Are we defeated if we abolish NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND? (catholic school, assessment)
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I think you need a lesson on relativity. Long and easy are two very relative words.
Let's say that 15 out of my 22 students need to be refreshed on test taking strategies. How would you propose I differentiate instruction? How can I do two things at once? You're right that it's not the ideal world. However, what do you propose to fix it?
Now, your logic is flawed. You think that it's not that hard to remember all of those details (when in fact, it really is). Perhaps throughout the years, they become more familiar with the testing but certainly not in their second year of it. Also, what about the students that are in their first year in America and they just so happen to be in 5th grade (where they would've already have taken the test twice). Is it a "you snooze, you lose" kind of deal? If the student gets pulled out for individual or small group test taking strategies, he or she misses classroom instruction. For the sake of argument, however, let's say that there are a few students that do remember every tiny detail about the testing situation. What about every other student that doesn't remember and develops anxiety when faced with this unfamiliar situation? You advocate a lot for the smart kids that get it. What about the ones that don't?
I didn't say that all schools are differentiating. I said that the schools I've been a part of differentiated and I provided a clear understanding of how they do it. It really seems like everything you say is all generic. Do you have any personal experience to speak of?
You know - it's really not that difficult. Look at the results. Less than half of our country's students are grade-level proficient and our student's lag other country's students. That doesn't make my logic flawed, that means our schools are undereducating our kids. If you're unhappy with that, change it - don't complain to me.
You know - it's really not that difficult. Look at the results. Less than half of our country's students are grade-level proficient and our student's lag other country's students. That doesn't make my logic flawed, that means our schools are undereducating our kids. If you're unhappy with that, change it - don't complain to me.
No, it's not as simple as that. You're the one that's coming in here telling us teachers that our students are failing by NAEP's standards (for the record, I don't know who they are and I don't care). However, you can't provide any solution nor can you identify an actual problem. Just because you're running out of useless banter doesn't mean you should deflect the arguement by accusing me of complaining. If anything I said sounded like complaining, I was pointing out the reality of teaching. If you don't get that then you should be listening rather than debating.
Informed Consent, quite frankly I'm offended by your accusations. I've already proven that I can take a properly prepared group of students, teach them as I normally would and get satisfactory results.
What accusations? Is it not true that less than half of our country's students are grade level proficient? Do you really believe that it's true that less than half of our country's children are capable of achieving at grade level? I don't. It seems to be pretty clear that schools are undereducating students, nationwide.
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Yet you seem to think that we can "just teach the subject" to more challenging groups of students and get better results? Well, I've tried it, and I get better results if I focus on some test taking skills. If you want to call that "teaching to the test", call a spade a spade.
It's teachers who complain about teaching to the test. That complaint shows up frequently on this forum. If teachers thought teaching to the test works so well, why do we see so many complaints about it?
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But I challenge you to enter a classroom. apply your theories to a all-too-typical group of apathetic teenagers, and get the results you seem to think are so obvious.
I've been in the classroom. The problem of undereducating students begins long before they're teenagers - it starts right off the bat in K-6. By the time you get them, many have already tuned out; they've learned how repetitive and mind-numbingly dull school is and they've already checked out. Not your fault, but don't you think we as a country should do something about that? Why is it okay to keep undereducating students from day one?
No, it's not as simple as that. You're the one that's coming in here telling us teachers that our students are failing by NAEP's standards (for the record, I don't know who they are and I don't care).
Anyone else see a problem with the bolded quote above? This is your profession - how can you not know and not care?
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However, you can't provide any solution nor can you identify an actual problem.
It would have helped if you had bothered to read the article I linked. It explains quite clearly what the problem is - low state standards and academically weak curriculum. And I believe I did suggest a solution - match the curriculum to each student's ability/skill level, not their age/grade level. Group students by vertical articulation, not age/grade lock-step. That way, ALL students progress from where they are. Some will still struggle, but that will no longer hold the rest back.
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Just because you're running out of useless banter doesn't mean you should deflect the arguement by accusing me of complaining. If anything I said sounded like complaining, I was pointing out the reality of teaching. If you don't get that then you should be listening rather than debating.
You just think my 'banter' is 'useless' because you don't like the fact that I have reported the truth that most people already know - our country's schools are undereducating the majority of our students.
More info for you...
"While students in the bottom quartile have shown slow but steady improvement since the 1960s, average test scores have nonetheless gone down, primarily because of the performance of those in the top quartile. This "highest cohort of achievers," Rudman writes, has shown "the greatest declines across a variety of subjects as well as across age-level groups." Analysts have also found "a substantial drop among those children in the middle range of achievement," he continues, "but less loss and some modest gains at the lower levels." In other words, our brightest youngsters, those most likely to be headed for selective colleges, have suffered the most dramatic setbacks over the past two decades--a fact with grave implications for our ability to compete with other nations in the future."
