Falling Short?

Here is a link to an The Oregonian op-ed piece from August 4 and my response:

Falling Short in Math and Reading



I agree with Jordy88 that, "There will never be 100% of the students passing these tests." On the other hand, 100% of students can demonstrate growth in knowledge and skills. Overreliance on standardized testing that varies from state to state is a significant flaw with NCLB. A significant flaw in US education in general is adherence to grade level standards and the delivery of instruction to children warehoused in classrooms in larger buildings merely because their birthdays fall within the same time span. Every child needs to have an individual learning plan and instruction tailored to help the child achieve the goals of that plan. That cannot happen in the current system. The major reason for this is that the public is not willing to pay the cost. Therefore, I believe that public education is about as good as it is ever going to get. The conversations that we're having now are the same ones that we'll be having in ten years, twenty years ...