NAEP Results Produce More Evidence of NCLB's Failure

While No Child Left Behind was supposed to support educational advancement the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) report proved the point that NCLB is not working. In fact it shows that instead improvement rates have actually slowed during the period that NCLB has been enacted. In addition the gaps between races are all over the board some areas show widening gaps, some unchanged and some slightly closing. While NCLB was supposed to specifically focus on improvement in reading and math along with closing the gaps between races even on tests designed specifically to measure these results there is no evidence that it is working. (Guisbond, 2009)

What does end up happening is that students are being taught only what is necessary to meet state tests for NCLB purposes but are not actually learning the material necessary to retain this information for purposes other than the state tests. According to Fair Tests Lisa Guisbond, she hopes that NCLB is forcing schools to narrow curriculum, as well as teach to the test. She also hopes that the Obama administration as well as the current Congress work to repeal the NCLB legislation enacted under President Bush. (Guisbond, 2009)

There is much evidence that "NCLB has led to narrowed curriculum, teaching to the test, organizational chaos, educator resentment, and other educational damage." (Guisbond, 2009) Public opinion is generally against the law itself as well as the "law's emphases on testing and sanctions." (Guisbond, 2009)

The results are clear. From 2004 to 2008 Age 9 reading scores improve 4 points. From 1999- 2004 Age 9 reading scores improve 7 points. In other words after NCLB scores slowed substantially. In addition the gap in the races slowed three times faster before enaction of NCLB. Age 13 reading scores are parallel with improvement found in mid 1990's. Racial gaps improve between whites and blacks but not Hispanics. Age 17 reading shows modest gains that do not equal the gains from late 1980's through 1990's. Gaps between races fall below their 1988 peaks. (Guisbond, 2009)

Age 9 math scores decline from 1986-1990 and 1999 to 2004 highs of 2 points per year to only one point per year during 2004 and 2008. Racial gaps show no significant improvement with black white gap widening. Age 13 math scores are half the rate of improvement under NCLB than during 199-2004. No significant changes in the racial gaps. Age 17 math scores show results slightly lower now than in 1999 with no great change. Again there is no evidence of significant racial change. (Guisbond, 2009)

These results are startling to me and just go to show how NCLB is causing a great failure of our academic system. I can't believe that with evidence so clear that there are people who would continue to purport NCLB as a good system. I greatly agree with the author of this article in my hopes that the current administration repeals this dangerous and devastating legislation. Our children need to learn information not for the purposes of testing but to use that information throughout their lives.

ReferencesGuisbond, L. (2009). Naep results produce more evidence of nclb's failure. Fair Test, Retrieved from http://www.fairtest.org