Fix "No Child Left Behind"
Current education legislation (i.e. No Child Left Behind) requires 100% proficiency in reading and math by 2014 through two statewide tests. This unrealistic goal leaves no room for students with disabilities and those learning English as a second-language.
Accountability systems for No Child Left Behind must flexible and comprehensive, and assessments of students' progress must be taken from more than two tests. This type of rigid standard stifles creativity, makes mistakes costly, and does no service for our kids.
Tell Congress that we need a more flexible accountability system to ensure real progress in education.
I am writing to urge you to create a more flexible and comprehensive accountability system for evaluating our childrens' progress in school.
No Child Left Behind requires 100% proficiency in reading and math, through two statewide tests, by 2014. This unrealistic goal leaves no room for students with disabilities and those learning English as a second language.
The current system forces teachers to teach to the test, rather than focusing their attention on making sure children fully understand the material. Rather than emphasizing memorization and getting by with the bare minimum, our education system should be adaptive to students' needs. One way to do this is by assessing students using through retention rates and/or honors classes.
In order to ensure real progress and a better future for the United States, this flawed system must be fixed.
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