'No Child' passes progress tests

A new study showing that students are spending more time on reading and math since the 2002 enactment of the No Child Left Behind Act is good news. So is another recently released study showing a general rise in academic performance over the last five years. And another encouraging study has reconfirmed the toughness of South Carolina's academic standards as it strives to improve its public education system.

Unfortunately, though, National Education Association president Reg Weaver has again condemned NCLB, telling members of the organization at their annual meeting in Philadelphia, "The purpose of education is not to score well on a standardized test." And as columnist Debra Saunders warns on today's Commentary page, some Democrats in Congress appear intent on diluting NCLB's primary strength — its mandating of regular, accurate measurements of academic performance to ensure educational accountability.

That accountability already has paid off, judging from the results of an 18-month study by the nonpartisan Center on Education Policy that documents an increase in student achievement since 2002. Jack Hennings, a former Democratic congressional aide now serving as the center's president, pointed out that while local and state initiatives also played a significant role, NCLB "is clearly part of the mix of reforms whose fruit we are now seeing."

The researchers also reported that since NCLB, "the achievement gap" between white and black students has decreased. U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings cited the study to argue: "We know the law is working, so now is the time to reauthorize."

Secretary Spellings also hailed the Center on Education Policy's findings in another study, released last week, about the intensified focus on reading and math. The secretary rightly rejected misplaced concerns that instruction in other courses has suffered as a result, telling The Associated Press: "If children can't read, they can't learn history. Before No Child Left Behind, little was done to hold schools accountable for teaching our children basic, critical skills."

South Carolina Superintendent of Education Jim Rex wasn't as enthusiastic about NCLB during a recent conference call from Columbia, giving it a grade of "C plus or B minus." But he added, "I sure wouldn't throw it out. I think the law has done some good things."

Dr. Rex also stressed that while he will ask the General Assembly to approve changes in the state's testing format next year, he has no intention of throwing out South Carolina's "exceptionally high" testing standards. That description was verified by National Center for Education Statistics research, released recently, ranking our state among the top five in that category.

Those high standards should be maintained. So should the regular, honest measurement of student achievement necessary for educational accountability.