That on balance, the NCLB act has improved academic achievement in the United States

I affirm with the following three contentions: And do so with the following Three contentions: I. NCLB has increased academic proficiency. II. NCLB is reducing the achievement gap III. NCLB has improved teacher quality Definition Academic achievement- " encompasses student ability and performance (Steinberger, 1993 from her book, "Improving academic achievement") I. NCLB has increased academic proficiency. Subpoint A- NCLB has increased test scores on state and national tests According to The Center on Education Policy, 2007 "State test scores are the highest they've ever been" And on the national tests America's nine-year-olds posted the best scores in reading (since 1971) and math (since 1973). America's 13-year-olds earned the highest math scores on the test ever recorded. Because these scores have increased, and they are a reliable assessment of academic achievement, academic achievement within the U. S. has increased due to NCLB. Sub point B- NCLB has increased competency in reading and math leading to academic achievement in all other subjects. According to CBS News, 2007 U. S. students are spending more time on math and reading as an apparent result of the No Child Left Behind ACT. "The vast majority of elementary schools within the United States reported increasing math and reading time since the law was passed in 2001. " This extra emphasis has brought astronomical increases in the proficiency of American Students. According to U. S. Department of Education, 2007 The number of fourth-graders who learned their fundamental math skills increased astronomically, and more progress has been made in reading proficiency through NCLB in the past 5 years than in the previous 20 combined. Overall Forty-three states and the District of Columbia either improved academically or held steady in all categories This increase is significant, because when students are more proficient in math and reading, they are clinically proven to increase their competency in all subjects in school. According to Spellings in 2007 As students' skills in reading fluency and comprehension strengthen, so does their ability to do well in other subject areas. The fact is, when students learn these skills, the result is greater academic gains. This notion is further substantiated by a study conducted by The Manhattan Institute in 2008 Within this study, researchers found that "High stakes testing systems led to significant learning gains in low-stakes subjects such as history, science, social studies, and many others. Student proficiency increase[s] under high stakes sanctions primarily because the improvements that students make in math and reading enhances their ability to learn other materials" II. NCLB is reducing the achievement gap by significantly aiding disadvantaged students. Perhaps the biggest concern in education today is the achievement gap found between racial and socioeconomic demographics. Most experts agree that No Child Left Behind has been effective in reducing these gaps. According to Rocha in 08 This is because… NCLB has increased awareness surrounding the huge inequities that exist in the funding, quality, and delivery of education, particularly for minority and poor students. It has furthered education reform by promoting high expectations and accountability for student learning. Thus far, No Child Left behind has found Extreme success in narrowing this gap. According to The Center on Education Policy, 2007 Achievement gaps in reading and math between white and African American, and white and Hispanic students are at an all time low. This furthers the notion that NCLB has worked, because it has leveled the playing field regardless of demographics. III. NCLB has improved teacher quality Because of the "High Quality Teacher Provisions" created within NCLB, teacher quality within America's schools has increased exponentially. According to Gitomer 07 the EEET mandate within NCLB has ensured that All teachers in the United States were not only licensed, but demonstrated competence in the subject matter that they taught. This mandate has proven to be successful, for according to Gitomer in 2007, the academic profile of the entire candidate pools have improved. Teacher improvements are consistent across gender, race/ethnicity, and licensure area. Please Affirm, thank you.