Almost everything in the schools is affected by NCLB

There's little tangible difference in the pre-No Child Left Behind Act schools of two years ago and the schools that have undergone numerous changes since the federal law was passed in January 2002.

The legislation touches everything from school prayer and standardized testing to funding, school safety and teacher quality.

It's brought about new standards for student performance, and links those standards to school funding. It has produced an onslaught of new acronyms, some carrying meanings and consequences that educators at the local, state and national level say are unfair.

Officials in local schools say the law has made them more data-driven, brought attention to subgroups of students and increased accountability and public awareness of that accountability. Most feel that at least some aspects of the law are unfair.

"The enactment of NCLB caused me grave concern," said Dr. Betty Chong, assistant superintendent in the Cape Girardeau School District. "These concerns have intensified this year because the impact of the requirements is more evident and reflects the inequities of the legislation."

Cape Girardeau and other Missouri schools felt their first major shockwave from the law last fall with the results of the 2003 Missouri Assessment Program tests, which students in third through eleventh grade take each spring.

Half of the state's 2,000 schools, including several in Southeast Missouri, did not meet the new standards required by NCLB on the 2003 MAP.

NCLB requires schools to meet certain benchmark targets in reading and math scores each year, with the goal that all students reach a level of proficient on the state test by 2014.

In the first year of failing to meet those standards, schools do not face penalties. But in subsequent years, schools are subject to penalties such as paying for students to transfer to other schools, providing tutoring and replacing staff.

The stringent standards, which require that all students, even those with disabilities, be measured the same, have drawn criticism from educators.

"Although we would like for all students to be on grade level, NCLB did not take into account the differences in learning development of children," said Chong.

Over the past two years, Cape Girardeau schools have done everything from offer more professional development to revamping regular tests to mimic MAP's format in response to NCLB.

Jackson and Scott City schools have taken similar steps in attempts to meet the new federal guidelines.

"I have a group of students who are upset because their school did not meet the new standards on the MAP last year," Ulmer-Bradshaw said. "And I know my teachers are feeling more pressure from NCLB."

Jackson assistant superintendent Dr. Rita Fisher said her schools have been focusing on reading and math instruction, the two testing areas currently counted under NCLB.

All three school districts have worked over the past few years to align their curriculums with the MAP tests in an effort to improve scores.

"It requires schools to address variance among subgroups and increase the achievement of students in each group," said Fisher.

However, Fisher said, NCLB does not acknowledge the different starting points of students.

"The expectation of all students proficient by 2014 is unreasonable," Fisher said.

Already, federal officials are recognizing the concerns of educators such as Fisher. In its first two years, NCLB has undergone three significant changes in requirements. The U.S. Department of Education lowered the testing standards for severely disabled students in December and the standards for limited-English proficient students in February.

The Missouri legislature is now in the process of approving the revamping of MAP test scoring levels this month, so that more students will be able to meet NCLB's proficiency requirements.

cclark@semissourian.com

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