My sister is a teacher. Been one for 30 years.
I don't see what is so onerous about requiring students to read at 5th grade level at the end of 5th grade. And it is a national disgrace to have the number of college students taking remedial classwork that we do.
Ask XO, he sees the results of children left behind.
BT,
Again, I repeat, you don't see the problems in the NCLB act. The act could actually be a great thing if it were well thought out and equitable in scope and sequence. There are, however, illogical punitive actions taken against systems, teachers that eventually trickle down to the students. The way the system is being organized and operated today...with all the data collecting, business tactic processes, assessments given more than instruction, not to mention lack of funding to train teachers as promised by the NCLB act....the system is failing, not the teachers/teaching.
The child who can't make that 'grade' in a regular classroom is sent through a referral process then tested for special education. In the past, those children who COULD NOT learn due to diagnosed learning disabilities were helped with special education classes. Now, those children are expected to make the grade along with all the other kids. That's just not reality. My god...we are not saying that we don't want to 'GIVE THEM A CHANCE".....OR that they can't learn.....
But as it is now, those children who need help are not placed, not qualifiying into special programs and are simply not serviced. = they are left behind.
The way it is today all children expected to do the exact same on tests scores..be damned their abilities. THAT'S what is wrong with the act...not the high standard of teaching or the programs provided. I love the new programs. I am one of the advocates of the NCLB provisions...."Reading First" schoosl...etc.
Lawsuits have forced school systems to focus more on the life of the system as opposed to the needs of the children. ..but at what cost?
To require/demand that EVERY single child read at the 5th grade level is actually not a bad idea....but the punitive actionst that are given to the schools/teachers who dont' make that happen is unfair and frankly doing more to reverse the very idea of leaving no child behind. That's why this has to change.
We are overtesting.....taking away critical areas of the curriculum in order to make the NCLB grade.
Would you rather provide your child a complete well rounded education, or would you be happy to see that he/she is learning the basics...reading writing arithmetic.....sans the arts, music, social studies, science pe, literature....
As it is now.....there are about four kids in my classroom who can't read the book we are forced to teach all kids at the same time. . .no matter their level. THose four kids are not able to be taught with differentiated instruction because there is a mandate of time.... We are mandated to teach 90 minutes of phonics drill/template work, along with another mandate of 130 minutes of math and writing..and THAT'S IT.
When will I be able to find the time to teach those kids to read? I have to cheat and pray my principal doesn't walk in and see taht I am teaching instead of being a stepford teacher. It never used to be this way. I was able to individualize instruction...etc. Ironically, I could teach all children if I weren't told what and how to do it with a slap on the wrist/or fired if I don't do it their way.....I feel as though I am working in a socialist state.
Will it take:
The Parents?
A Village?
It used to take common sense, and the desire to teach all children. Pure and simple.
The system wasn't broken and yet NOW with this magic that is NCLB(without the common sense).... we are going to fix it?
I feel for the children, like the four I have....who are lost. They weren't lost when I taught in the 70's 80's and 90's.
Paradigm shift is one thing, but to mandate stupidity is another.
There are elements in the act that need worked on.
I am so angry with the way it is going at this point, that I am ready to vote for HIllary if she gets rid of it.
Bush doesn't really give a damn. His own Texan teachers were caught in a scandal a couple of years ago...cheating to make that grade.
It's disgusting.
