Comment on No Child Should be Forced to Stay Behind

I agree with Amelia's post No Child Should Be Forced to Stay Behind. I have also noticed a stronger concentration on TAKs testing now then when I was in school. I found this blog interesting because she started out with a personal story, which really got my attention. She then went on to make some very clear cut, strong statements like:

"With the way our educational system works today, high school graduates come out
learning nothing more that how to do well on a multiple choice test."

I also thought the fact that she mentioned the other side's argument, and then refuted it, showed maturity and thoughtfulness on her part. When she concluded, she summed up what her main points were in a very logical, fluid statement.
Now for the content. I agree completely with Amelia's thoughts on the NCLB act. We cater to the slower students, which is good, but we ignore the faster students, which is bad. Students that understand things a bit faster then average are forced to sit and listen to the teacher explain the same point over and over again. I liked the way my high school use to do things. We would have the "advanced" classes along with the regular classes. We all learned the same stuff, but the advanced classes were taught at a faster speed and the students in them were allowed to do extra projects. Now, with the NCLB act, my sister is forced to sit and learn what the TAKs test has on it and nothing else with students who don't understand things as quickly as she does. When she asks questions about something that interests her, the teacher says "That's not covered on the test, we don't have time to talk about it." So, yes Amelia we should "come up with a better way to cater to the children being forced to stay behind."