Under the No Child Left Behind Act, passed in 2001, every public elementary school that receives some federal funding is required to give its students certain tests of reading and math every year. Schools whose students do poorly on these tests for several years are labelled “failing schools,” and face various types of penalties, which could include replacing principals and teachers or even closing the school.

A. Identify the:

a. “Object” being measured

b. “Attribute” of the object being measured

c. “Rules” for measurement

d. “Standard-setters”

e. “Measurers”

f. “Verifiers”

g. “Users” and their decisions.

B. To what extent do you think this measurement system meets the needs of the key users?

C. How does this measurement system affect the actions of the “objects”

being measured?

D. How does this measurement system affect the measurers?

E. To what extent does this measurement system create a new concept, a

“failing school”?

F. To what extent does this measurement process serve to make certain actions by people who run school systems legitimate?

G. To what extent does the measurement process add to the control exerted by the federal government on local schools?