Unfunded Mandates

The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation was designed to ensure that schools were held accountable for the way students learned and achieved. Virtually, the NCLB requires that the percentage of students scoring at proficient levels on state standardized assessment must increase every year; otherwise, the state will withdraw funding. In fact, most Title I schools face sanctions if the students do not score within the proficient level in Mathematics and English Language Arts (Fensterwald, 2015). In light of this, and considering the article “State seeking No Child Left Behind exemption again,” we propose various changes to the reauthorization of NCLB addressing areas of concern from a personal perspective.

According to an article published by U.S. News, a new measure was proposed and passed into law “Every student Succeeds Act” that sought to eliminate the accountability system punishing states for students who do not meet the proficiency levels (Camera, 2015). The proposal was having states create their own accountability systems to fix the failing schools and close the achievement gaps. Notably, the act requires that the schools continue with the requirement of keeping annual achievement schools for students, but group the students by race, economic status, disability, and English learner status. Ideally, from a personal perspective, the proposed changes are better than the old NCLB act. However, considering students with disability and special educational needs, there is more that needs to be done. For instance, Glendenning notes that the state has a responsibility towards students with disability and special learning needs. In light of this, the most appropriate approach to take is to have differentiated assessment considering the learning disabilities or limitations of these special learners. Additionally, it is also important to consider other areas of proficiency apart from academic excellence for these students.

References

Camera, L. (2015). No Child Left Behind Has Finally Been Left Behind. U.S. News. Retrieved from https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2015/12/09/congress-replaces-no-child-left-behind-shifts-power-to-states

Fensterwald, J. (2015). State seeking No Child Left Behind exemption again. EdSource. Retrieved from https://edsource.org/2015/state-pushing-for-exemption-from-nclb-test-score-requirement/73497#.VPicjrd0wdU

Glendenning, D. (2008). Education and the law. Haywards Heath: Tottel.