After reading Albert Lea school board member Ken Peterson’s article involving No Child Left Behind, I was left to wonder if the school district again failed to meet the standards set by NCLB in testing for April? And whether his letter was intended as a justification? Mr. Peterson stated that more than one-third of the schools in Minnesota missed the state imposed testing taget in 2007. However, this statement means that two-thirds passed. That is a huge majority.

One could say that most of the schools in Minnesota did meet the state imposed testing target in 2007. So then I ask, what exactly is the problem with NCLB?

According to Mr. Peterson’s article, most of the schools in Minnesota have made adjustments in their curriculums to meet the needs of all students and it is working. Mr. Peterson also stated that if Minnesota opts out of NCLB (keep in mind the majority of the schools are meeting the requirements of NCLB), the state could lose $219 million in federal funding. Where exactly will the loss be made up? Taxes? Referendums? Yet Mr. Peterson continued by saying, “Minnesotans know that their schools and students are scoring very well by many other indicators.” What indicators? One-third of the schools in Minnesota including Albert Lea are failing to meet adequate yearly progress. They are failing school districts. That cannot be sugar-coated or explained away since the majority are doing fine.

So why would anyone support the taking away of $219 million in federal funding because the minority can’t make the grade? Why punish the schools that have made every effort to comply? His article did point out some very positive steps the Albert Lea School District is taking to increase student achievement including Vision Driven Action Plans, analysis of student test data and the schools goals for student achievement, along with continuing ed for staff — all excellent tools to help assist with compliance with NCLB.

Mr. Peterson stated his biggest concern with NCLB “is for the expectations for success in reading and in math set by NCLB for every student despite their English Language skills or learning challenges.” Mr. Peterson, that is the entire premise of NCLB. That is it’s purpose, and your objective and concern should be on how the school district can comply to meet this challenge.

The objective is that no child shall be left behind regardless of race, color, creed or socioeconomic status. That every student shall be given the same educational opportunities. All school districts have non-English speaking students and deal with a plethora of other issues from learning disabilities, to divorce, to mental health issues, to poverty, to absent-parent homes, but the majority of the schools in the state have moved beyond that and have found a way to reach them all.

We teach our kids to play by the rules not to manipulate the system to suit their own agenda. I am proud to be an Albert Lea graduate. My fear is that it will never again be a powerhouse.

Becky Fredrickson

Glenville