Standards help lowest students the most

The recent spate of stories, letters to the editor and Speak Out comments about the Missouri Assessment Program test results show that there is plenty of work to do, both in improving the achievement levels of some students and in educating parents and taxpayers about the No Child Left Behind Act and how it is being implemented in Missouri.

Educators look at the MAP test results, which showed that more than a thousand Missouri schools did not meet this year's standards, and see a glass more than half full. They rightfully point to the vast majority of students who met or exceeded proficiency standards on math and communication arts tests. It is only because of lower-than-proficiency results in some subgroups that kept most schools from meeting the standards.

Half full, or half empty?

A good many letter writers and Speak Out callers see the Southeast Missourian's reporting on the MAP results as a glass half-empty, because the stories have focused on the overall results.

There is no question that the performance of students in subgroups, such as those who receive free and reduced lunches, has a disproportionate effect on a school's overall performance. But the standards were created to make sure every student, no matter his racial or socio-economic background, would receive whatever attention might be needed to meet the proficiency standards. Therefore, the standards require every group within a school to succeed in order for all groups to succeed.

In addition to setting up the MAP standards so that no school can pass muster without having every subgroup demonstrating required levels of proficiency in the tested areas, the No Child Left Behind standards require increases in overall performance every year. And within 10 years, every school in America is expected to have every student scoring at the proficient level or above in the test areas. There are plenty of educators and parents who say it is impractical and irresponsible to expect everyone to succeed.

Other states are going through the same throes as Missouri. And other states are having much the same results with half or more of the schools failing to meet this year's requirements.

And both in Missouri and nationwide, there is a clamor to overhaul or even scrap the No Child Left Behind concept. That would be a mistake.

While Missouri's MAP tests and similar tests developed in other states show how well students are comprehending what they are being taught, the only accountability for teachers and school administrators is through students' performance on standardized tests. Instead of backing off on accountability in schools, it should be extended to those who are responsible for preparing students to meet minimum requirements.

To do that, say some teachers and administrators -- and large teacher organizations in particular -- would require millions more dollars for public schools. They cite the lack of federal funding to help schools meet No Child Left Behind standards and tight state budgets.

More funding is no guarantee

Why would more money necessarily mean better test results? Washington, D.C., schools spend more per pupil than any state -- more than twice as much as Missouri -- and have the worst of academic results in the nation. The Kansas City and St. Louis school districts have received hundreds of millions of extra dollars due to court-ordered desegregation mandates, and students in those districts perform far below the levels of students in other Missouri districts.

The No Child Left Behind program may need tweaking, but it shouldn't be abandoned because too many school are failing to meet standards. To do so would be to ignore the fact that too many students are either dropping out of school without adequate skills or are being graduated without being able to fill out a job application or read an employee handbook.

Schools that would rather focus only on the successful students who apply themselves and do well on tests are ignoring the heart of the problem: the students who fall through the cracks and are otherwise given up as hopeless. No Child Left Behind is intended not to let that happen.