No child left behind sets students up to fail

Nelson, L. D. (2012, May 20). No child left behind sets students up to fail.

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This article was written by a retired school psychologist analyzing the failure of No Child Left Behind in its belief in the fallacy that all children are equal in ability, supplemental educational services, and learning potential. NCLB also ignore the fact that some children have significant disabilities that impair their performance yet are measure by a one-size-fits all assessment. More students are dropping out than ever before when they cannot pass standardized assessments, even after retaking them several times.These assessments increase anxiety which ultimately increases school performance. In addition, the test are being used in ways that are not appropriate given their original purpose. These assessments should be used as information for individual student learning and progress, not as a measure of teacher effectiveness. We can not ignore that groups of students all differ in their innate cognitive abilities, in their socioeconomic status, in their parental support or lack of support, etc. and to punish teachers and schools for servicing those at a disadvantage is a great disservice. This article is an interesting read when approaching accountability from a psychological standpoint and is a worthwhile read for suggestions to fix NCLB.