Com 220 - No Child Left Behind Act

The No Child Left Behind Act

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April Aurelio

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The No Child Left Behind Act

While children deserve to be successful, all children should get a chance to get the education that they need. All children are not at the same level when they first enter kindergarten. Some already know there ABC's by heart while some other children are still learning them.

All children need is to be encouraged and to be pushed when it comes to learning. We know that all children are capable of doing anything that they put their mind to, but when it comes to school it's a different story. As parents and teachers, we need to help our children to succeed.

Source: govdocs.com

The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) was passed by the House of Representatives on May 23, 2001 and signed by President Bush on January 8, 2002. This act is to emphasize standardized testing to measure improvements in reading, math, and science among students. (Political Base, 2008). NCLB was enacted in the form of reauthorization of the 1965 Elementary and Secondary Act, from President Lyndon Johnson's Great Society (Uzzell, 2005).

The Act helps to determine the progress that the children are making and to determine the teacher's progress as well to see if they are achieving the teaching standards. Students in grades 3 - 8must take annual testing for reading and mathematics. Students must also take a science test

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at least once in elementary, middle, and high school. Lawrence Uzzell (2005) stated that the

word "proficiency" appears literally hundred times in NCLB statue and claims that the term which is the opening sentence of the NCLB Act, "The purpose of this title is to ensure that all children have a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education and reach, at a minimum, proficiency on challenging State academic achievement standards and state academic assessments." is never defined. The sentence speaks for itself. The purpose is it to ensure that all children have a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to high quality education. Schools are trying their best to help students to achieve their full potential.

Lawrence Uzzell is not the only one that feels the NCLB Act is not necessary. Connecticut filed a lawsuit against the US claiming that Bush's education law is essentially an unfunded mandate from the federal government (Mothering, 2005). Connecticut tried to use their own state law that rules out state and local money from helping fund federal programs requirements. The state did not get any mercy for their requests. The NCLB Act requires students to take tests in grades 3-8, but Connecticut schools only test their students in grades four, six, and eight. NCLB ordered Connecticut to add grades three, five, and seven. Education is important and what the government is trying to do is improve students. All they want to do is find out what subject they need improving in and help to make them successful in that subject. I

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see where some states are coming from, they are concerned with putting more time and money into something that they think is only a waste of time, but they need to understand that a lot of time goes into teaching students properly and "proficiently".

Lawrence Uzzell (2005) claims that there is cheating when it comes to the standardized tests. He claims that teachers are leaking specific test questions to students in advance, or coaching them while they are taking the test, or altering answer sheets before sending them out to be scored. That's just a bunch of rumors and allegations.

According McClatchy-Tribune Business News (2009) Middle school and high school students posted steady gains