Here in Kansas, reading and math assessments have taken precedence with state assessments (counting towards a school's adequate yearly progress or AYP) and are the focus of the newly implemented Multi-Tiered System of Supports.
As a science teacher, my students take state assessments, and my classroom units and objectives are all aligned with the standards. We have a target score for the percentage of students who should be proficient or above, but our scores, no matter how good (we had a 92% proficiency last year) or bad, do not make one bit of difference on the school's AYP, and therefore, do not matter to anyone else. Forget about Social Studies, they haven't had an assessment at the high school level in years. I think that this trend in only focusing on reading and math will have disastrous consequences on a well-rounded education.
I can understand why though. If you cannot read well or compute well, it is hard to reap the benefits of studying other disciplines. In that light, it makes sense that if a student can master these things, then the rest should be fine. However, science and social studies offer something real and tangible to read about and to compute. Without a focus on practicing the application of these skills, students will not be able to sit at the round table of future problem-solvers and policy makers.
I am mostly worried about my own three daughters. I want them to have an appreciation for history, the critical thinking of a scientist, and a truly well-rounded, "suitable" education. Kansas is currently debating the definition of "suitable" in terms of our educational opportunities here. According to the US Dept. of Labor, the top ten fastest growing occupations from 2008-2018 are one accounting/finance and nine science based jobs. Well, Kansas educators, I think that a "suitable" education is one that leads to being prepared for competition and contribution in both the workplace and society at large. By focusing on just reading and math, our kids just will not be there...in my opinion.
