No Child Left Behind or Pandora's box?

To me, NCLB is nothing more than saying "We pass children to the next grade whether they can perform or not!" The school administrators seem bent on keeping the facts about NCLB a dirty little secret. I am seeing more and more children failing in later years because they were pushed through kindergarten before they were ready for first grade. The schools are practically requiring that a child of six be able to read fairly well when they enter first grade. I'm sorry to say that there are children out there that are not mature enough at the age of five to learn to read that well. NCLB guidelines are causing educators to pass these children to first grade without showing readiness to learn. Once in first grade, the children have to work very hard to catch up. Many can't do it and fail. What would the harm have been in giving those children another year in kindergarten? What would the difference have been?
I have seen the difference for myself. My oldest daughter was "immature", so to speak. She simply was not ready at the age of five to take on the tough curriculum laid out for her in kindergarten. I saw her struggling and I never imagined that the teacher would pass her into first grade without her having mastered the requirements to begin first grade.  I was thrilled when she passed! I patted her on the back and told her how proud I was of her hard work. Little did I know that she had not really passed. She was "passed on" but she didn't "pass".
At the start of first grade I knew something was wrong. When I encouraged my daughter to do her homework, she would stare at the paper and cry. I looked at the schoolwork itself, and I could see why. She wasn't ready to do that kind of work. At best she had mastered some sight words and the sounds of the letters, but she wasn't reading fluently. By the time she sounded out each letter and formed the words, the meaning of the sentence was lost. I could see that she was very anxious about going to school every day. She cried most mornings and begged me not to take her. She was physically ill a few times from the dread she experienced each day. The teacher was impatient with her, and my little girl was miserable.
I went to the school and sat down to meet with my child's teacher and the principal. The teacher asked me why my child could not read. I responded that I did not know. Wasn't that her job? I told them that my daughter had only mastered sight words in kindergarten, Who was supposed to teach her to read? Me? Where was the information given to parents regarding their role in their child's mastery of reading? I worked with my daughter on all work sent home, but I was never under the impression that I was expected to teach my child to read.
I asked the principal to please put my daughter back in kindergarten. She needed the extra year to get ready for first grade. The principal refused, citing NCLB as her reason. I didn't know then that a simple call to the board of education could have reversed her decision, and my daughter could have had another chance at a successful start in school. My ignorance led me to allow my daughter to struggle, be treated poorly by frustrated teachers, and to feel like a failure. She grew to hate school in that year of first grade. She lost any desire to learn and failed in higher grades. My curious little girl who always asked "Whassat?" about EVERYTHING, who used to pretend to "read" to her dolls, and who looked forward to kindergarten very much, is now a depressed young lady who thinks she's stupid no matter what I tell her.
I have since seen four others through various levels of school since then. I learned with my first child's experience that there is much to be said for letting your child feel successful, even if it means a later start that some other children. I made the choice to fight for my children and combat the effects NCLB tries to put on their shoulders. If you see your child struggling to keep up in kindergarten, and the teacher passes them to first, remember this: Success makes a child eager to learn. Failure takes away the will to learn altogether. Don't let NCLB ruin your child's chance at a successful start in school.
Please leave your comments and share your own experiences. I am a caring person who will go the length to help you if you need help. I welcome opinions, negative and positive.