Reflections on NCLB – please help!

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NCLB Chatboard

Reflections on NCLB - please help!

by first

Oct 11, 2008

For my ethics course (masters work), I am working on a research paper on the classroom and curriculum effects of NCLB. I would LOVE and appreciate hearing from you regarding changes you have seen as a result of NCLB as well as your opinions - good and bad please

For example, but not limited to: how has curriculum and assessment changed? how has daily life/routines in the classroom/school changed? have you seen changes in student behaviors? how do parents respond to the demands placed on their kids?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts and help!

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doh One other BIG negative. Social Studies and Science do not fit into the NCLB equation which geared so heavily in math and english. The result? S.S. and Sci are not being taught in elementary schools, so students come to middle school with literarly no background knowledge in these subjects, we are losing our own history as a result. This is having a...See MoreOne other BIG negative. Social Studies and Science do not fit into the NCLB equation which geared so heavily in math and english. The result? S.S. and Sci are not being taught in elementary schools, so students come to middle school with literarly no background knowledge in these subjects, we are losing our own history as a result. This is having a HUGE ripple effect up through high school and college. Again, in GA if you look at the standards, students are not exposed to Ancient Egypt until 10th grade. There is NO WORLD HISTORY in GA until your 1 year course in high school. That is pitiful.

On 12/03/08, doh wrote: > On 10/11/08, first wrote: >> For my ethics course (masters work), I am working on a >> research paper on the classroom and curriculum effects of >> NCLB. I would LOVE and appreciate hearing from you >> regarding changes you have seen as a result of NCLB as well >> as your opinions - good and bad please >> >> For example, but not limited to: >> how has curriculum and assessment changed? >> how has daily life/routines in the classroom/school changed? >> have you seen changes in student behaviors? >> how do parents respond to the demands placed on their kids? >> >> Thanks in advance for your thoughts and help! >> > My problems with NCLB: > > 1. NCLB was enacted very very quickly, and told the states > that THEY had to come up with some type of statewide > standardized assessment in order to participate. The result, > you have a whole bunch of states that were forced into and > rushed into creating standards, and tests. Most of the tests > aren't good, most of the standards aren't good. Take GA. The > 7th grade social studies standards have been rewritten 3 times > in 4 years, the last standardized test had to be thrown out > since 80% of the students in the state failed it. > > 2. Each state interprets NCLB differently. In Texas, if you > are a special ed student, below poverty line, getting free > lunch, are half black and half latino and fail the test you > have failed in 6 different categories. In Ga, you would have > failed in 2 categories. How can that student who failed the > test hurt the school 6 times over? Whereas a white middle > class student who fails, only hurts a school in 1 category. > You are therefore making one child more important than > another. Why should I teach the white child? > > 3. The basic concept of 100% of children passing is absurd. > Drawn out to its final conclusion, ALL the public schools in > the country will eventually fail, because statistically > speaking at least 1 child in every school will fail. > > 4. Special ed. I teach 7th grade, I have a student on a first > grade reading level who can not spell his own name. He can't > fill out the basic test information by himself, how is he > going to pass? > > 5. The idea of punishing a school over and over and over > because they do poorly just hurts disadvantaged schools more. > > 6. There is already a teacher shortage in rural areas and math > and science. If you have to fire teachers because they can't > make AYP, who is going to replace them? > > The good side: > > 1. You should have a qualified teacher in every classroom if > you can find them.

Dec 3, 2008

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doh My last and biggest problem with NCLB is the attendance issue where a school has to have a certain percentage of students come to school.

1. YOu want safe schools, that is the goal of NCLB, however if a student gets suspended for 10 days for fighting those 10 days count against the school for AYP and NCLB. Cant have it both ways.

...See MoreMy last and biggest problem with NCLB is the attendance issue where a school has to have a certain percentage of students come to school.

1. YOu want safe schools, that is the goal of NCLB, however if a student gets suspended for 10 days for fighting those 10 days count against the school for AYP and NCLB. Cant have it both ways.

2. My district has a special discipline school for students. About 15 kids who live in our "attendance zone" go to that school. All their test scores and attendance records at that discipline school count against our school! Yep, that means that our school is being judged for AYP and NCLB with 15 kids who DONT EVEN GO TO OUR SCHOOL! We have no control over these 15 kids, yet they count on our records, explain that one.

