22 LCPS Schools Fail To Meet ‘No Child Left Behind’ Standards
LAS CRUCES, NM – Only one-third of public schools met “No Child Left Behind” standards after the latest round of testing.
The standards were implemented after President Bush signed legislation mandating students and public schools need to achieve a tested rating of “proficient” in 37 different categories.
Only 11 out of 33 schools in the Las Cruces School District managed to obtain the rating. Last year, 13 schools met the standards. Currently, all three high schools in the city failed to meet the standards.
LCPS officials tell ABC-7 the results are deceptive – leaving parents questioning if their children are getting the proper education. According to them, Connley Elementary is a perfect example of why NCLB standards are deceptive.
They state the school won an award for passing 35 out of 37 categories in the NCLB testing. However, since the school did not obtain a proficient rating in two categories, it got a failing grade. Schools that do not meet NCLB standards can be taken over by the state, they add.
“I may disagree philosophically and personally, but it’s the law the schools are under,” stated Connley Elementary Principal Jennifer Terrazas. School officials took painstaking efforts to meet the requirements on NCLB, she said.
Terrazas revealed the school only failed in special education, reading and math. “Our special education students may be severely impaired, yet, they are supposed to be functioning at the same level as their classmates…that is very unfair.”
Stan Rounds, LCPS Superintendent, tells ABC-7 the testing is unrealistic. “Their is a tremendous amount of frustration among the staff…they can do great across the board and still declared failures because they missed one or two areas. I just fear that paints an image to the public that we’re a failure, when, in fact, we’re not,” he said.
