Our neighboring state of Alabama has decided to introduce new academic standards starting next school year through Plan 2020.  This six-year plan aims to replace the academic standards set by No Child Left Behind. Instead of insisting that students of all races and socioeconomic status reach the same level of proficiency by a certain date, Plan 2020 seeks to give individualized standards to these groups. This is done to encourage a more realistic goal based on each group’s level of proficiency at the start of the program. For instance, if 71 percent of African-American students are proficient in math at the start, then 77 percent will be the goal for them by the end of the first year. Compare that to 91 percent proficiency of Asian/Pacific Islander students that are expected to be at 91.3 percent by the end of the first year.
  On the surface, this may seem like academic segregation where schools are now catering to the needs of kids based on skin tone and parents’ income. This doesn’t initially sit well in the stomach.      
  However, it is an efficient way to approach reality. Most can agree that segregation would be a step back, but Plan 2020 offers a solution to the academic competency gap by setting practical standards of achievement based on the sample populations’ mean level of competency in a certain subject.  Instead of desiring full competency from everyone by a certain date this modular plan offers a realistic solution to close the educational gaps that exist between racial and socioeconomic groups.  
  Another point of Plan 2020 is to give students entering high school the option to be put on an academic track for college. At the start of their freshman year of high school, Alabama students will meet with a counselor to determine if they want to go to college. Their decision will allow them to either take more career-based classes or classes that will prepare them for college.  Of course, every kid has the opportunity to switch from one track to another at any point during high school but might be required to take extra classes in order to complete the curriculum.
  This seems a bit like overkill. I find favor with a modular educational system, but not one that puts kids on a track based on a choice they make at age 14. I think every child should be encouraged toward a path of higher education regardless of his or her intention to go to college. I don’t believe a 14-year-old has any real idea about their desire for higher education at the start of high school. I feel my opinon could be taken as limiting freedom of choice from a 14-year-old, but the option to dramatically change the outcome of one’s life at that age is not something a 14-year-old is capable to do. It is in the best academic interest of each kid to take an educational path toward college.
  I think Plan 2020 has a more realistic approach to academic standards that can actually be achievable. I appreciate that Alabama has implemented an initiative that not only addresses the reality that exists as an educational inequality through races but has developed a plan to nullify it in time.  Although I am upset by the idea of a freshman choosing his or her desire for college, I am curious to see how effective the program is through the years and am hopeful that it can close the academic gap that exists.