As I sit in Davis Library cramming, I mean continue y diligent studying, for my upcoming History of Western Civilizations final, I remember a discussion we had in my EDUC 121 class this semester. In any public schools across the country, you can hear both the students and teachers expressing their grievances toward the No Child Left Behind Act. The legislation, which was passed by former president George W. Bush in 2008, is designed to set high standards and goals so that schools may have more of an intiative to provide the best education to our nation's children. Unfortunately, the act puts added amounts of unnecessary pressure on today's youth and teachers. Teachers must provide assessments to their students to determine the child's educational growth or recession. Those schools that meet the nation's set standards will receive federal funding, while those missing the mark are in fact "left behind." Personally, I was required to complete both six and twelve week assessments, a midterm evaluation, final exam, and an Advanced Placement exam in just one high school course. While the act has been proving effective thus far, it critics have argued its unequal bias against both low and high performing students as well as those who are not natural English speakers. Many commissions have stated their proposals for reform, and for the sake of our future generations, I sure hope one is accepted soon.
I remember this passing when I was in high school. I never really understood what it meant though, and it didn't really affect me that much. Aside from the usual quizes, test, midterms, and final exams I didn't have to do any of the other assesment tests. Somehow they started doing all those the year after I took the class which is very lucky for me.
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