The Social Problems Presented by NCLB

So you may be asking yourself, how can we be sure that the hindrance of progress of students is actually a problem? Well, there are numerous issues that NCLB creates which ultimately lead to the main problem of this lack of progression by students. I will discuss these issues later in the post but first, I want to put NCLB into context by introducing you to the school systems in the state of Texas. The state’s statewide test is called the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) test and has actually become the measure for academic success in the United States. In other words, NCLB was modeled after one state’s test, TAAS. According to Linda McNeil, schools are rated by the state on the test scores of their students. Through a hierarchical model, each level is held accountable to the level above it. She explains that there is little to no variation of the rules at the top and that schools cannot opt out of this standardized testing system if their methods are different (59). This is problematic because no other school programs factor into the rating system except for test scores. Other issues created by this type of testing include:

1. Accountability: Are the right people being held accountable for the right reasons?

2. Lack of Resources: As a result of the accountability measures, the test takes away resources from schools that do not meet the standards that the test requires.

3. No Differentiation of Schools: The TAAS and NCLB hold every school and every student to the same standards. For example, the test makers assume that each student starts at the same reading level. This assumption is incorrect but all students are still expected to achieve the same range of test scores.

4. Education Gap: Although test scores of different racial and ethnic groups may be increasing, the gap between the scores of whites and minorities is not decreasing.

5. Dropouts: The rate of high school dropouts in Texas has increased since the implementation of TAAS (McNeil 74).

Questions: These are a few questions that popped in my head while I was investigating this problem. You may want to ponder these questions and think about ways to improve NCLB.

How can it be that the entire country’s education policy (NCLB) is modeled after that of one state? Especially because the TAAS test was not very successful.

Why aren’t other aspects of education (sports, arts programs, unqualified teachers, etc) factored into these accountability measures?