Monday, July 28, 2008

No child left behind?

There are so many aspects of NCLB that leave children behind... Questions I have:

  • Is the testing culturally relevant?- Honestly, have you looked at some of those passages. They aren't really accessible to kids who live in the inner city, much less new immigrants. 
  • What about other types of assessment?
  • Are we assessing kids on standards that will help them be successful in the 21st century?
  • So I found out today that the written legislation is over 1,000 pages long... so WHO REALLY READ IT BEFORE THEY VOTED ON IT? Bi-partisan, my ass.
I have been on a real roller coaster around NCLB- I've accepted it not-so-reluctantly as a survival technique. I mean, it ain't goin' away, so why fight it. And now, armed with the knowledge I've gained over the past few weeks, I wonder how to fight it... or get around it... or Machiavelli it?


1 comment:

Anonymous said...

As a former classroom teacher in a very transient community just outside of DC, I can tell you that NCLB was a lot of headaches for me, the teacher. VA's SOL's are used to judge my work as a teacher, and don't accurately, imho, measure the education those children are receiving.

Sadly, though, I don't know what the solution is. It really is a pickle...