NCLB -your thoughts?

Question

so, what do you think about NCLB? is it a form of education-fascism?

Answer 1

No Child Left Behind is a DISASTER!!!

Bush's real goal is to cut education from the federal budget. Rather than take the political fallout from doing so (even though Constitutionally he can... there is no Constitution requirement for federal Education funding... the states are supposed to take care of it anyway).... he is seeking to scapegoat teachers.

NCLB "supporters" use increased scores on standardized tests as "proof" of it's effectiveness. However, we all know one or two incompetent teachers... who TOOK STANDARDIZED TESTS to get into college, into teacher preparation programs (e.g. Praxis), and the capstone state standardized professional tests to get their licensures, and PASSED!!! We also all know people who are VERY competent teachers, who (if you are able to ask them and they trust you enough as a friend to share) struggle with standardized tests and had to take them several times before passing.

All that standardized tests measure is how well someone takes standardized tests. Oh, and they also make lots of money for standardized test publishers.

NCLB sets some rather unrealistic goals (e.g. 100% GRADE-LEVEL literacy for ALL subgroups regardless of their circumstances), while penalizing actions by schools to remediate problems (e.g. behavior, attendance, retention, special education qualification, etc.). Funding is limited, so the reduced classroom sizes and materials needed for sufficient individual attention to each student is not possible to obtain.

If the tens of millions of dollars currently used for standardized tests was used instead to hire more teachers and reduce classroom sizes, ensure a textbook and consumables in every subject for every student, and auditors for student portfolios (using the portfolios to show student attainment of state standards and benchmarks), THAT would improve education.


Instead of all this rigamarole about placing everything on the backs of teachers, combined with unrealistic goals using false measures for academics, discipline, and attendance....

Return responsibility for learning and school behavior/attendance back into a balance between teachers, parents, and students. If a school has a high rate of absentees or office referals, hold the students and parents fully accountable (for repeat offenders, fines and jail time), not the school. Hold teachers accountable for student learning...as in don't pass regular ed kids on to the next grade until they actually know the material. Therefore, don't hold retention numbers against schools.

If we want students to perform better when leaving each grade level, make a passing score at 80% instead of 60%. Of course, this does mean many more students repeating grades. Since kids have until the age of 21 to graduate, that allows for up to 3 retentions. If a kid continues to struggle after the 2nd retention, start the process to move the kid to special education programming (if it hasn't already been started earlier)...if the kid didn't qualify on an earlier attempt, run the diagnostics again.

Require individual student portfolios showing student mastery of content, to justify advancing the student to the next grade. ADVANCEMENT should be justified, not retention. And it doesn't take some fancy state testing to prove it. Teacher-made tests reflecting each standard/benchmark over the school year ("unit tests") works fine... the quality of those tests resting on the heads of the principals...

In high school, allow vocational and clerical training for a full certification in a certain skill to replace "core" college-track classes, to allow students with talents in non-academic areas to build on their strengths, increase their sense of self-esteem and work readiness, and start their career fields earlier. Make the QUALITY of the work at a high level of expectation, just as with college bound students, but it is hands-on skills rather than academics. Students should be allowed to move between course plans freely (academic vs. vocational), given that they finish their high school work by age 21. Once again, the quality of the program and passing testing accountability resting squarely on the heads of the school principal and individual teachers instructing the programs. Attendance, behavior, and knowledge of the course content is the responsibility of the students. Advancement should be justified, not retention.

In special education, require individual student portfolios showing growth in areas directly related to IEP goals written for each core subject area, derived from state standards and benchmarks. This growth should be adequate in relation to student IQ scores, especially after 4th grade, when most LD kids are developmentally ready to learn reading. Allow those three years of retention to happen with special ed kids during kindergarten and first grade, or when they first enter special education programming, if needed, so that they can get the immersion in the simpler skills they need for the length of time they need earlier, rather than keeping them in "13th grade" for 3 years in high school.

In order to deal with this paperwork, as well as provide true adequate support for each and every student at every level, increase the number of teachers and provide each and every teacher with an educational assistant. Reduce class ratios of adult to child to research-based effective levels. For Elementary, 1:8 for regular ed, 1:3 for higher functioning special ed and English Language Learners, and 1:1 for lower functioning special ed. At the Secondary level, allow two educational assistants for each teacher, with a ratio of 1:10 for each class period for regular ed, 1:5 for higher functioning special ed and ELL, and 1:1 for lower functioning special ed.

Funding? Try not having any wars for a while....

Answer 2

It's a joke. It has a few elements that are ok....but for the most part its just like Communism: looks great on paper, but a pathetic failure in practice.

Answer 3

It is worse than a bad joke. It is a festering horror imposed on our schools.