Devon Williams
Mrs. Demeester
AP Language
6 March 2017 Government Standards For Education Are Failing Students
The Common Core standards was introduced to establish a basis for education that all students are required to meet. Once every year a standardized test, a test that is given and scored in a “standard” manner, is given on the curriculum. The basic skills that students are tested on are reading, literature, science, history, and mathematics. While the idea sounds fine enough, the actual usage of the No Child Left Behind Act has harmed students in many ways. The government policy put into place to set a standard for education has negatively impacted most students by stressing that students meet its requirements
…show more content…
Under the No Child Left Behind Act, sourced from “The Impact of the No Child Left Behind Act on Student Achievement”, there is “annual testing of public-school students in reading and mathematics in grades 3 through 8... with regard to whether they are making “adequate yearly progress” (Dee & Jacob 1). What many fail to realize is that while a good career and life can blossom from taking your school work seriously, there are other skills that an individual may learn and can use to be successful in the real world. Timothy Siegel, author of “The Problem With "No Child Left Behind"” believes that it is “...not just the tension...it is the idea that benefit can be gained by selecting some measurable skills from the mix of skills...and focusing on making sure that these skills get taught” (Siegel 1). For example, a student may learn to be persistent in any endeavor, but there is no test that focuses solely on persistence. Students may also learn about how to be persuasive in writing and reasoning, but, once again, there are no tests focusing primarily on this skill or the other previously mentioned. The most students will hear about these skills are whenever they pertain to …show more content…
“The Common Core Costs Billions and Hurts Students.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 23 July 2016, www.nytimes.com/2016/07/24/opinion/sunday/the-common-core-costs-billions-and-hurts-students.html?_r=0. Accessed 2 Mar. 2017.
Siegel, Timothy. “The Problem With ‘No Child Left Behind.’” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 9 Aug. 2011, www.forbes.com/sites/timothysiegel/2011/04/02/the-problem-with-no-child-left-behind/#2bd15ed062c8. Accessed 2 Mar. 2017.
Finn, Jr. Chester E. “We Are Failing Our Brightest Kids.” Newsweek, Newsweek.com, 23 Apr. 2016, www.newsweek.com/we-are-failing-our-brightest-kids-380691. Accessed 2 Mar. 2017.
Dee, Thomas, and Brian Jacob. “The Impact of the No Child Left Behind Act on Student Achievement.” Center for Education Policy Analysis, Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 25 May 2016, cepa.stanford.edu/content/impact-no-child-left-behind-act-student-achievement. Accessed 7 Mar. 2017.
Strauss, Valerie. “No Child Left Behind: What Standardized Test Scores Reveal about Its Legacy.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 10 Mar. 2015, www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2015/03/10/no-child-left-behind-what-standardized-test-scores-reveal-about-its-legacy/. Accessed 7 Mar. 2017 (contains charts for reference
Even with the negative and positive functions of No Child Left Behind, there are many areas that still need to ironed out. Under the Obama administration several states have received a waiver from No Child Left Behind, “with this waiver students will still be tested annually. But starting this fall, schools in those states will no longer face the same prescriptive actions spelled out under No Child Left Behind” (Feller & Hefling, 2012). Since 2007, the law has been up for review, but due to opponents of the law there has not been an agreement reached and the law continues to stress our schools and children out. We can only hope that when this law is reviewed and agreed upon that it really is in the best interest of our children and the nation as a whole.
The implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act applied a market approach to school reform as a way of improving the school system. This new law promised an era of high standards, testing, and accountability in
Neill, Monty. "The No Child Left Behind Act Is Not Improving Education." Education: Opposing Viewpoints. New York: Greenhaven, 2005. 162-68. Print.
In Diane Ravitch essay “The Essentials of a Good Education,” argues about testing students in schools on basic skills that led to many public schools to abandon the importance of social skills and life choices. In her essay, it states that the federal law has demanded that all students must be proficient in mathematics and reading and that every state has been required to test those two specific subjects. Why do they demand that we are tested on mathematics and reading? Well in our lifetime, we will have to know how to do the math and also have reading skills for our career jobs. In the “No Child Left Behind” was an act in 2001 passed by congress that requires states to test children’s basic skills to qualify for federal funding. All students
Another major criticism of the “No Child Left Behind” deals with the implications of using a standardized test as means of assessing achievement.