3. Attendance. Ok, I can understand you dont want kids skipping school, yet how many kids do you know come to school still sick? What happens, they infect other kids and the teacher, subs are called in and the quality of education goes down. The Fed government through the Dept. of Health tells businesses that sick workers should stay home for usually a week or even 2 so productivity doesn't drop, yet you demand CHILDREN to come back to school the minute they "feel like they can get up and walk" Where is the logic in that? Also, what if a flu outbreak occurs in some states and a lot of people are out sick, how is that fair to compare those schools for AYP against other schools in the same state?

4. Migrant Attendance. I taught in Texas, and I remember that students would sometimes get picked up by parents go home to Mexico for months and then come back to school right before the testing. All those days they missed, count against AYP even though the parents took them OUT OF THE COUNTRY. How is that fair?

Man, it is one screwed up series of laws. > > On 12/03/08, doh wrote: >> On 10/11/08, first wrote: >>> For my ethics course (masters work), I am working on a >>> research paper on the classroom and curriculum effects of >>> NCLB. I would LOVE and appreciate hearing from you >>> regarding changes you have seen as a result of NCLB as well >>> as your opinions - good and bad please >>> >>> For example, but not limited to: >>> how has curriculum and assessment changed? >>> how has daily life/routines in the classroom/school changed? >>> have you seen changes in student behaviors? >>> how do parents respond to the demands placed on their kids? >>> >>> Thanks in advance for your thoughts and help! >>> >> My problems with NCLB: >> >> 1. NCLB was enacted very very quickly, and told the states >> that THEY had to come up with some type of statewide >> standardized assessment in order to participate. The result, >> you have a whole bunch of states that were forced into and >> rushed into creating standards, and tests. Most of the tests >> aren't good, most of the standards aren't good. Take GA. The >> 7th grade social studies standards have been rewritten 3 times >> in 4 years, the last standardized test had to be thrown out >> since 80% of the students in the state failed it. >> >> 2. Each state interprets NCLB differently. In Texas, if you >> are a special ed student, below poverty line, getting free >> lunch, are half black and half latino and fail the test you >> have failed in 6 different categories. In Ga, you would have >> failed in 2 categories. How can that student who failed the >> test hurt the school 6 times over? Whereas a white middle >> class student who fails, only hurts a school in 1 category. >> You are therefore making one child more important than >> another. Why should I teach the white child? >> >> 3. The basic concept of 100% of children passing is absurd. >> Drawn out to its final conclusion, ALL the public schools in >> the country will eventually fail, because statistically >> speaking at least 1 child in every school will fail. >> >> 4. Special ed. I teach 7th grade, I have a student on a first >> grade reading level who can not spell his own name. He can't >> fill out the basic test information by himself, how is he >> going to pass? >> >> 5. The idea of punishing a school over and over and over >> because they do poorly just hurts disadvantaged schools more. >> >> 6. There is already a teacher shortage in rural areas and math >> and science. If you have to fire teachers because they can't >> make AYP, who is going to replace them? >> >> The good side: >> >> 1. You should have a qualified teacher in every classroom if >> you can find them.

Dec 3, 2008

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Tessa- FL I agree with the attendance. NCLB was written for a typical school, they don't get what we non-typical schools deal with. Students who miss months due to migrants going back to Mexico, students who just moved from another state just in time for the test, etc. We also only suspend for 2 days max due to NCLB, and that is for the most severe acts, lik...See More

Dec 3, 2008

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lynne/ca On 12/03/08, doh wrote: > My last and biggest problem with NCLB is the attendance issue where > a school has to have a certain percentage of students come to > school. > 1. YOu want safe schools, that is the goal of NCLB, however if a > student gets suspended for 10 days for fighting those 10 days count > against the school for AY...See More

Dec 3, 2008

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Cheryl Ann Jones The attendance issue is huge. If I suspend a child for fighting, serious disrespect or bringing a weapon to school then I am placing the school in danger of not making AYP. If I don't suspend then I am not maintaining a safe environment. Thank you NCLB.

I want to know exactly how many congressmen send their kids to public schools that suf...See More

Jan 14, 2009

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