The Effects of NCLB on Public Schools in the United States

Jerriann CochranInquiry Project

Stem Questions

1. Has student achievement on the ACT and NAEP improved?

2. Have there been instances of testing corruption since NCLB?

3. Do students in private schools score higher on the SAT and ACT than those in public schools?

4. How has spending on standardized testing changed since NCLB?

History

• NCLB (No Child Left Behind act) was signed into law in 2002 by George W Bush.

• Considered the largest change in federal education policy since 1965.

• Required states to adopt accountability systems based on minimum competency testing in order to have funding.

• States must meet AYP (Annual Yearly Progress) or face possible funding sanctions or state takeover. (Reback 1)

Testing&

Results

• The Center for Educational Policy reports that student performance on State Based tests has steadily risen since NCLB. (Jennings 1) However, this does not hold true for national exams such as the ACT, SAT and NAEP.

NCLB has resulted in students taking many more tests.

In 2002, 19 states had annual testing in Mathematics and Reading.

By 2006, every state required annual testing in Mathematics and Reading.

In 2008, testing in Science was required.(Jennings 2)

NAEPNational Assessment of Educational Progress

NAEP scores following three years after NCLB enactment showed:- 4th grade reading scores remained flat with only 31% at or

above proficient.- 8th graders at or above proficient fell 2%- Math proficiency for 4th graders climbed but stayed the

same in 8th graders. (Fuller 268)- There is no evidence on the NAEP of improvements in

literacy since NCLB. (Allan 9)

ACT

Despite the goal of NCLB to improve educational performance and increase college readiness, the trend in ACT scores is stagnant.

The Average ACT composite score for college bound seniors has hovered around 21. The five year trend is stagnant. (Shaeffer 1)

Testing and AYP

The New York Times reported in December 2012 that nationwide nearly half of all schools did not meet AYP in the 2010-2011 school year.- 81% of Massachusetts schools failed to meet

AYP.- 61% failed in Virginia.

Private Vs. PublicThe March 10, 2007 issue of Time magazine reported that data showed that on the SAT ( the most widely used test of developed abilities) private school students outperform public school students. This is attributed to private schools developing more critical-thinking skills rather than the skills required for achievement tests. The data was

controlled for socio-economic status.

Cost in Time

Time is the most lost resource in testing.• A study completed by the Wisconsin Association

for Supervision and Curriculum Development found testing required 102 hours of paraprofessionals, 976 by teachers, and 62 hours by administrators.

• Guidance counselors spent a greater majority of their time on testing than other professionals.

• Some student populations lost as much as 15 days of instructional time. (Frontier 2)

Financial Cost

- In 2004-2005 Wisconsin Public Schools spent $14,700,000 on testing. (Frontier 4)

- The actual cost of the paper test averages $35 per student nationwide. (Phelps)

- NCLB caused an increase of $733 per pupil in states that did not have accountability testing. (Mathews)

NCLB and Corruption

• High stakes and accountability has caused states to “tweak” numbers. This has caused a discrepancy in state and federal definitions of proficiency. (Cawelti 65)

• There have been several instances in the national spotlight of teachers and administrators falsifying tests and changing answers in order to maintain AYP.

References

Bush's No Child Left Behind Law Leaves Certain Children Behind. (n.d.). Research

Schools, Online Courses, Degrees and Careers at Education Portal. Retrieved

November 8, 2012, from

http://education-portal.com/articles/Bush's_No_Child_Left_Behind_Law_Leaves_Cer

tain_Children_Behind.html

Class Struggle - What No Child Left Behind did and didn't do . (n.d.). Blogs &

Columns, Blog Directory - The Washington Post. Retrieved November 13, 2012, from

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/class-struggle/2010/09/inquest_on_no_child_left_b

ehin.html

Cloud, J. (2007, October 10). Are Private Schools Really Better. time, 10. Retrieved

December 3, 2012, from

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1670063,00.html

DILLON, S. (n.d.). No Child Left Behind Act News - The New York Times. Times Topics -

The New York Times. Retrieved November 8, 2012, from

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/n/no_child_left_behind_

act/index.html64

FairTest Press Release on the 2009 ACT Scores | FairTest. (n.d.). The National Center for Fair &

Open Testing | FairTest. Retrieved November 8, 2012, from http://www.fairtest.org/fairtest-

press-release-2009-act-scores

Fuller, B., Wright, J., Gesicki, K., & Kang, E. (2007). Gauging Growth:How to Judge No Child

Left Behind?. Educational Researcher, 36(5), 268-278. Retrieved November 8, 2012,

from . http://er.aera.net

Cawelti, G. G. (2006). The Side Effects of NCLB. Educational Leadership, 645(03), 64-68.

Retrieved November 13, 2012, from the ASCD database.

Luke, A., & Woods, A. (2008). Accountability as testing: Are there lessons about assessment and

outcomes to be learnt from No Child Left Behind? .. Literacy Learning: The Middle Years ,

16(03). Retrieved November 13, 2012, from the QUT Digital Repository database.

Phelps, R., & Ph.D.. (n.d.). Estimating the Costs and Benefits of Educational Testing Programs.

Education Consumers Clearinghouse. Retrieved November 8, 2012, from

http://www.education-consumers.com/briefs/phelps2.shtm

Powell, D., Aram, R., Freed, A., & Higgins, H. (2009). Impact of No Child Left Behind on

Curriculum and Instruction in Rural Schools. The Rural Educator, 1(1), 19-38. Retrieved

November 13, 2012, from http://www.ruraleducator.net/archive/31-1/Powell%20et%20al.

%202009.pdf

RTI International - News: Study: No Child Left Behind Act Improved Test Scores for Language

but Not for Reading, Math in Rural Alabama. (n.d.). RTI International. Retrieved

November 8, 2012, from http://www.rti.org/newsroom/news.cfm?obj=37197AC1-5056-

B100-31B534B45963EC57

Stagnant, Falling College Admissions Test Scores Reflect NCLB Failure | FairTest. (n.d.). The

National Center for Fair & Open Testing | FairTest. Retrieved November 8, 2012, from

http://www.fairtest.org/stagnant-falling-college-admissions-scores

Reback, R. (Director) (2009, August 12). The Effects of No Child Left Behind on School

Services and Student Outcomes. NCLB: Emerging Findings Research Conference. Lecture

conducted from National Center for the Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education

Research, Washington, D.C..

Weingarten, R. (n.d.). AFT's Weingarten: No Child Left Behind Was Doomed By Its Flaws - US

News and World Report. US News & World Report | News & Rankings | Best Colleges, Best

Hospitals, and more. Retrieved November 14, 2012, from

http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2010/01/12/afts-weingarten-no-child-left-behind-

was-doomed-by-its-flaws

Zellmer, M., Frontier, A., & Pheifer, D. (2006). What Are NCLB's Instructional Costs?.

Educational Leadership, 64(03), 43-46. Retrieved November 13, 2012, from

http://www.ascd.org/portal/site/ascd/template.MAXIMIZE/menuitem.459dee008f99653f