Though standardized testing has played a part in America's education system it took several tries before it played such a large role in education like it does today. The No child left Behind Act of 2002 was the foot hold standardized testing needed in order to be implemented into schools at a national level with such force. During the 1990’s the U.S felt as though it was falling behind on the Programme for International Assessment. “After No Child Left Behind (NCLB) passed in 2002, the US slipped from 18th in the world in math on the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) to 31st place in 2009, with a similar drop in science and no change in reading”(walker 1).
Education is the foundation of American society. It empowers the youth of America to become the successful leaders this country needs for the future. Education has been one of America’s top priorities since 1965, when the Elementary and Secondary Education Act was passed. Now, education is controlled by the No Child Left Behind Act, which was launched in January 8, 2002. This act was passed with intentions from the government to provide Americans with a more superior education system. However, The No Child Left Behind Act carried many flaws which were left unseen to a vast majority of the public. This act limited American students by not allowing them to demonstrate their full academic potentials while proceeding in school. While the act was still fairly fresh, there was already evidence to prove that it had already gotten off to a bad beginning. For the crucial math and science courses, statistics showed minimal improvements which had begun around the time period in which the No Child Left Behind Act was passed. The act was also supported by a number of educators who voiced themselves by testifying against having the right to teach at their own free will. Teachers across America claimed that because of this new act, they felt a constant heaviness upon their shoulders from the state government to “Teach the test.”
No Child Left Behind (NCLB) is currently the educational policy in the United States. Prior to NCLB the educational policies in effect were “A Nation at Risk, in 1987 America 2000, and a few years later with Goals 2000” (Eisner, 2001, p.21). No Child Left Behind is a test based accountability system used in schools to measure their performance holding the districts, administrators and teachers liable and accountable for the outcomes. Supovitz (2009) States that No Child Left Behind was a major reform initiative intended to bring about widespread improvements in student performance and reduce inequities between ethnic groups and other traditionally under-served populations like economically disadvantaged students, students from major racial
Rudalevige, A. (2003). The politics of No Child Left Behind. EducationNext, 3(4), 63-69. Retrieved from EducationNext: http://educationnext.org/the-politics-of-no-child-left-behind/
In 2002, President George W. Bush passed the “No Child Left Behind Act” which tied in schools’ public funding to standardized tests and enforced the tests in elementary and high schools every year by state education departments. This law also began to put more emphasize on standardized tests which has diminished our level of education and the law “made standardized test scores the primary measure of school quality” (Diane Ravitch 28). Bush hoped this law motivated more students to do well on these exams and teachers to help them prepare better, but it ended up hurting many schools in the process. These exams like the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) should not play such a prominent role in schooling and the government should not make tests the main focal point.
“To ensure all students are ready for success after high school, the Common Core State Standards establish clear, consistent guidelines for what every student should know and be able to do in math and English language arts from kindergarten through 12th grade” (What Parents Should Know, n.d.). Children are entering a world that is requiring more and more than before. Society is changing meaning education must change to keep up with society. “The standards were drafted by experts and teachers from across the country and are designed to ensure students are prepared for today’s entry-level careers, freshman-level college courses, and workforce training programs” (What Parents Should Know, n.d.). The focus is to allow students to think critically and be able to problem solve; skills needed in life. The Common Core State Standards are also providing ways for teachers to track each student’s progress as they grow and learn throughout the year. Common Core has many good qualities, but nothing is perfect. There will always be issues no matter the
Lee, Oliver. "Does No Child Left Behind Deserve a Passing Grade?" TakePart. N.p., 6 June 2012. Web. 15 Mar. 2014.
There are many studies have conducted on the Common Core issue. I am interested in reading and knowing this topic, the Common Core Standards in the American perspective. According to State Standards Initiative, the Common Core State Standards established curricula for English language arts and literacy in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects “the Standards” are the peak of a prolonged effort to carry out the charge supplied by the states to build the generation of K-12 standards to help guarantee that all learners are college and occupation ready in knowledge at the end of high school. (Schutz, n.d.).
The No Child Left Behind Act, a federal social program that tries to encourages after school programs should be eliminated and the extra funds given to schools to decide where it goes.
The achievement gap is greatly evident and impacts the low-income, minority students the most. Although the federal government attempted to resolve this problem with No Child Left Behind, the social problem is still evident. As there is still much pressure on standardized tests and annual reports, reformation is needed. No Child Left Behind has proven to be inadequate and rather highlights the urgency for education reform. Although the act is called “No Child Left Behind,” an appropriate title would have been “Education Left Behind.” More than focusing on test scores, education should prepare students in how to contribute to