Give your thoughts on NCLB and teacher/school accountability. Do the problems lie with the teacher or the stan

Question

Give your thoughts on NCLB and teacher/school accountability. Do the problems lie with the teacher or the standards?

Answer 1

As a certified special education teacher, I can tell you that children are still being left behind with NCLB. I honestly think only other teachers should blame teachers and schools for students performance on the standards and not anyone else!

Answer 2

Neither, and both. In reality, it is generally school district policies that cause the problems. If a student cannot read at a 6th grade level, the student SHOULDN"T BE IN 6TH GRADE! Its so simple! Then every school would make AYP under NCLB. It is a worthy goal in order to try to get things back in line. Unfortunately, in the name of compassion, we grade in the K-6 levels on a Pass/Pass scale, where a kid being left back is as common as a lottery winner in the town. With rampant social promotion and emphasis on self esteem, schools will fail to meet the NCLB requirements, and will cry that the standards are unfair. Then the law will be changed, and the schools will remain the same.

Answer 3

i think the idea behind NCLB is a good one, however there are some glitches.

an example is the standardized testing of special ed students. i teach in PA and every spring our kids take the PSSA which is the fancy state test. last year they changed the rules/standards so all special ed kids are tested at the grade they are currently enrolled in, NOT the grade that they are being instructed at. let's say one of my 6th graders enrolled in a learning support classroom is reading at a 3rd grade level...his/her teacher is instructing reading at that 3rd grade level. however, once the spring comes, that student is then faced with a 6th grade test.

it's not fair to a lot of students. the legal IEP document states that the student will be instructed at their "instructional level" but then some dumba$$ decided that they should be tested at their grade level instead.

Answer 4

Neither the teacher nor the standards control:

The amount of kids in my class.
The level of the student upon entering my class.
The language fluency level of those students I receive at the start of the year
The absenteeism of my students
The interuptions to teaching a curriculum
The treatment of Special education students as to testing.

complex problem, no simple answers.