Trainwreck?

There arguably is a train wreck around state standards but it doesn’t seem to have a lot to do with No Child Left Behind – predates it even! This will be no matter for the advocates though, they can quickly pivot from “NCLB is creating a race to the bottom” to “NCLB is keeping us from having really high expectations…”

2 Replies to “Trainwreck?”

  1. Although I think NCLB is overall a beneficial program for Education Policy, it sets up a plethora of adverse incentives when it allows states to determine their own requirements for “proficiency”. It also expedites the manner in which they can lower standards.

    For example, the state of Oklahoma raised proficiency scores simply by lowering the cut score for passing on their mathematics exams:

    http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=070817_1_A1_hMore48104

    To solve this problem, we either need a more complex system which is harder to “gain” or some sort of federal governing body which can make sure those running the accountability programs within their state are themselves accountable.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.