There's much more - it's lengthy, but worth the read:
The Other Crisis in American Education - 91.11 (http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/educatio/singalf.htm - broken link)
This no child left behind is a joke. I personally know many parents that want their children to repeat a grade ; one was suspended for most of the year and the principal said ; no, we must pass him on but he will get help. The other parent has two children who definately need to repeat ; not reading in 4th and 5th level ; again, no child can be left behind, but these children are only receiving speech and no reading at all!!
What will happen in future generations is that we will have generation of dummies ; these children who may have succeeded if they were given the chance to repeat a grade are being forced thru the system without learning.
I honestly fear for my childrens generation. Luckily my kids are ok so far. They know that education is stressed at home and nothing less than a B is good enough ; they are more than capable.
d
Interestingly, in my hometown (an "urban" district near NY City) they are "rebelling" from this and telling parents they started last year to aggressively have kids be "left back" and will continue to do so if they deem it necessary. Should be interesting to see how it all plays out, maybe they're gambling that Obama will water down NCLB sometime before his first term ends (from what I know of him and Duncan's views on education, I doubt they'll completely get rid of it).
With all of the problems with the No Child Left Behind legislation, the fact that our government wants to raise the bar so high for our precious future generation, so that , in our democracy, we can truly and honestly say that we are a nation of people who wants ALL students to achieve is a goal not realistically achievable. But with that said, it's the belief that at least we are aiming that high to hopefully get All of our students there.
With all of the new demands on teachers because of the No Child Left Behind legislation, teachers are overwhelmed, and feel like what the government is demanding of us is insane and impossible to accomplish. If we admit that we can't reach every child, then what are we truly saying as a nation? Are we admitting defeat when we reach only a minority of students while the rest of our students have to fend for themselves, thus losing our competitive edge and threatening our future and progress as a country?
There seems to be a solution to the problem of not reaching ALL students. PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES or PLCS have surfaced. These PLCS are not a new strategy or method for teaching, but it's a common sense approach where teachers work collaboratively together to DO WHAT EVER IT TAKES to help ALL students achieve and learn to their potential. In a nut shell PLCs involve teachers who meet weekly during the school day, decide what are essential standards that students on their grade level MUST know in order to be successful in the next grade level, create common assessments to see how their students are learning the content, and figuring out ways to intervene or help students who are still not learning the content. In other words, no child falls between the cracks.
We must not allow our selves to be defeated. But the way the No Child Legislation is written, we raise the bar so high that it becomes impossible to win. You get what I am saying?
NCLB does a lot of things, but while it raises the graduation rate bar high, it does not raise the performance bar at all. nor in a meaningful way.
Let's say that 15 out of my 22 students need to be refreshed on test taking strategies. How would you propose I differentiate instruction? How can I do two things at once?
If the only thing your students were to learn were the test taking strategy, then you might be right.
But it isn't.
Presumably, your students have other tasks ahead of them, some of which are not merely accelerated parts of the current year's curriculum.
So, the way you would "do two things at once" would be to assign something different to the 7 who have mastered the test taking skills.
And it really isn't that difficult to differentiate at that level. Yes, it takes a lot more effort to differentiate to a high degree, though the return is worth it.
Anyone else see a problem with the bolded quote above? This is your profession - how can you not know and not care?
It would have helped if you had bothered to read the article I linked. It explains quite clearly what the problem is - low state standards and academically weak curriculum. And I believe I did suggest a solution - match the curriculum to each student's ability/skill level, not their age/grade level. Group students by vertical articulation, not age/grade lock-step. That way, ALL students progress from where they are. Some will still struggle, but that will no longer hold the rest back.
You just think my 'banter' is 'useless' because you don't like the fact that I have reported the truth that most people already know - our country's schools are undereducating the majority of our students.
More info for you...
"While students in the bottom quartile have shown slow but steady improvement since the 1960s, average test scores have nonetheless gone down, primarily because of the performance of those in the top quartile. This "highest cohort of achievers," Rudman writes, has shown "the greatest declines across a variety of subjects as well as across age-level groups." Analysts have also found "a substantial drop among those children in the middle range of achievement," he continues, "but less loss and some modest gains at the lower levels." In other words, our brightest youngsters, those most likely to be headed for selective colleges, have suffered the most dramatic setbacks over the past two decades--a fact with grave implications for our ability to compete with other nations in the future."
There's much more - it's lengthy, but worth the read:
The Other Crisis in American Education - 91.11 (http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/educatio/singalf.htm - broken link)
I feel like I'm talking to a wall.
The only part I'll respond to is how you took a shot at how I don't care about my profession. It's fine that you did because I took a few shots at your credibility, so I'm not expecting you to just roll over. However, you misinterpreted a few things. Teaching is my profession. While testing and assessments are a part of my profession, there are a lot of things in my profession that are not covered in how well a student does on a test. Also, there are a lot of variables that go into the test that I can't control. Again, if you don't realize that then you should be listening rather than preaching (I know, I took another shot... oh well). That said, I've never heard of NAEP. They are not a part of my life, and I don't care what they have to say. There are three kinds of tests I care about. State testing, unit assessments, and quizes that I give my students.
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