Uneven Playing Field
One of the purported goals of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law was to allow students in struggling schools to choose a better school. This vehicle was meant to improve the opportunities for minorities or children with low socioeconomic status. None of the FCAT data available seems to indicate any improvement in performance among minority groups or children of low socioeconomic status.
With the creation of core standards, differential learning is also a thing of the past. Someone struggling with a core concept can be quickly left behind in the push to meet new and more ambitious standards. The number and intensity of the tests, combined with a challenging core curriculum, limits teachers' abilities to interact with students, and assess their abilities and interests. Instead, all students are given the same core curriculum and subject to the same assessment standard. For instance, a child on a feeding tube can be asked to describe a peach.
This removes the ability for gifted students to reach their potential. It also introduces additional challenges for students with disabilities.
Standardized testing has done nothing to help students with poor socioeconomic status or disabilities. A review of the 2014 Reading Exam results shows that of all Florida 10th graders (only grade reported), ony 11% of students identifying as English Language Learners passed. Only 24% of all 10th-grade students with registered disabilities (exceptional students) passed the same exam. This data comes from the Florida DOE demographics data for FCAT 2.0.
Racial demographics data also shows a strong performance bias. On the 2014 Reading Exam, 33% of African-American students and 50% of Hispanic students passed versus 68% of White, non-hispanics. The plots and table below summarize data from 2011-2014 for English Language Learners, Exceptional students, and based on race. As you can see, trends in Reading exam results do not show improvement with time among any of these groups. This system has done nothing to help those who need it the most, and only introduces new hurdles.
