The No Child Left Behind Act - 1420 Words

Many stakeholders’ in public education are seeking solutions to produce high achieving students who graduate ready to embrace technological challenges. One solution for many stakeholders’ seems to be high stakes testing. High stakes testing is an educational reform where decisions are based on individual student performance, teacher performance, and school performance. The tests are usually performed as an end of course or end of grade assessment after completion of the curriculum. The No Child Left Behind Act or NCLB signed by President Bush in 2001 was mandated to improve student performances and remove inequalities among diverse student populations. This Act required states to design and develop programs that employed test- based†¦show more content†¦Testing Requirements The testing at Highlander Academy requires that all students in grade levels 3rd to 10th grade to complete quarterly testing. The school utilizes the ACT Aspire software program to monitor student progress. The use of ACT provides benchmarks for college and career readiness. Testing is inclusive of courses in English, Reading, Mathematics, and Science. The data obtained on each student is used by the teacher and the school to determine progressive readiness in preparation for end of course, EOC and end of grade, EOG tests. In compliance with the state and federal levels all Highlander students in grades three to eighth grade complete an end of grade tests in Mathematics and English Language Arts. The testing for third grade to eighth grade is general and specific to the course of study for the grade level while high school grades are grouped in sets for grades nine through ten and grades eleven through twelve. High school students are required to take EOC testing in Math 1, B iology, and English Language Arts 2. Math 1 is usually taken during the students ninth grade year. The EOC assessment for Biology is given during student’s tenth grade. Last, the English Language Arts 2 assessment occurs during the student’s tenth grade year. These tests may require repeating if the student fails to pass the course the first time. However, while testing is required for all students there remains shifting opinions to the success of