Here's a link with some decent info on what that act is:
Overview of the "No child left behind act" (Whitehouse.gov)Here's what I have to say about it:
I lucked out quite a bit on my part, I failed two parts of the WASL (Washington Assessment of Student Learning) but after I graduated (c/o 2005) it was noted that the next year teachers would have to teach by the test and that students would have to pass the WASL (Or some other test depending on the schools) to graduate from high school. I've always seen these test as merely an evaluation of the students and of the school, merely as a way to see the progress of the students, not as a necessity. And now it seems that more people will be at a disadvantage than ever before for the following reasons:
.Some students do well in school, yet do horrifically on test.
.Students under special care (Special education, E.S.L., etc.) are at a BIG disadvantage; some wouldn't be taught to read at high levels and/or some would be behind in other subjects of the test. Let's just say that it's harder to teach from a test if not everybody understands it due to disablities (dyslexia, for example), and/or the lack of the ability to speak and read english (E.S.L.) correctly.
.Not everyone gets to such high levels of math, reading, and/or science during high school, simple as that.
So wouldn't this mean that more children were being left behind?
When it comes down to it, test should not determine whether or not the student is able to graduate. It is up to the schols to bring the students up to speed, however teaching by set guidelines from exams is not the way to go. I believe that caring for the educational needs of every student would be the most productive way to go.
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