No Child Left Behind...

[Amboc87]

What are your thought about the No Child Left Behind Act? Is this the best thing for schools today?

[Play to Learn]

As a parent of a child with disabilities it bothers me. I see the good and bad parts of it. My son can work as hard as he can and be in the 95 percentile in math, but still struggle in reading. Because of this they want to hold him back. I understand he needs more help in reading but what about all the other areas he is excelling in? To me they (school) will be holding him back. He has trouble with reading because of his disability (auditory processing disorder, & Apraxia). It just baffels me how they can and will hold him back because of a disability in reading. He has had speech trouble his whole life and has improved so much. It would be different if he was not such a hard worker, but he works to his best ability. I just think it is a really slap to him that they would not promote him. How do we expect him to continue to have a good out look on school if all you do is try your best and you keep failing? In FL we have the FCAT and I think it is unfair to those who have disabilities to judge them on just the FCAT. If you dont pass the reading and math, they hold you back.

[scrivener]

Play to Learn brings up a very good point. I teach at a private school that specializes in students with dyslexia and other language-based learning differences, and it's crazy to expect these students to meet so-called national standards in areas related to literacy. Yes, as a nation, we want our students to be able to read and write, and schools should do their best to make sure this happens, but to discount a student's strengths because of one or two weaknesses does nobody any good at all. Play to Learn's son proves that difficulty in reading does not mean difficulty across the board. I had a student taking calculus in tenth grade who could not read at a seventh-grade level; to tell this student that he's failing is only unproductive.

What is productive is to figure out where a student is, and to set developmentally appropriate goals for that student.

On the other hand, one thing this whole NCLB thing is doing is forcing schools to take a look at students' needs. A student who keeps coming up short on proficiency measurements is going to have to be dealt with in some way; in the past, it might have been easy to let the kid slip through the cracks, but now it's going to be much harder to let that happen. Perhaps more students who have undiagnosed learning disabilities will get their diagnoses and perhaps the specialized teaching they need. Perhaps others who just need a little bit of catching up will now get the attention they need.

It's too early to make a call on this; I believe good things will come out of it, but it needs to be tweaked. For the record, I am strongly opposed to national content standards of any kind -- education is not about a list of things you know how to do or a list of facts you know how to recite. It is about the development of young people into citizens who will contribute positively to society AND who will live lives abundantly.

[kmw1123]

In theory, I think that NCLB sounds like a brilliant idea. In practice, however, I think that some parts need to be changed. I believe that every child has the ability to learn and succeed. I dont believe that children who are at very different levels should be in the same classroom. I teach 7th grade social studies and our classes are heterogeniously mixed. In one class, I have several students who read at a primer or first grade level. They are mixed with students who can read at 11th and 12th grade levels. I am a new teacher and I have tried many different things to make sure that all the students are learning, but I am finding that either my upper level kids get bored or my lower level kids get lost. I have tried pairing the higher and lower level kids together, but that also was not successful. Because social studies is not listed as an area of need in Individual Education Plans (only reading and math are) I do not receive daily special education assistance. Apparently there is not enought money to provide daily assistance for the students who need it. I try to be everywhere at once to help everyone in my classroom, but I am only one person. I would just like to see the classes go back to being level-based so that I am able to work at a consistant speed to meet the needs of all my students.

[mrharper]

While I'm sure the NCLB Act was formulated with the best of intentions, I believe it's largely symptomatic of a society which places too much emphasis on standardization. Yes, there are certain core facts and core literacy that everyone should know; but whatever happened to the (true, I think) theory of multiple intelligences? How do you test articulation? How do you test critical reasoning skills? How do you objectively test writing skills? (And don't tell me the new SAT contains a writing test, because that SAT section is pathetically inadequate.) Because of NCLB, and the thinking that catalyzed the act, we'll have more and more kids who are good at taking tests, but not as good at independent thinking and problem solving.

[Megansmom]

I think the idea of No Child Left Behind is good, but it wasn't well thought out. Teachers now have all these responsibilities beyond what needs to be done in classroom. I hardly have time to plan for my students because I am so busy doing paperwork and analyzing data and monitoring school action plans. Anyone else feel the same way?

[AAA Teacher Forum]

Megansmom,
Do you feel that the data you are analyzing is helping you better meet the needs of your students? Hearing your frustrations, I would be interested in hearing what you believe are the positives aspects of the NCLB?

