It will always be true to state that inherent to legislative action is the need for correction. The No Child Left Behind legislation is not perfect and has many elements that require correction if students are to attain the best education possible (Hess & Petrilli, 2006).
However, keeping the pitfalls and difficulties of the legislation in mind, the fact is that its accountability measures have been working. Schools and students show marked improvement in performance (United States Department of Education, 2009). Math, History, and English scores are all higher than they were before NCLB legislation; moreover, the achievement gap between minorities and whites, rich and poor, is narrowing (US Department of Education, 2009). In addition, one of the major concerns regarding accountability was whether it might place too many demands on teacher performance; however, over 94 percent of teachers have passed tests that list them as 'highly qualified.'
However, questions have been asked as to whether the standardized tests measuring school and student performance really measure learning or whether students are being taught to the test, thereby resulting in a "dumbing down" of instruction. The fact is that standardized tests as measures of learning and their effects on learning have been debated long before NCLB legislation (Kybiszyn, & Borich, 2006). It is also a fact that whether educators should or should not utilize standardized tests, the educational system's primary way of measuring progress and fitness for upward academic mobility (e.g., attending college after graduation) within the system is the standardized test (Kubiszyn & Borich, 2006) and the student that has learned how to take these tests and what they require has a definite advantage. It is hardly "dumbing down," but more like preparation for how things are done in the real world of attaining an education.
Hess, F., & Petrilli, M. (2006). No
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