Most school systems have some kind of exit exam for graduating seniors. These exams generally test only to see if the student is capable of passing math or reading at a 10th grade level. There seems to be no comprehensive exit exam to test for Science or History knowledge. Of course, we don't even count the so called minor courses that students take in school. Such as the arts, computers, physical fitness and work skills, to name a few.

We know that "No Child Left Behind" was brought about so that more children would finish high school with a diploma. According to researchers, implementations of NCLB has changed how education is delivered and to whom. Schools spent more time teaching reading and math courses. Many teachers and school districts across the U.S. felt pressured to teach to the test.

So, what to do. President Obama has suggested that we change NCLB so that the assessment of our students takes in all the factors that go into a good education. Unfortunately, too many lawmakers can't seem to figure out how to implement a balanced approach to this idea. Many lawmakers fear how the public might react to more testing, narrowing the focus of the curriculum, and the unrealistic expectation that schools can change the achievement levels of disadvantaged children simply by focusing more on testing.

The Broader, Bolder Approach to Education campaign has made recommendations on how schools can be held more accountable for a more balanced set of learning goals. They suggest that States will need to design better accountability by using experimentation. Their recommendations involve using highly trained inspectors who will visit schools and observe and evaluate teaching quality, student behavior, students written work, and the school's overall climate for providing a positive learning environment. They further suggest that school districts should coordinate with health and social service providers to ensure appropriate early-childhood and after-school programs are made available to all children.

The National Assessment of Educational Progress is a federal test given to a sampling of U.S. students. Presently, these samplings only provide information on how states compare in reading and math. These tests should be expanded to include more areas taught in public and private schools and should test a large enough sample which includes a more diversified population of students.

When it comes to preparing our young people for college, fewer than one quarter of last years graduating seniors who took the ACT scored at the college ready level in all four subject areas. The average composite score across all areas tested (English, math, reading and science) was 21.1 on a 36 point scale. There was nearly 1.5 million test takers in last years graduating seniors from across the U.S. The percentage of those that met the college ready benchmarks in each subject area were as follows: English - 67%, reading - 53%, math - 42%, and science - 28%. The ACT scores for graduates of 2009 showed only 4% of black students and 10% of Hispanic students meeting the college readiness benchmarks in all four subject areas. The organizations vice president said that a number of factors contributed to students falling short of college readiness benchmarks. Many of the high schools did not properly prepare their students with the correct courses. The core courses in most high schools are four years of English, and three years of math, science and social science. These courses should be taken in a set order so that a student can build on the information acquired. If these courses are not rigorous enough for the students to acquire college level skills and knowledge then students will have a difficult time passing the ACT.



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