"Race to the Bottom" is a phrase used to describe a frightening phenomenon occurring in our nation's schools. As No Child Left Behind legislation continues to place demands on schools for all children to be proficient by 2014, many states are actually lowering their standard of what proficient means. Mississippi, for instance, has the highest gap between what it says is the number of kids "passing the proficiency standards" and what the national tests say about those same students. In 2005, 89 of fourth-graders in Mississippi were rated proficient in reading - the highest percentage in the nation. But when the students sat for the rigorous NAEP - the closest thing to a national gold standard - they landed at the bottom: just 18 of fourth graders made the grade in reading.
States that have tougher curriculum and correspondingly tougher exams are setting themselves up for failure according to NCLB. Who is really losing out in this scenario? Is it the kids who go to school in states like Mississippi (they aren't the only ones lowering standards: learning goals declined in 30 states from 2000 to 2006) or kids going to school in states like Massachusetts where the standards are high and the state exams tough?
Our kids will live up to our expectations and standards, so what are we afraid of? We should expect the very best from our kids. In doing that we will provide them with what they truly need: a challenging and rigorous education. If we can give them this gift they will pay us back for generations to come. Let's stop playing politics with our future and start racing toward the top, not the bottom.
States that have tougher curriculum and correspondingly tougher exams are setting themselves up for failure according to NCLB. Who is really losing out in this scenario? Is it the kids who go to school in states like Mississippi (they aren't the only ones lowering standards: learning goals declined in 30 states from 2000 to 2006) or kids going to school in states like Massachusetts where the standards are high and the state exams tough?
Our kids will live up to our expectations and standards, so what are we afraid of? We should expect the very best from our kids. In doing that we will provide them with what they truly need: a challenging and rigorous education. If we can give them this gift they will pay us back for generations to come. Let's stop playing politics with our future and start racing toward the top, not the bottom.
chandler properties, chandler professional unclutter, chandler private schools, chandler press price printing.
Комментариев нет:
Отправить комментарий