While NCLB has effectively motivated reform, pushed data driven decision making and promoted important accountability for traditionally neglected sub-groups of students, it also has undermined efforts to establish the necessary conditions for continuous improvement in high schools in several ways:
NCLB’s sanctions and schools’ lack of capacity to achieve ambitious goals has led states to set more modest goals than they would without the pressure in NCLB.
Tying sanctions to a single test has prevented more sophisticated evidence based decision making due to error, particularly for students with disabilities and limited English proficiency, and has distorted instruction and thus the validity of assessment results.
Risk taking, creativity and collaboration are discouraged out of fear of sanctions and unrealistic pressure for success.
The supplemental services and choice requirements have diverted key financial and human resources out of high need schools.
The 2013-14 goal for universal proficiency is unrealistic and will force personnel to displace blame and otherwise “beat the system.”
To address these concerns, NCLB should be amended to:
encourage states to pursue more ambitious content standards and performance goals by limiting sanctions to currently established goals and by making the differences in state standards and proficiency goals more visible;
fund and require higher quality assessment systems that include multiple measures of student performance over time;
ensure an increased knowledge base at all levels and coordinated technical assistance by states and districts instead of relying on the current patchwork of public and private providers;
increase resources by not requiring supplemental services and choice and redirecting funds for more constructive purposes. Significantly increase funding for teacher quality; and,
authorize a comprehensive study of how federal education policies and programs can be aligned and modified to enhance the motivation and capabilities of educators to engage in continuous improvement.
