Accountability and Standards

A ruling for fairness has turned the heads of many concerned parents and mediocre students. The No Child Left Behind Act, opposed in 2001, that was still put into action has caused mass chaos throughout the school system. Failure is evident in the school system today Kim Mankin, Head of the Special Education Department at Dacula High School states, “There are many aspects of ‘No Child Left Behind’ that are lacking. One defect is that they say all children can learn, but this is not true; they leave out those with special needs and children with disabilities, creating an ‘unfair’ playing field. However, there are many strong aspects that make it better for regular education students, but not for those with special needs.” When a person fails, especially one with a disability, their self- esteem is lowered even destroyed in some cases. Mrs. Mankin went on to say that she has students who will rank a 35 on an IQ test and are not mentally capable of succeeding with standardized testing. Therefore, when standardized testing is raised to a higher level for gifted students, mediocre to special need students suffer.

According to Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, writers of Freakonomics, state, “The most volatile current debate among American school administrators, teachers, parents, and students concerns “high-stakes” testing.” Schools are now held accountable for the progress of their students. In turn, those schools which did not conform to the set forth standards of standardized testing were put on probation or closed down. Teachers then become the “bad guy” when high stakes testing is put into place. Many schools will offer incentives to educators if their scores are above par but their jobs are also in jeopardy if the coin toss is not in their favor. Poor scores lead to schools closing which then creates an influx of students in other districts and more strain upon parents to commute their child to school.

Is this really the environment you want your child raised in, where schools value scores rather than creativity and growth? The No Child Left Behind Act has done a true disservice to tomorrows adults and has stunted the growth of each child’s true potential.