NCLB (Shane, Daniel & Nadine)

As the three of us have completed our first year of teaching we all had very strong opinions about NCLB. We all agree that NCLB was desgined with the best intentions in mind, but the execution has fallen short.

Shane said: (whatshanethinks.blogspot.com)
It appears that the government passed a law knowing the amount of funds necessary to allow the Act to be effective. But since 2001 they have contributed very little to the necessary funds. Instead, the government found an excessive amount of money to fund a war. NCLB has been ridiculed by many in the education field because they are asked to abide by the Act, while the government does not. It is difficult to support NCLB because it is apparent the government does not feel it’s a priority. Utah has realized this flaw and requests that they receive full funding otherwise they will not implement NCLB. It seems that all states should follow suit and force the government to make a decision on funding.

As the Bush era comes to a close, we must find the candidate that realizes changes must be made. Once that individual is voted in, we must make sure that they follow through on their promises. Otherwise we will have at least four more years of children not receiving a proper education. Another four years of stringent testing and undue stress of making sure children pass their statewide assessment tests. A slogan we can use, is that from MTV, “Rock The Vote.”

Daniel said: (danielclu.blogspot.com)
Working in a district that failed to meet AYP for many years, I have seen first hand of what standardized testing has done to the school. Because success of testing determine funds given to the school, the entire school (administration, teachers, students) gear toward this test (NJASK) for the entire year. Administrators determine success of the teacher by the success that of the test. This leads to teachers being moved around constantly from grade to grade or subject to subject. I have heard of excellent teachers who move their children in literacy more than 2 grade levels in a year be seen as failures because not enough students pass the test. Therefore, they either are moved from their position or leave the school due to their frustrations with the school. The turnover rate for teachers in my own school is incredibly high. Who can blame them? The first half of the year is stressful since we have to make sure that all aspects of the test are covered and after the test we are stressed to get back our results. Teachers are basically forced to teach to the test. For example, reading is now taught as reading a passage and completing a comprehension worksheet. The joy of teaching is stripped away due to these pressures. Students are then unmotivated to learn because of the bland nature of the classroom which result in more disruptive behaviors that the teacher has to endure. Taking reading as an example, the joy of reading a book is gone because all we focus on in class is comprehension. Students never develop a love for reading which in turn causes them to read less and less affecting their reading skills and lowering test scores. Teachers then push more comprehension worksheets to make up for their lack of skill and the cycle repeats again. The joy of teaching and learning is gone from school. Results are all that matter.

Nadine said: (blogofqueennadine.blogspot.com)
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