Collegiate Case Study THE NATION’S NEWSPAPER Education science in search of answers By Greg Toppo ................................................................................4-5 Today’s Debate: Improving education Our view: An illusion gains credibility ....................................................................................6 Opposing view: Key sub jects get short shrift .....................................................................................7 States get c reative to minimize federal law’s effect By Ledyard King .....................................................................................3 Report, suit question teacher qualifications By Greg Toppo .....................................................................................3 NCLB is working, but it’s ‘a journey’ Education Secretar y Margaret Spellin gs ..............................................................................9-10 Critical inquiry Discussion and future impl ications .........................................................................................11 Additiona l resources .........................................................................................12 Letters ...........................................................................................8 www.usatodaycollege.com © Copyright 2 007 USA TODA Y , a division of Gannett Co ., Inc. All r ights res er ved. The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation passed over five years ago was designed to improve academic achievement for students in elementary and secondary school. NCLB mandates that states must show progress of this achievement by testing students in readin g and math from third to eighth grade and once in hi gh school. A recent report by the U.S. Department of Education finds that some state tests and standards are too lenient, with critics charging that some states are setting the bar too low. In addition, NCLB also calls for “scientifically-based” research to measure the effective- ness of educational curriculum and resources; as with testing, the last five years have seen struggles in the research arena as w ell. This case stud y addresses some of these controversial testing and research issues as NCLB moves towards its deadline of mak- ing all children proficient in math and reading by 2014. Assessment of Educational Progress The standards complaint By Ledyard King Gannett News Service Almost every fourth-grader in Mississippi knows how to read. In Massachusetts, only half do. So what's Mississippi doing that Massachusetts, the state with the most college graduates, isn't? Setting expectations too low, critics say. The 2002 federal No Child Left Behind law was designed to raise education standards by punishing schools that fail to make all kids proficient in math and reading. But the law allows each state to chart its own course in meeting those objectives. The result, according to a Gannett News Service analysis of test scores, is that many states have taken the safe route, keeping standards low and fooling parents into believing their children are prepared for college and work. Federal education officials plan to release a report today that is expected to reach the same conclusion: Many states hold students to a relatively low standard. Critics say states are more worried about creating the appearance of academic progress than in raising standards. "Ironically, No Child reforms may have the exact opposite effect they were intended to have," says Bruce Fuller, an education and public policy professor at the University of Califo rnia at Berkeley. Data suggest states satisfy No Child law by expecting less from their students

USA TODAY Collegiate Case Study: Assessment of Educational Progress

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