Education and Testing Standards Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Education and Testing Standards - Essay Example "Under No Child Left Behind, states are required to include annual assessments in reading/language arts and mathematics in grades 3 through 8 along with and at least once in grades 10 through 12. Additionally, all states are to begin annual assessment of their students in science at least once in each grade band 3-5, 6-9, and 10-12 (NCLB: Standards and Assessments, 2009). This paper deals with NCLB in the State of Texas. There isn't any significant difference in the NCLB for Texas when compared to the one in any other state. Nonetheless NCLB in Texas is unique to education in this state (Adopted Amendments to 19 TAC). The achievement standards have been set by time-bound plans that require the level of students' performance to rise within a set period after analyzing and improving the quality of teachers and the educational system which rewards schools that meet their targets and has consequences for schools that fail to meet the standards (Mitzel, Howard C; 2005). Simultaneously, the need to involve parents and also society in raising the achievement standards of the student are mentioned. Efforts are also being made to make the curriculum suitable for the students' grasp although no examples were outlined to show just how students could improve on the basis of the new curriculum. The curriculum consists... The credits for each discipline are provided (Adopted Amendments to 19 TAC). The methods of raising achievement levels are left to "extending existing achievement standards" and that "instruction will need to improve for students to meet future standards" (Mitzel, Howard C; 2005, p4). Teachers' Standards The achievement standards outlined for NCLB are tough considering that even teachers have to be updated on their skills in order to be equal to their tasks. The important aspect of making the right beginning is present in the NCLB and the state educational boards have been making the right moves by interacting with teachers and getting their skills updated and also keeping teachers under scrutiny to gauge their interaction with the students (Summary Description of California Housse). At one inspection it was found that "approximately one-third, or almost 5,000 of all school districts in considered rural. As Department officials have traveled the country listening to teachers and state and district officials, they frequently have heard that the highly qualified teacher provisions of the No Child Left Behind law don't adequately accommodate the special challenges faced by teachers in small, rural districts. Often, the teachers in these areas are required to teach more than one academic subject. This new flexibility is designed to recognize this challenge and provide additional time for these teachers to prove that they are highly qualified" (New No Child Left Behind Flexibility: Highly Qualified Teachers, 2004). National Standards For a nation with fifty states, it is difficult to pursue a uniform policy without coming across situations where different states see issues in a different way. Nonetheless, since NCLF has flexible measurements the states have been given