Downfalls of Standardized Testing
Downfalls of Standardized Testing
In January of 2002, President George W. Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act into law. This act required that each state develop standardized tests for basic skills and administer the tests to all students in order to receive federal funding for their school. Each state was required to set progress goals, and each school in the state must make adequate yearly progress, meaning that each year, the current students must perform better on the test than the previous students. If these progress goals were not met continually, schools were in jeopardy of losing federal funding, and teachers were in jeopardy of losing their jobs. The ultimate goal of the No Child Left Behind Act was to have 100% of students in a school reach the state requirements by 2014. Currently, 33 states have received waivers from the government granting flexibility from certain provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act. The fact that so many states were granted waivers really shows how bad this act really was. This waiver loosened the 100% goal for schools and allowed them to “...improve educational outcomes for all students, close achievement gaps, increase equity, and improve the quality of instruction” (www.ed.gov). The waiver shifts the accountability away from the teachers and school districts and allows them to implement new ideas to stimulate progress. Since the waivers were just granted this year, it is not yet clear their impact on students. In the coming year, more information will come to light in how being granted the waiver affected students and how the progress of individuals is being affected. Since these waivers have been allowed, congress is really now able to look back on the different provisions put in place by the NCLB Act and evaluate whether or not they actually worked. One of those provisions that I believe has had a negative impact on our schools is standardized testing. Standardized tests have destroyed our school
In January of 2002, President George W. Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act into law. This act required that each state develop standardized tests for basic skills and administer the tests to all students in order to receive federal funding for their school. Each state was required to set progress goals, and each school in the state must make adequate yearly progress, meaning that each year, the current students must perform better on the test than the previous students. If these progress goals were not met continually, schools were in jeopardy of losing federal funding, and teachers were in jeopardy of losing their jobs. The ultimate goal of the No Child Left Behind Act was to have 100% of students in a school reach the state requirements by 2014. Currently, 33 states have received waivers from the government granting flexibility from certain provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act. The fact that so many states were granted waivers really shows how bad this act really was. This waiver loosened the 100% goal for schools and allowed them to “...improve educational outcomes for all students, close achievement gaps, increase equity, and improve the quality of instruction” (www.ed.gov). The waiver shifts the accountability away from the teachers and school districts and allows them to implement new ideas to stimulate progress. Since the waivers were just granted this year, it is not yet clear their impact on students. In the coming year, more information will come to light in how being granted the waiver affected students and how the progress of individuals is being affected. Since these waivers have been allowed, congress is really now able to look back on the different provisions put in place by the NCLB Act and evaluate whether or not they actually worked. One of those provisions that I believe has had a negative impact on our schools is standardized testing. Standardized tests have destroyed our school