Child Left Behind

It's not a surprise to me, since I went from a high school in Virginia to a college in Massachusetts and found out I had an adequate, but not particularly impressive, education. When it came to writing papers, I had a lot to learn.

With the standards of testing now being found out in Texas, that cheating to get passing grades is epidemic, these findings should not be surprising.

The federal government's first-ever comparison of how states test for student progress in school shows big variations across the nation.

For example, a reading score that rates a fourth-grader "proficient" in Mississippi would be a failing score in Massachusetts, according to a report released Thursday by the Education Department.

The findings are certain to fuel debate about whether the No Child Left Behind law should be overhauled to make standards more uniform from state to state.

The study compared what it takes to be rated "proficient" on elementary- and middle-school state reading and math tests to what it means to hit that mark on national tests. It found that most of the scores that would label a student proficient on state tests don't yield that grade on the national tests.

There also are huge differences in where states set their benchmarks.

Massachusetts sets the proficiency score on its fourth-grade reading test at a point just below the proficiency mark on the national test. But a fourth-grader in Mississippi can be rated proficient with a state test score that is nearly 70 points lower. Proficiency is defined as working at the level expected for that grade.

The students who are going through a school system significantly behind other, better, ones, are going on to teach the students of that system, for the most part. Errors are compouding errors, and our students are not getting the benefits of education that they need.

Here is a list of the top 11 high schools in the country compiled by Newsweek Magazine;
1 Talented and Gifted Dallas Texas
2 Science/Engineering Magnet Dallas Texas
3 Stanton College Prep ** Jacksonville Fla.
4 Jefferson County IBS ** Irondale Ala.
5 Suncoast Community ** Riviera Beach Fla.
6 BASIS Charter Tucson Ariz.
7 International Academy ** Bloomfield Hills Mich.
8 City Honors ** Buffalo N.Y.
9 Preuss UCSD La Jolla Calif.
10 Academic Magnet North Charleston S.C.
11 International School Bellevue Wash.

The list goes down through 100 schools, and if you're paying the same taxes these areas are, you have a right to the same standards.

Check it out.