I didn't think I could get more anti-NCLB...

[*Devon*]

Where can I find a t-shirt that says "Leave my child behind"? Seriously, is there any merchandise out there that's anti-NCLB?

I teach special ed preschool in a public school, so while I don't have to worry about testing, I am definitely exposed to the overwhelming pressure my colleagues are put under.

My best friend teaches 5th grade in an Abbott district with a large minority population (I guess that makes them the majority). They recently decided that from now until April, the entire district will no longer be teaching Science or Social Studies, nor will the kids have library, in favor of 7 PERIODS OF TEST PREP PER WEEK. This means giving them practice tests and practice questions and timing them. Every day. I can't even go on because the whole thing makes me sick.
: : : : :

[Unreal]

ugh

I don't have a problem with the idea of the schools/districts being accountable for the kids they claim to be educating.
I graduated with kids who couldn't read--who never had a single moment of remedial help or anything--they were just passed on from grade to grade.
A rarity, to be sure....but still sad

BUT

NCLB and this horribly WARPED interpretation of it is just WRONG.

I am so sorry for those kids...AND the teachers!!!!

NCLB is a huge reason I decided not to get my certification here. I love to learn and to teach...and to teach kids to love to learn....
I can't stand the idea of having to squash that love in myself and in the kids....all to teach them that test results matter more than learning.

And for what

barely enough federal funding to cover the cost of the tests themselves??
The tests sure don't benefit the students or the teachers

[psyche]

I hate NCLB. It does so much damage.

I have a teaching certification that I have not had the chance to use (SAHMing now). Ever since I was pregnant the first time around I have slowly been working on obtaining a master's degree in a more specialized field of education. Now, all I hear from the people who went into teaching around the same time I was certified is "test test test." I don't know what to do with my education anymore because I don't want to live under that system. I don't know what to do with my children's education anymore because I don't want them to live under that system.

Some highly thoughtful "conspiracy theorists" believe that NCLB is actually an attempt by various ideological and corporate forces to fully dismantle public education in favor of school vouchers, test makers, and expensive curricula-in-a-box programs.

[*Devon*]

I absolutely believe that... if you dismantle its creation, you come across some very interesting facts, like a whole crapload of the "idea people" behind it work for textbook companies or that the person Bush put itn charge of it actually had very little education experience -- I'm a little sketchy on all the details but the sources I originally heard it all from were very knowledgeable guest speakers and whatnot. I chose to retain only that the whole thing is a useless piece of crap.

I'm sure it's already been discussed to death here, but this is just one more bigass straw on the already broken camel (what a sad image... I'm going to stop saying that, like I stopped saying 'kill two birds with one stone' and now say 'kill two mosquitoes with one shoe' )

[boongirl]

It is unbelievable to me that an education system would think that it is acceptable to do away with teaching history and science. Here in Washington state, our standardized test, the WASL, tests for science and it is proposed that it also test for art and social studies/history. Of course, that does not mean it will be a good test (I am against standardized tests for many reasons) but at least WA is trying to have a multi-subject standardized test.

We need more organizations like this one:

http://www.mothersagainstwasl.org/

Start one in your state now! Make your own t-shirts!

[Dar]

On Thursday I substitute taught middle age special ed. The kids I had most of the day were fairly seriously mentally impaired, and a lot of the day was spent working on life skills like making change, "shopping", and doing laundry. Oh, and they also worked on matching their Latin root flashcards, for our state's reading assessment. So, they know that dict refers to speaking, and agri to fields and farming, and 20 or so more, many that the paras didn't know without looking at the key. Is this really a wise use of their time? These kids aren't going to college, and the stuff they *need* to be learning is the stuff that's pertinent to their lives... but they'll have to take the d*mn tests, and the teachers have to prep them.

Dar

[supervee]

I want one of those t-shirts!

DS is not in school yet, but we have been touring. I was sadly surprised to see how little "extra" fun stuff the elementary kids are doing. It is really focused on the basics. I guess lots of kids might need the basics. We had a lot of fun stuff when I was in elementary, like band and orchestra and clubs...it's all gone here.

I'm glad they are giving kids Latin lessons! But I see your point, Dar.

[lisalou]

http://www.cafepress.com/edchange/328409

http://www.cafepress.com/cp/search/s...&cfpt=&x=0&y=0

I like the teachers not testers one personally. I completely agree with you on NCLB. And also agree find an organization in your state that's trying to get rid of NCLB or start one.

[*Devon*]

Those shirts are great! Yay for all the WA parents/teachers who are taking such a stand... I wonder if we could do that here in NJ...

[supervee]

Does the NCLB really favor rich, white, English-speaking kids? I'm not particularly trying to start a debate of that, and I'm a little too fried at this moment to think it through properly, but did this strike anyone else as off somehow?

I can't articulate how right now.

[lisalou]

Originally Posted by supervee

Does the NCLB really favor rich, white, English-speaking kids? I'm not particularly trying to start a debate of that, and I'm a little too fried at this moment to think it through properly, but did this strike anyone else as off somehow?

I can't articulate how right now.

It actually does b/c if your school is deemed failing then your funding gets cut off. You don't get extra funding. The whole purpose of NCLB is to start a school voucher system. Which really favors rich white kids more than it's going to favor poor non-white kids despite propoganda to the contrary.

[*Devon*]

It's ironic because the stated purpose is to promote more equality among races and classes and ability levels, but all that really happens is the schools with the rich white kids pass and the ones with other populations "fail" and basically get vouchers for private schools.

