Schools say No to No Child Left Behind

The Harrisonburg school system recently passed a resolution which overrides the ESL (English as a Second Language) testing of the No Child Left Behind Act.

"What's right for the children is not placing an inappropriate test before them," said Donald Ford, superintendent of the Harrisonburg school system.

Several states, including Pennsylvania, Ohio, Oregon, and New York, have taken issue with the No Child Left Behind Act's treatment of ESL students. Many believe it is unfair to give ESL students tests in a language they do not understand.

Harrisonburg is currently using Stanford English Language Proficiency tests for its ESL students despite the fact that the federal government has deemed these tests inadequate to demonstrate whether or not a student is meeting their AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress).

The federal guidelines require all students to be given tests in English regardless of their backgrounds. States have developed a variety of methods to help ESL students which run contrary to federal requirements.

Pennsylvania and seven other states offer tests in Spanish for certain grades and subjects. Other states use a portfolio component of the test to use a collection of the student's work to measure their knowledge.

Recently the federal government has been cracking down on schools which are not meeting their standards. It wants ESL students to be given the same tests as other students after one year. Last week the Harrisonburg school board issued a request for the U.S. Department of Education to extend this period to two years, saying that one year was insufficient time for students to become proficient in English.

The gravest consequence of non-compliance with the No Child Left Behind Act is the potential cut in funding. Although the federal government has not yet responded to the school board's request, Ford says, "There is absolutely no indication at this point that any federal funds will be lost as a result of the stance that the school board has taken."

He continues, saying that the only way funds would be affected is if Harrisonburg does not make AYP for two consecutive years. At that point the schools would be required to use funds to provide students with a choice in schools.

The outcome of this decision will have a large impact on Harrisonburg because 38 percent of its students are ESL. This is significantly higher than other districts in the valley, since Charlottesville has only 8.1 percent ESL and Waynesboro has only 16 percent.