Jennifer

[Diane]

I believe NCLB has called us teachers to a higher calling, so to speak. It has required us to literally try to reach every child thru some media or strategy. No longer can veteran teachers coast per se along until retirement. It is a great accountability checker!

[javamomma]

I think NCLB has some good qualities, but it really does not help our special education students. Also, the NCLB law has many many holes in the whole process.... Such as in Arkansas when we test we are timed on all sections even the writing, and other states are not timed.. SO you are comparing my students rough drafts against other students final copies.

[AAA Teacher Forum]

I think NCLB has some good qualities, but it really does not help our special education students. Also, the NCLB law has many many holes in the whole process.... Such as in Arkansas when we test we are timed on all sections even the writing, and other states are not timed.. SO you are comparing my students rough drafts against other students final copies.

I have a question about your timed test. Here in Colorado we also time all sections of the test...including writing. We have 3 sections of timed writing:
Day 1: Planning/rough draft
Day 2: Editing task and create final copy
Day 3: Smaller prompt writing and grammar/misc. tasks.

Do you just have one large writing time? Are you able to teach students how to divide that writing time into the different stages of the writing process?

Personally, I don't think it's fair to compare states to each other. Unless we are all using the exact same test, and ultimately are expecting the exact same things from our students, it doesn't seem fair for anyone. In my school district, we have our own "district standards." In some cases, they do expect different things than the "state standards."

Happy Thanksgiving!
Jennifer

[javamomma]

The writing section is 45 minutes long. All in one.
It is very very difficult for 3rd grade students. They either dont plan and just start writing or spend all of their time in the planning. Very very frustrating.

[AAA Teacher Forum]

The writing section is 45 minutes long. All in one.
It is very very difficult for 3rd grade students. They either dont plan and just start writing or spend all of their time in the planning. Very very frustrating.

WOW!! I would be frustrated as well. Each one of our sections is about an hour long...so they end up with an hour to plan and complete their rough draft and another hour to edit, revise, and recopy their final draft. Our students even have a separate draft booklet from which they copy their final story into their test booklet. 45 minutes is hardly time to do anything!

Jennifer

[javamomma]

That is why it is so hard to compare state scores.
For our children to be proficient or advanced is not the same as other states. They are not doing the same things on the "test"

[bernie]

I am very much opposed to NCLB. While in theory it has some good ideas, I do agree that it relies too much on standardization. Each state does its own thing and this tries to impose a federal standard. My biggest complaint is that it requires compliance without any support - it seems punitive and not supportive of students and teachers in public education.

In fact, I encourage you to go to a website called A Petition Calling for the Dismantling of the No Child Left Behind Act at http://www.petitiononline.com/1teacher/petition.html

Read the information yourself, even if you decide not to sign the petition.

[24HourEducation]

Interesting, Bernie ... thanks for the link. :)

[RichBurzynski]

just signed the petition myself. I am a child of the 80's and 90's. I have been teaching since 1996 and feel that each year we are required to teach to a standardized test. This is ridiculous. I feel that a teacher should not be forced to teach to, and a student should not be forced to learn to, a standardized test. There has to be a better way. What if a great student is just a poor test taker. I was! But that being said I worked hard and did well for myself. Kids nowadays are not looking to learn about what is on a state or federal test. Most subjects are boring to them to begin with. (sorry for the soap box rant)

Anyways...
However, I do agree with the highly qualified teacher aspect of NCLB. I think in the long run this will generate a better learning scenario for students as a whole.
Rich

[javamomma]

But do you think the whole NCLB is really working? Do you think that all students will ever be educated with the same quality education? I know we have some small poor districts in our state that I wonder how they can ever get students to be up to par.

[iteachalso]

Horrible legislation. I doubt it will be around much longer in its current form....

[RichBurzynski]

Sharon ,
I work for a poorer urban district. It was where I went to school and grew up. I do not think the current form of NCLB is going to work, and it can not work the way it is set up. It values too much on standardized testing as a whole and does not fairly evaluate all scenarios.

The idea behind NCLB is good, but lots of work needs to be done.

[javamomma]

And so do you think you have the same resources to get your students proficient as my more affluent district? Do you feel it is unfair?