[supervee]

I cannot find anywhere that if your school is failing you can transfer to a private school. Can you point me to this info?

In a particular very poor, very minority school district where I have several family members, there wouldn't be any choice. The private schools were founded expressly to keep their kids away from the minority kids, and they'll change their admission policies to make sure they don't get any minority transfer kids. Since most of the elementary schools are in the same boat re: test scores, there wouldn't be another place to transfer. There's only one high school, and the neighboring counties aren't doing any better. So that's an argument that it isn't helping these poor SES kids.

That's rural. In the urban area where I live, I know of some parents who live in a pocket of "nice neighborhood" that has been gerrymandered (in their opinion; I have not seen the map) into a poor SES neighborhood, and the school has failed. They were told they couldn't transfer (but that's not true). I think the school board will adjust lines to make sure the test scores even out across town. They have already implemented a complicated magnet program to effect this.

Either way, I don't think NCLB is solving all of these kids' problems. Maybe it solves a wee bit of it; at least kids in the rural district I mentioned are getting a lot of extra funds and programs to help them read. But there's so much more. It's sad.

I say leave my child out of NCLB because I think it is a waste of his (and many kids') time and effort. Six weeks learning to make a dot on a test sheet?! And meanwhile there aren't music or art programs or recess?! Seems to me that's going to chase out the rich kids whose parents can afford to leave.

[lisalou]

You can't actually get vouchers yet with NCLB. But what happens to a failing school is that I think it gets 3 years to improve with funding reduced and if it doesn't then the government can close the school. What happens to those kids? Well the idea was even if the school showed up as failing 1 year to be able to give parents vouchers for other schools. It's just now vouchers haven't been going as gang busters as certain groups were hoping.

[mommaduck]

I have a question...and I have no stance on either side as I am a hs-ing parent...but

Aren't the tests supposed to cover what is supposed to be taught at grade level? If you are teaching (science, social studies, etc), then wouldn't the students be able to answer what is on the tests?

I understand that there is remedial work to be done with some students...thus leading to "teaching to the test"...thus actually undermining the entire point. But, honestly...can't the subjects just be taught???

We had to take state tests as a kid (and my children will have to also...I've received the prep books, but they aren't any different than what we had to do as kids).

Seriously not understanding here.

[supervee]

That's assuming that kids are learning what's being taught, right? That they come to school ready to learn, and give a damn, and have parents who care.

My mom taught Biology in high school a few years back. In order for her kids to be able to pass the test...and her school was shooting for the 60th percentile...she had to teach them to take a test. She taught them how to read instructions, how to eliminate multiple-choice answers, etc. THEN she had to teach them Science, when many didn't have the foundations of the scientific method or labs, or any of that.

Yes, they learned a lot, but they were going to learn a lot under her anyway. She regretted that she couldn't go in-depth on each chapter, with labs that would have really made it come alive, because she had so many chapters and so little time. If she had been free to JUST teach, then they wouldn't have had to spend so much time on test prep.

I think the NCLB must work differently in different places, because it seems like the only thing that could happen to a school in her district (and we're talking pretty poor schools, doing not so well) is that they teachers would either GET or NOT GET their bonuses. ???

[Shonahsmom]

Originally Posted by supervee

Does the NCLB really favor rich, white, English-speaking kids? I'm not particularly trying to start a debate of that, and I'm a little too fried at this moment to think it through properly, but did this strike anyone else as off somehow?

I can't articulate how right now.

Read this column by Greg Palast:

http://www.gregpalast.com/detail.cfm?artid=476&row=0

Quote:

"This is from the state's actual practice test. Ready, class?

"The year 1999 was a big one for the Williams sisters. In February, Serena won her first pro singles championship. In March, the sisters met for the first time in a tournament final. Venus won. And at doubles tennis, the Williams girls could not seem to lose that year."

And here's one of the four questions:

"The story says that in 1999, the sisters could not seem to lose at doubles tennis. This probably means when they played

A two matches in one day
B against each other
C with two balls at once
D as partners"


OK, class, do you know the answer? (By the way, I didn't cheat: there's nothing else about "doubles" in the text.)

My kids go to a New York City school in which more than half the students live below the poverty line. There is no tennis court.

There are no tennis courts in the elementary schools of Bed-Stuy or East Harlem. But out in the Hamptons, every school has a tennis court. In Forest Hills, Westchester and Long Island's North Shore, the schools have nearly as many tennis courts as the school kids have live-in maids.

Now, you tell me, class, which kids are best prepared to answer the question about "doubles tennis"? The 8-year-olds in Harlem who've never played a set of doubles or the kids whose mommies disappear for two hours every Wednesday with Enrique the tennis pro?"

[CaraboosMama]

Originally Posted by devonc

They recently decided that from now until April, the entire district will no longer be teaching Science or Social Studies, nor will the kids have library, in favor of 7 PERIODS OF TEST PREP PER WEEK. This means giving them practice tests and practice questions and timing them. Every day. I can't even go on because the whole thing makes me sick.
: : : : :

GAAAAHHHHH!! How can that even be considered education!! : : : :

I stopped teaching in public schools about 5 years ago, but I am still always appalled at Sh*t like this!!

[lisalou]

I think there's a common misperception that NCLB tests the student, it doesn't, it tests the school. Individual test results are never shared with the students it's only Pass/Fail for the school as a whole.

[supervee]

I see your point!

But that does seem to be a logic question. Doubles does not mean "singles." It does not mean "they played together." When they played doubles "they couldn't lose" which means they must be playing together.