0.7 Ward, s. (february 2009). what every educator should know about  (Page 2/7)

The problem with no child left behind

Schools and districts across the nation that fail to make adequate yearly progress are subject to a number of sanctions, including letters mailed home to parents informing them of the students’ performance, school choice options, community advisory groups, curriculum and instruction mandates, school closure, reconstitution, state takeover, and removal of principal and/or teachers. As a result, some states have responded by changing how their tests are scored to allow more students to pass and to show more progress under NCLB (Fuller, Gesicki, Kang,&Wright, 2006).

NCLB mandates that proficiency be defined in the narrow terms of reading/English language arts and mathematics, requiring states to develop standards and benchmarks to assess students’ progress toward mastering standards in these specific content areas. To avoid Program Improvement status

The Act punishes schools in some states for achievement levels that are defined as great successes in others and rewards schools in other states for achievement levels significantly below national standards. Additionally, the repercussions of the NCLB’s narrowly defined terms of proficient can be extremely detrimental in inner city schools where resources and time may be focused on passing the test, thereby reducing instructional minutes directed toward developing critical thinking skills, well-roundedness, innovativeness, creativity, and multilingualism (K. P. Boudett, et. al., 2007).

Literature review

The ultimate goal of NCLB is a steady academic gain by all subgroups of students until all can read and do math at or above grade level expectations. Some of the most notable characteristics of the law are 1) accountability requirements by which schools must demonstrate Adequate Yearly Progress based on students reaching targets for achievement; 2) consequences for schools failing to meet AYP along with options for students in these schools to receive supplemental educational services and transportation to higher performing or safer schools within the same district; 3) application of rigorous scientifically based research standards to educational programs and practices; and 4) requirements that teachers and paraprofessionals must meet the highly qualified educational and credential criteria to remain in the classroom (Mills, 2008).