Gracie Arenas - The Battalion

Children left behind

Disadvantaged students are overlooked by President Bush's education plan

By: Adam Scharn

Posted: 2/8/05

Perhaps President George W. Bush's greatest masterpiece in social reform is the No Child Left Behind Act, or at least he seems to see it as such. Bush's interest in public education reform is commendable, but he fails to see the contradiction in his concept and his means to the end.

The principle of the act was to bring the quality of public education "up-to-code" in every district across the nation. However, the methods and loopholes within the bill actually bypass the problem altogether and weaken the chances disadvantaged students have to receive an education of the highest quality.

In other words, the No Child Left Behind Act actually leaves children behind. Several debates have sprung over different problems of the bill, but one has yet to be fully exposed or discussed: the special education exemption.

The mechanics of the act require that all states issue standardized tests to their public schools, such as the TAKS (formerly known as TAAS). The scores of these tests are used to evaluate the effectiveness of each school and the improvement of the students to determine, among other things, the apportionment of federal dollars, according to the Texas Education Agency. Unfortunately, so much emphasis has been put on these tests that states have lost sight of their role and purpose in educating the future of America.

In addition to the state curricula, public educators also must teach the standardized test material, which includes giving practice exams. Teachers use these practice exams to determine their students' strengths and weaknesses. However, according to Chris McCormack, Special Education Facilitator for Killeen Independent School District, when a teacher feels a student has repeatedly scored at sub-par levels, the teacher will insist on testing the child to see if he qualifies for special education services.

"If a child is eligible to be served in special education, the student can be exempted in Texas and other states and take an alternative series of tests," McCormack said.

Pushing students into special education for the sole purpose of state test exemption has not produced a single positive outcome. Perhaps doing so will keep a particular school off of the government's "bad list," but that is not what should really matter.

What matters is that each student in every state has equal opportunity and access to an education of the highest quality. Pushing students into special education does not provide for such an opportunity. Instead, it does these children a disservice, on so many levels.

First of all, the special education exemption sends a message to schoolchildren that there are ways out, even for those who fail. The exemption undermines the ability of a student who learns at a slower pace in some areas but is nonetheless fully capable of grasping a concept. Testing has led to division among students, rather than an attempt to enable all children to reach their individual potential.

"In the end, the high stakes testing has led to a major increase in children being tested for and served in special education. This has led to far more children being held to the testing standards and being pushed into special education," McCormack said.

Furthermore, it shows the school administration's lack of concern about fully educating all of the youth within their care. If a teacher can actually push academically below-standard children into special education classrooms, someone in charge may be more concerned with money than teaching.

The special education exemption, when abused, bypasses the purpose of the No Child Left Behind Act. Those who do not truly need such services should not be pushed into the category simply to hide their potentially low test scores. Doing so reveals as much about the ineffectiveness of a teacher or a school as if the child were to take the test and fail.