AZ students' progress `mixed' under No Child Left Behind
June 25th, 2008 @ 7:25am
by Bob McClay/KTAR

A new education report shows Arizona students aren't doing as well as others around the country under the ``No Child left Behind" program.

The Center on Education Policy studied student achievement trends in all 50 states, using state test results, and found mixed results in Arizona schools.

``The reading achievement at the elementary level shows increases, but not so much for middle or high school levels," said Jack Jennings, president of the Center on Education Policy.

Math results in Arizona also were mixed.

``At the elementary grade, there are increases, but at the middle and high school grades, the increases aren't so significant."

Jennings said he does not know why, that determining that is up to Arizona education experts.

``This is something for the state to ask, to ask whether these results in fact are accurate and, if they are accurate, what should be done about it in Arizona," he said.

One of the goals of ``No Child Left Behind" was to ``narrow the gap" of test scores among races.

In the past, whites generally had higher test scores, Jennings said.

``What we're finding nationally is that there is a narrowing of the achievement gap, especially for African-American students and for poorer students. And there's some evidence that the Latino achievement gap with whites also is narrowing."

That isn't necessarily true in Arizona, Jennings said. While the state has made some progress, he said it has been inconsistent, and Arizona is out of step with the rest of the nation.

Jennings said ``No Child Left Behind" has boosted student achievement nationwide since the federal program was adopted in 2002. • State Education Survey


If we do not get rid of `No Child Gets ahead ` our children are
going down the tubes .



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