[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 16]
[Senate]
[Pages 21382-21383]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND

  Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, I would like to congratulate the educators, 
administrators, parents, and children of my home State of Wyoming. 
Since the implementation of No Child Left Behind in 2001, our students 
have increased their test scores, proving that our schools are taking 
the adequate steps needed to ensure academic proficiency for all 
students, including those who are disadvantaged. The basis of No Child 
Left Behind is simple. It says that every 4th grader should be able to 
read, and do mathematics at a 4th grade level; every 8th grader at an 
8th grade level, and every 11th grader at an 11th grade level. But 
making it work calls for the hard work and dedication

[[Page 21383]]

of all individuals involved with education--from the parents to the 
teachers, to the legislators and administrators. By putting the 
children first, our schools are making the progress needed for students 
to perform at their intended level, which will help them excel later in 
life.
  The 2004 results of the WyCAS, our State's assessment, show that 47 
percent of fourth graders in Wyoming tested as advanced or proficient 
in reading, 40 percent in writing, and 39 percent in mathematics. While 
there is still room for improvement, all three are increases from last 
year's scores of 44, 37, and 37 percent respectively. In addition, 57 
percent of the 8th grade students tested as advanced or proficient in 
writing, almost a 10-percent increase from the previous year, when they 
scored 48 percent.
  A few schools that made tremendous growth this year should be 
especially proud of themselves. Moorcroft Junior High now has 81 
percent of their students proficient in writing as compared to only 38 
percent last year. Sundance Junior High also produced exceptional 
results in math, with 74 percent of their students performing at 
proficient or advanced level, compared to 39 percent last year.
  Improvements have not only been made from last year to this year but 
over time as well. The 11th graders, who took the WyCAS as 8th graders 
in 2001, improved their mathematics scores from 32 percent being 
advanced or proficient to 44 percent. In reading, the results were 
similar. They jumped from 39 percent as 8th graders to 50 percent as 
11th graders.
  The results are a good indication that our students are learning and 
our teachers are working hard to leave no child behind. I am pleased 
with Wyoming's dedication to education, and I look forward to learning 
the results of other indicators that No Child Left Behind uses to 
assure schools are making adequate yearly progress. I encourage Wyoming 
schools to keep up the good work and continue to put the children 
first.

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