The Choice Channel

“In the current climate of accountability in American public education, tests get more attention and carry more importance than ever before. Both state accountability systems and the federal No Child Left Behind Act hold schools accountable for whether students pass standardized state tests. NCLB requires that schools and school districts make ‘adequate yearly progress’ in reading and math. The law’s standard of adequate progress is a sufficient percentage of students passing statewide tests, and it requires serious consequences for schools that continually miss these performance targets. But states too rarely explain what it actually means for a student to pass a state test, to be ‘proficient,’ or how passing scores are established. This gives parents, policymakers and the public only a partial understanding of educational progress and what measures like adequate yearly progress really mean.” (08/06)