Narrowing the Curriculum?

After reading Narrowing the Curriculum, I was not surprised by the facts illustrated. It spoke mostly about how many schools have had to cut out physical education, art, and music among the few from the school day in order to have more time for math and reading. This is done to boost the scores of standardized tests, so that those schools receive ample funding under the No Child Left Behind Act. I have many negative feelings about this act, as it impairs schools rather than helps them. The schools with adequate progress continue to strive, while the schools who do not score high enough are penalized and continue to be in a slump.

In the October 15, 2007 issue of Newsweek, there was an article entitled, "To Catch a Cheat", which opened my eyes to a whole other issue. Its sub headline reads, "The pressure is on for schools to raise test scores. Some, it seems, are willing to resort to anything". It tells of teachers, principals, and administrators who help students cheat on standardized tests. In 2005, 700 schools had suspicious test scores! I was really surprised to read about this, and it is something I never would have thought goes on. It is an interesting article, one that I would recommend for all to read!

http://www.newsweek.com/id/42454