East County News Service
October 25, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) – The No Child Left Behind Act was adopted in 2001 under President George W. Bush and perpetuated by the Obama administration. But after years of complaints from parents and students, President Barack Obama has announced new guidelines aimed at reducing mandatory testing.
In a video posted on Facebook, the President says he’s heard from parents concerned about “too much testing, and from teachers who feel so much pressure to teach to a test that it takes the joy out of teaching and learning." The President adds, “"I want to fix that."
Obama’s action quickly drew praise from educators. The National Education Association tweeted, “"Parents, students, educators: the administration has heard your voices! Students need #timetolearn!"
Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, called the reforms “common sense,” nothing that both the current and former secretaries of Education also back reforms.
The new guidelines call for no more than 2% of class time to be spent on test-taking. School districts should utilize only “tests that are worth taking” that are high in quality, aimed at assuring good instruction and that students are on track.
It is unclear whether Obama aims to roll back requirements that tie federal funding to completion of tests such as Common Core standards.
The President plans meetings this week with teachers as well as representatives from school districts and states to talk about the reforms. More details will be released in January, the White House has indicated. For now, the new guidelines are voluntary, though mandatory changes could take place if Congress votes to change the No Child Left Behind Law to include the new recommendations.
The actions come after the Council of Great City Schools issued a report which found that “there is no correlation between mandated testing time and reading math scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress." The average child in a big city school takes 112 mandatory standardized tests by the time he or she graduates from high school, the study found. Students spend 25 hours each year taking standardized tests, and substantially more time on test preparation.
The push for standardized testing had aimed to assure that schools are succeeding in helping students learn, particularly in disadvantaged communities. But critics contend that over-emphasis on testing leaves little time for creativity in the classroom and a curriculum that includes subjects such as art and music.
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton issued a statement which reads in part, "I embrace the principles laid out today by the Obama Administration because they move us in the right direction, Standardized tests must be worth taking, high quality, time-limited, fair, fully transparent to students and parents, just one of multiple measures, and tied to improving learning."
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The push for government
Obama wants to fix it.