Johnny Still Can’t Read — The New York Times Agrees

The Sunday Times magazine section of April 27 th featured an article on the testing standards implemented by the states for the No Child Left Behind (N.C.L.B.) program. The article claims, “So one of the most glaring legacies of [that program] is surprising; it has made a muddle of meaningful assessment. Testing has never been more important; inadequate annual progress toward ‘proficiency’ triggers sanctions on schools. Yet testing has never been more suspect either. The very zeal for accountability is confusing the quest for consistent academic expectations across the country.”

The article then points out the huge discrepancies between the N.C.L.B. test scores reported by the states as compared to the federally financed test called the National Assessment of Educational Progress. It reports that “While the states’ tests typically show rising math and reading scores, with roughly 70 percent of students rated proficient or better, the National Assessment reports only about half that proportion scoring so well.”

If all this seems familiar, you may recall that this information was reported here in April. The Times article agrees with my blog article and although the information for that latter article originated in U.S. News & World Report, Bob’s Blog did scoop The New York Times by some six weeks, so remember, you read it here first.