This letter is in response to Richard Miller (“Demand end to excuses; hold Unit 5 accountable,” YourViews, Nov. 5) who stated “Unit5 is unsuccessful in getting out students up to state standards.” He based his opinion on the No Child Left Behind mandate. I beg to differ.

Unit5 consistently outperforms the state average in both ISAT and ACT scores — by 7.6 and 1.6 points respectively. Source: ISBE.net.

Be aware that all schools in The Pantagraph area are doing their best to provide outstanding education for students but that No Child Left Behind was written with some major flaws.

Did you realize that schools do not pass if even one of their subgroups do not perform at expected levels? Some subgroups include: 

-- A public school that teaches English as a Second Language. Yes, a 13-year-old student who was just adopted from Russia and speaks minimal English must take the 8th grade ISAT test. 

-- A public school that services the special education population. Yes, a mentally handicapped, 13-year-old student currently reading at a 2nd grade level must take the 8th grade ISAT test.

-- A public school that reaches out to children who have been abused or neglected. Yes, emotionally disturbed students must take their grade level ISAT test.

All of these subgroups are being serviced in your public school. Instead to looking at stats and making judgments, I’d ask that you look into a child’s eyes and ask how you can help.

Jane Rolfs, Normal