Study: 15 States Decreased Proficiency Standards

The No Child Left Behind law has put so much pressure on U.S. schools that 15 states have lowered their academic standards just to stay ahead, federal researchers found in a new study.

The study, the first by the research team at the U.S. Department of Education, compared and analyzed statistics between federal and state tests. The findings revealed that eight states increased standards, and some states increased standards in one subject but lowered them in another. However, 15 states lowered proficiency standards in fourth- or eighth-grade reading or math from 2005 to 2007. According to the study, Maine, Oklahoma and Wyoming have even lowered standards in both subjects at both grade levels.

Signed in 2002, the No Child law mandates that all schools must bring all students to the proficient level on reading and math tests by 2014 or face sanctions. But lowering the standards creates confusion, the New York Times reports. Parents cannot accurately gauge their child's success, and officials cannot compare student achievement with those in other states and countries when the playing field is not even.

“At a time when we should be raising standards to compete in the global economy, more states are lowering the bar than raising it,” Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said in a statement. “We’re lying to our children.”

To make the standards uniform across the board, all states — except for Texas and Alaska — are currently working together to create common academic standards.

For the full study, click here.