Chapter 3 and 4 pretty much picks up where we left off from our last class on the topic of standardized tests. There is a lot of content in these chapters. This concept of AYP is described as the rate of improvement schools must make on their state test scores to reach 100 percent within a given time frame. I understand how the schools are trying to target improvement but the goals they are looking towards are pretty much impossible. The supporters of the NCLB think that these tests are bringing improvement and accountability to all schools but in a way I disagree. I like how chapter 3 describes that the larger and more culturally diverse a school is, the more likely it is to be labeled as inadequate by NCLB (pg 55). We are now in a society where majority of schools are culturally diverse and this AYP system really does not provide an accurate picture to the effectiveness schools have on students.
What bothered me most was the funding disparities where if schools do not meet requirements that is the less amount of money they receive. We all know money is absolutely necessary for school improvement.
I disagree with the idea of standardized tests, but what can schools realistically do actually measure the effectiveness of school on students without the aiming of numbers of tests ?
