All Children Left Behind

Why does the No Child Left Behind Program leave all children behind? There is inadequate funding! The teachers have to teach to the test. Teachers don't have enough time for other curriculum. Various groups, such as non-English speakers, lower a school's overall score. The goals are unattainable. The goal milestones occur too quickly. Very good schools can obtain low scores due to any number of variables. These are all true.

However the primary reason that schools struggle with No Child Left Behind is that tests are not an adequate measure of a child's progress. No matter which tests are selected, they fail to measure learning. Why? For many reasons.

1. When children are physically uncomfortable, their scores drop. They may be sick, hungry, or even having the typical headaches. Maybe their shoes are too tight. Maybe they have sprained limbs. Maybe they have the cramps.
2. A significant number of children do well on tests...that is, unless the tests are timed. Unfortunately, No Child Left Behind tests are timed.
3. Another group of children make A's until they face a test. Then they experience test anxiety, and test scores are not accurate measures of their ability and efforts.
4. Some children see only in pictures, as I do. These children must translate each question into visual representations before they can solve it. Timed tests only compound the problem.
5. It is not uncommon for students to excel in one subject and do poorly in another. Kids who excel in English may do poorly in math, math people may do poorly in English.
6. There are many different styles of learning. Typical tests completely miss a kinetic (physical motion) learner's strengths.

There are other reasons explaining why tests fail students. I will get to those later. Stay tuned.