We celebrate our students' s achievement, and at the same time want to make several points about our NCLB specifically and test scores in general.
First, NCLB goals rise annually until all students must achieve a level of "proficient" by 2014. As reasonable as this sounds, it is statisically impossible; all students cannot be above average. Additionally, NCLB has under funded schools so that the states as well as local districts bear substantial additional costs for the tests, training and materials, and must bear the expense of teaching and meeting time lost to test preparation and administration. The teaching time currently lost to testing exceeds two weeks per year and the demand for additional time for testing grows each year.
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Third, the focus on a single set of multiple-choice tests as the sole measure of the quality of a school or student learning seems unreliable at best. Multiple-choice tests have tremendous difficulty evaluating creativity, abstract thinking ability and critical thinking skills, and tend to emphasize memorization and rote learning.
These tests force schools to focus on one set of information for all students. Supporters of NCLB say that schools can offer such things as visual and performing arts, journalism, home economics, industrial arts, leadership, critical thinking and the like as mere low priority extras. The truth is that neither time nor funds exist for such supposed "extras" under NCLB, and those "extras" comprise an essential part of the core curriculum at the most elite schools.
Finally, now, while we are flushed with success, is the time to point out that public education has historically been the door of opportunity for every student when the whole student was educated. Schools taught skills in working with others as well as how to learn and how to use one's own, unique mind, together with citizenship, values of a democratic society, curiosity and wonder. NCLB has reduced schools to relatively low-level training centers focusing on a few skills at the cost of the whole student.
When our scores have not met goals these points sound like excuses and evasions. Now when we have done so well while maintaining student electives including art, sports and drama programs, perhaps these are points worth noting and keeping in mind for the future.
We are writing because many people outside the classroom don't seem to realize what is at stake for our students. As Aristotle said, "The fate of a nation depends on the education of its youth."
We need to make sure our children aren't sold short by a national program that pressures schools into denying so many important aspects of a student's education. Standards are important, accountability is important, but what is most important is that our students get the education they need to have a successful life.
Cathie Treulich is a teacher at Cunha. This opinion piece was signed by 20 Cunha educators.
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