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Five years ago, Congress passed landmark education legislation that put an emphasis on accountability. It was a way to measure our schools and make sure that our children were learning. It also allowed states to pinpoint schools and curriculums that need extra attention.
The results are in and we have seen increases in test scores, especially in math and reading. I believe that educators and administrators have risen to the challenge. For instance, here in Missouri, education leaders decided to set some of the highest standards in the country.
However, no piece of legislation is ever perfect. As Congress gets ready to reauthorize the No Child Left Behind legislation, I think now is a good time to change the emphasis from arbitrary bench marks to improving individual student performance.
In addition, we need to change the way we measure student progress and the way we hold schools accountable for that progress. Each and every child is unique. Some have a gift for learning while others must work harder to stay ahead. Instead of holding children and schools to arbitrary benchmarks of performance, we should instead measure how each student in a school improves from year to year and reward those schools that help their students make substantial gains in performance. The goal of NCLB should be to help each child reach their full potential, instead of setting-up unrealistic scenarios where even the most dedicated students and teachers fail.
We have made progress and I believe with common sense changes, NCLB will work even better for Missouri parents, teachers and students.
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