ENZI SAYS NEW REPORT HIGHLIGHTS NEED TO RENEW, IMPROVE NCLB, AND ENSURE THAT NO STUDENT OR SCHOOL IS LEFT BEHIND

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, said that a report released today by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) highlights the need to renew and improve the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), in order to “ensure that all students have the knowledge and skills to be successful in the 21st century global economy.” According to “The Nation’s Report Card,” graduating seniors are scoring worse on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) today than they did in 1992. “The picture painted by the Nation’s Report Card makes it clear that our students are losing ground to their contemporaries across the globe as they complete high school and move on to college and the workplace,” Enzi said. “We must combat this trend as we renew No Child Left Behind by addressing the achievement gap and the wasted senior year. Students should graduate from high school on time and without the need for remedial coursework.” The report indicated some positives, with more students taking rigorous courses and earning higher grades. However, the average reading score for high school seniors was the lowest since 1992, and only 23 percent of seniors scored at or above the proficient level in mathematics. Achievement gaps continue to persist among racial and ethnic student groups. “We must ensure that no student or school is left behind, regardless of income, race, or location,” Enzi said. “Students must have access to a rigorous curriculum that prepares them to graduate from high school with the knowledge and skills to excel in college and the workforce.” Full copies of The Nation’s Report Card: 12th-Grade Reading and Mathematics 2005 and The Nation’s Report Card: America’s High School Graduates are available at http://nationsreportcard.gov. ####