Also what about teacher incentive for students that achieve high scores?

[RichBurzynski]

And so do you think you have the same resources to get your students proficient as my more affluent district? Do you feel it is unfair?

Also what about teacher incentive for students that achieve high scores?

Sharon,
Me personally? I do not think that the poorer districts have the resources. Every year we hear the same thing, your budget is going to get cut your budget is going to get cut.. Reality is if you cut the budget any more not much will get done period. It is tough getting teachers in there now, and with no budget it will be that much worse.

Example I am the head of my department after a mere ten years teaching. In my ten years I have seen on average 30+ teachers leave from my building alone each year (we have a building of 1500 students 5th-8th grade and over 120 teachers) So to answer your question no I don't think the resources are there.

As for teacher incentives... this may come off as snotty but I don't mean it to be... paychecks are supposed to be incentive for us to teach the best we can. We really need to get parental involvement and find ways to get the students motivated in my opinion.

Anyways what are your feelings if I may ask?

[javamomma]

I personally think that it is totally unfair to smaller districts, and poorer districts. My district will purchase/pay anything to get students proficient. They have the resources to hire the better teachers.
However, my sister is a speech language path in a neighboring district where she cannot even get the basics needed for her kids. THis is their 6th year in school improvement. They see the turnover as you mentioned.

Teacher incentive is not fair and only encourages cheating (by teachers). There are years I have reallly sharp students and years I have to work my rear off with a group to even get them to grade level. I have years where my percentage of of special education is higher (In Arkansas they get tested and counted right along with regular ed.) Some years I have a really stable class, other years I have a highly transit class.
My test scores do not reflect how well I teach but the make up of my class for that year only. Why should I be punished or rewarded for their scores?

[RichBurzynski]

Sharon, I could not have said it any better. :)

I agree that poorer districts can't compete... I have one class win 7th grade where the average reading level is 3rd grade. If I get them to 5th or 6th grade level by the end of the year, that is not recognized. Why? Because they are still 2-3 years below grade level when they passed me.. I 100% agree with you that teachers should not be rewarded or punished for students who do poorly.

[Helper]

NCLB is a very generic branding and takes no consideration of all situations. Don't get me wrong, it would be nice to allow these guidelines however; the mixing of special needs with the special need of a pace/gifted & talented child can not always match the situation.

GT students that are in the situation of a special needs student within their class can suffer just as much as the special needs student. Parental involvment is a must by both sets of students to achieve maximum success.

[MzTeech]

We have writing portions that are timed but there is no writng process involved because the only copy IS the FINAL COPY...errrors and all!!! Very unfair!

[anyalee]

I don't think it makes sense to time the students. It just stresses them out. However the way we test in Wyoming is silly, too. They are not timed, but it is up to the teacher to decide when to give the test. If they take the test during the last period of the day- there is pretty much no chance they are trying their hardest if they have to stay after school to finish. Some students have told me they are not trying very hard, because it is too boring to take the tests. They have no reason to try their best- there is no incentive for them besides their parents seeing their percentiles in 4 months.

[anyalee]

I actually don't know how important the "highly qualified" teacher is. I an "highly qualified" to teach social studies- but have only had 2 college classes in Geography and am now teaching Geography to 7th graders. Regardless of how many classes you have had in college, you still have to relearn everything as you teach it to your students the first time. In addition, many of the college students I took to get highly qualified had very little if any value. Perhaps having to jump through hoops keeps only the most committed, but it also scares off some who would have been great teachers.

[javamomma]

The whole Highly Qualified thing is also a joke here. Things they would count (college hours) and other up to date inservices and training couldnt because I did not have proof.
So it wound up being a paper game, not a true sense of who is qualified and who is not.

[LinzMo]

I teach in FL and we now have an "incentive program" called STAR which means Special Teachers Are Recognized. This program is based on FCAT (state test) scores, which in turn was created because of NCLB. I am a highly qualified teacher who happens to have a homogeneous class of struggling students. I am going to be judged on FCAT scores to determine if I am a "special" teacher. I will then get a bonus check. Is this really the best way to determine if the children have been taught, as well as holding teachers accountable? There has to be a better way!

[javamomma]

NO I hate the idea of incentive pay. I think it will only lead to cheating by teachers and students (just like punishing teachers that dont perform).
I have had years that I have worked my tail off to help kids and made great gains, but that does not mean they will pass the test. And what about the kid that just does not care?

