0.7 Ward, s. (february 2009). what every educator should know about  (Page 6/7)

Conclusion

The NCLB Act places extreme importance on the narrow yet confounded definition of proficiency, using it to establish the ultimate goal of reforms, sanctions and rewards. Unfortunately, the rigor behind the definition of proficient not only varies widely across the states, but the term has little or no common meaning since proficient can be redefined by each individual state using its own taxonomy. The national and state variations in academic rigor result in a false sense of proficiency for many students.

Since schools face harsh sanctions for not having adequate numbers of students who are proficient, many states are lowering their proficiency standards under NCLB. Teachers in many inner city schools are spending an inordinate amount of time ensuring that kids score proficient in reading and math at the expense of all other subjects (Shakrani, 2007). Yet, in order to compete in a world in which the playing field is leveling, individuals must be multilingual, innovative, and have a global awareness (Friedman, 2005). In essence, students must not only master English language arts and math, but they must be well-rounded, creative and divergent thinkers prepared to compete in a global economy.

If State Departments of Education are purporting to districts and parents that their children are proficient, then the rigor of the exams should at least match those of the NAEP. Consistency in assessment rigor is necessary to ensure that students who are proficient in any state are prepared at minimum to meet challenging achievement standards across the nation.

As congress considers the five-year reauthorization of No Child Left Behind, it must consider the unintended consequences the law has created (Hicok&Ladner, 2007). Congress along with every state departments of education must establish a clear set of national standards, assessments and cut points to be used by all 52 states and other jurisdictions. Congress together with state leaders and policy makers must collectively determine what it means to be proficient in both a national and global setting. The educational leaders need to determine the domains of study and standards necessary to reach proficiency. This proficiency should not be based on artificial cut scores or a narrow set of domains like reading and math alone, but whether or not children are proficient enough to be productive and thriving citizens in a global society. When the reports go home to parents across the nation telling them that their children are proficient, the meanng of proficient must be ubiquitous and bona fide.

No one would argue with the spirit of No Child Left Behind. All children should have a fair, equal and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education and reach, at a minimum, proficiency in challenging state academic achievement standards and state academic assessments (NCLB, 2001). To do so, Congress and state policy makers must work together.

References

107th Congress (January 8, 2002). Public Law107-110 - No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, 2002. Washington, DC: Library of Congress.