York Prep Reacts to No Child Left Behind Waivers

NEW YORK, Aug. 7, 2012  /PRNewswire/ -- While the No Child Left Behind Act was set in place to ensure that all students received a thorough and quality education, the rigid requirements have led to a mass number of failure—estimated at 82 percent on a national level—on part of many state school systems. A new article from USA Today discusses the recent approval of waivers for five state school systems, and how educators and politicians approach the issue. York Prep, a college preparatory school in New York City, explains why varied analysis of education systems is essential to sufficiently judge the performance of an institution.

The goal set forth by No Child Left Behind—to ensure that all students test proficient in math and reading by 2014—is hardly being met by schools all across the country. Although, most authorities are in agreement that the evaluation system is faulty, neither Democrats nor Republicans have come to a mutual decision on possible solutions. However, some states have found a way to restructure the way their education systems are assessed. According to the article, Arkansas, Missouri, South Dakota, Utah and Virginia have all recently been approved for exemption from the regulations, but still must grade their systems by varying measures.

Ronald Stewart, founder of York Prep, realizes that every school has a unique set of challenges that may affect standardized test results. He states, "I think it is universally acknowledged that while No Child Left Behind had good intentions, the way it was executed was heavy handed. The overuse of standardized tests trapped school districts into preparing their students for these tests rather than focus on giving them the educational tools they needed to succeed."

In order to step away from a test-only analysis, Stewart agrees with many of the waived states that other factors must come into play to determine a school's worth. For instance, the article explains that Arkansas has decided to still incorporate test scores into its evaluation, but will also observe growth and high school graduation rates."

Due to the unique and effective education model executed by York Prep, Stewart responds in support of such an approach. He comments, "Just getting exemption from No Child Left Behind does not relieve the State of any responsibility in accountability, but gives it more flexibility is offering local solutions that can measure the children in their State in a more appropriate and satisfying way."

ABOUT:
York Prep is a private school founded by Ronald and Jayme Stewart in New York City's Upper West Side. The school serves students in grades 6-12 with enrollment currently at 340 students. Today, the school creates its curriculum and course offering based on the needs and abilities of its students. For more information, visit www.yorkprep.org.

SOURCE York Prep