve academic achievement The program must meet one of the following requirements: The program must have been found, through scientifically based research, to significantly improve the academic achievement of participating students; or the program has been found to have strong evidence that it will significantly improve the academic achievement of participating children.