[AAA Teacher Forum]

I know what you're saying Sharon...I always see grade level trends. With building, region, district, & state goals...there are some grade levels, that based just on the % of students staffed in special education, will never reach these specific goals.

My district offers an "Outstanding Educator" program, but it has nothing to do with student performance. You have to build a portfolio based on what you have done in your classroom to address standards. In one of the portfolio options, you also give a parent survey. You end up with about $1200 after taxes! This type of program seems much more fair.

Jennifer

[iteachsocialstudies]

My school does this incentive pay, too. I teach a group of students who are testing in my subject area, but I'm working my butt off to help them with the reading and writing,as well as teaching ss. I won't get a bonus, though, because they aren't taking the ss subject test this year.
sucks for me.

[javamomma]

I think that this trend will continue until we get someone elected that has a special needs/special education child and understands this problem. They will know that in real life all students will not be proficient.

[barnyard2]

I just read an article in the La times about how the Democrats are going to shape some changes in the original law. One of the things they are going to do is attempt to remove the "fear" factor from the law by not being punitive when a school or district is not measuring up. When a law is punitive towards the very people who are busting their buns to match up (students, teachers, and admins.), something is terribly wrong. Most teachers I know work very hard. Some don't. Just like in the real world. The law is in need of desperate tweeking. The good news is that lawmakers seem to get this. I am looking forward to seeing how this plays out but one thing is for sure; its time to quit blaming and punishing the very people who are trying hard to push forward. Most successful organizations do not use threats, punishments, and penalties (withdrawal of funding) to advance their cause and create an esprit de corps of encouragement and progress.

[anyalee]

Our school has inventive pay if you pass the National Board Cert Test, but is not very much. I hear the test is VERY difficult. Has anyone taken it?

[iteachsocialstudies]

Have you guys read the book Freakanomics? I am listening to it right now, and it's great. It talks about how these tests and incentive pay prompts teachers to cheat, etc. It's an interesting perspective on all of this.

[aelliott]

Soooo! How about Bush's State of the Union Address when he started talking about the NCLBA:

"Spreading opportunity and hope in America also requires public schools that give children the knowledge and character they need in life. Five years ago, we rose above partisan differences to pass the No Child Left Behind Act, preserving local control, raising standards, and holding those schools accountable for results. And because we acted, students are performing better in reading and math, and minority students are closing the achievement gap.

Now the task is to build on the success, without watering down standards, without taking control from local communities, and without backsliding and calling it reform. We can lift student achievement even higher by giving local leaders flexibility to turn around failing schools, and by giving families with children stuck in failing schools the right to choose someplace better. (Applause.) We must increase funds for students who struggle -- and make sure these children get the special help they need. (Applause.) And we can make sure our children are prepared for the jobs of the future and our country is more competitive by strengthening math and science skills. The No Child Left Behind Act has worked for America's children -- and I ask Congress to reauthorize this good law. (Applause.)"

[sara52345]

It's a good starting point for our schools, but we have to remember that we're NOT all the same and no test can ever mold us be that way.... some people are better at academics some aren't.... what if we were all forced to put together a car in order to drive? or to hit a 500 ft. home run to attend a ball game? yes, all students should know basics, but I do not see this test as "basic" in my mind.

[24HourEducation]

It seems as though every school system I have had the chance to know or put one of my kids in always has at least one teacher that sucks because they have been there forever and have tenure. They are often known to just turn the kids through becasue they've stopped really caring and want to cruise. Ticks me off.

[javamomma]

It seems as though every school system I have had the chance to know or put one of my kids in always has at least one teacher that sucks because they have been there forever and have tenure. They are often known to just turn the kids through becasue they've stopped really caring and want to cruise. Ticks me off.

Do you really think the NCLB is really going to change these teachers? Do you think that the Highly Qualified Teacher program will help these teachers? I don't think so. In the meantime the rest of the teachers/students suffer.

