Article
by
jcat1112
(1561
pts
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Published on
Jul 25, 2008
In our previous article we looked at how the No Child Left Behind Act was set up according to guidelines and standards. In this article we will look at the standardized testing; which students are being tested and which are being left out. We will also look at the guidelines set forth.
Under the No Child Left Behind Act all students are being tested. These groups include all ethnicities, economically disadvantaged students, students with limited English proficiency, students with disabilities, all public schools including charter schools, and both genders. This testing is not just geared towards Title 1 schools; all students between kindergarten and twelfth grade are tested. In the past, students with disabilities had been exempted from statewide testing as to ease the stress caused by testing for these students.
There is also a time frame for children with English as their second language. Most states allow for children to stay in ESL for a maximum of three years before being evaluated. There are approximately 184,000 ESL students who have been diagnosed with having disabilities because of their language barriers. The No Child Left Behind Act will hopefully alleviate this large number with the time frame allowed. “While all students must participate in state testing programs, not all students’ scores will count equally in the alignment of incentives for improving school performance.” (Wenning, Herdman, Smith, McMahon, & Washington, 2003)
The No Child Left behind Act has set forth some guidelines at to what defines Adequate Yearly Progress or AYP. States must use data form the 2001-2002 school year to help set forth a baseline of standards to compare test results to. “The state must use the higher of either the proficiency level of the state’s lowest-achieving group or the proficiency level of the students at the 20th percentile in the state.” (Wenning, Herdman, Smith, McMahon, & Washington, 2003)
The states must also set forth a twelve year plan for each subgroup of students to help them attain proficiency. Annual measurable goals must be developed by states which are consistent with schools throughout the state. Proficiency increments should occur within the twelve years, with the first rise occurring within the first two years.
States may set up a standardized method for averaging statistics over years and with grades in a school. Parents will be notified of the progress made throughout the state schools.
Schools who reach the standards set forth will attain additional funding. Schools who do not meet standards will have funding taken away from them.
So with all of these guidelines, what exactly is this costing us as educators and our students? In the next article we will look at Problems with the No Child Left Behind Act as well as the effects of this Act.