Interesting article over at The Daily Tar Heel over the possibility that North Carolina might lose Title I funding under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which is the replacement for No ChildLeft Behind:
The N.C. Department of Public Instruction is constructing plans to increase rates of student participation in standardized testing after the U.S. Department of Education sent a letter in November warning that schools were at risk of losing funding.
The letter, addressed to N.C. Superintendent June Atkinson, said North Carolina schools could lose their Title I funding if they fail to reach the required 95 percent student participation rate in standardized testing for the 2015-16 school year.
“It’s a requirement of the current Elementary and Secondary Education Act that at least 95 percent of public school students take the required tests in reading, mathematics and science at one grade level in elementary and middle school,” Atkinson said.
The biggest complaint I always heard about NCLB was it forced “teaching to the test.” Without defending NCLB, I don’t see how threatening to pull federal funds with less than 95 percent participation in standardized tests represents an improvement. Seems to me like the same old carrot and stick.
That said, while reading the article the question was burning through my mind that the article finally addressed—“next step for the Department of Public Instruction should be to investigate why English learners and students with disabilities are not participating in standardized testing.”
Seems to me that’s the bigger issue, as opposed to the possible loss of millions in federal funding. Heaven forbid, whether it’s state, county, or city government.