[bcasbcjs]

The only thing that the NCLB will do is test students to death...These testing should only be used as a tool, NOT an end all solution to why most students are not passing core subjects. Have scores truely gone up that much?...by taking these tests, are students really prepared for college? What about those students who have test anxiety? what kind of tourture have we put them through when it is drug out for four days...what about those students who are ADHD or ADD? Does this test take into account their needs? No! It puts students who are very learning disabled into classes were they are set up to fail and cause other students learning to suffer because of distractions from that student. TIME that is so important to teachers is taken away from teaching subjects to teaching students how to take these standardized tests. I mean, have you really thought about it? Everything that we as teachers have been taught is being compromised. More and more teachers are teaching the to test to save their jobs, not showing students how to be a life long learner..I am NOT for the NCLB.

[SLP]

Are children who are home schooled required to take the standardized state tests?

[javamomma]

I am not sure. I think that they should be! Hold parents accoutable to their teaching just as teachers are held accountable.

[achowalogen]

Hey, thats the fact. It "worked" in Texas (no one bothered to tell the former governor as he promoted it for the nation, but they had lowered their test standards to prove that they were succeeding, if I recall correctly). Made everything look like "If you measure it, they'll do better"

Similar problems developed in Illinois -- the governor there read that students with books in the home do better in school, so he was going to give everyone books. What a schmuck. Oh, by the way, another state that, when the youth couldn't make the standards, reduced the test difficulty. And allowed SPED to be alternatively evaluated. And got a separate test for non-native english speakers. Let me know when they finally come up with a way for people of czech descent four or five generations removed who already think that education is important to take a separate special test more aligned with their abilities.

Not that I'm complaining TOO much, I have a Fragile X son who will never get much beyond community words and handling some money himself yet his JHS passes in Illinois after taking advantage of all of that.

Tell me the district in the country that wasn't already doing this with Iowa testing or something similar?

Tell me the country where the old district evaluation wasn't better, since it allowed you to compare your child's work this year against the nation AND against the state AND against his/her own work from the year before.

Only if they were to track results child by child, year after year, would they ever prove to me that this whole mess is worth all the hassle.

[ccarlton]

I think NCLB has good intentions but it was not thought through completely. I completely believe that teachers should be accountable and that students should expect high achievement of themselves. Here's my main problem with NCLB. As a teacher who works in Arizona schools we work with students who come to us that are significantly below grade level for a variety of reasons. We work with students who speak little to no English and are just thrown into a classroom, and expected to achieve the same result as others. On the average, it takes seven years for a child to become fluent in another language. So NCLB is not considering the language barriers that children might have. Then there are students with learning disabilities who have little to no control over this and are being asked to achieve the same as others. Students should be expected to achieve or meet high expectations, but NCLB completely overlooks some very important factors that impact student achievement.

[SuzyQII]

As almost everyone said, NCLB began with a great idea, but it did not take everything into account. Students are not a one size fits all population. I heard one great analogy. Take a person who has no legs, but can use a wheelchair perfectly. Then tell that person that in order for them to graduate, they have to walk around the track. The big buzz word for a while now is differentiate, yet NCLB does not take this into account anywhere.

[bcasbcjs]

Here here! I agree!~

[BeyondB]

My sons are special education students and this new law hurts them the most,,, they are not getting the help they need or their IEPs were not being followed and that was the main reason behind pulling them from school and homeschooling them:(

[reowen51]

I found this on another educators site sometime back and thought it was fascinating.

NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND:

The Football Version

1. ALL teams must make the state playoffs and MUST win the championship. If a team does not win the championship, they will be on probation until they are the champions and coaches will be held accountable. If after two years they have not won the championship, their footballs and all equipment (funding) will be taken away UNTIL they do win the championship.

2. ALL kids will be expected to have the same football skills at the same time even if they do not have the same conditions or opportunities to practice on their own. NO exceptions will be made for lack of interest in football, lack of desire to perform athletically, or genetic abilities or disabilities of themselves or their parents. ALL KIDS WILL PLAY FOOTBALL AT A PROFICIENT LEVEL!

3. Talented players will be asked to workout on their own, without instruction. This is because the coaches will be using all their instructional time with the athletes who aren't interested in football, have limited athletic ability, or who's parents don't like football.

4. Games will be played year round, but statistics will only be kept in the 4th, 8th, and 11th game.

5. This will create a New Age of Sports where every school is expected to have the same level of talent and all teams will reach the same minimum goals. If no child gets ahead, then no one is left behind.

6. If parents do not like this new law, they are encouraged to vote for vouchers and support private schools that can screen out the non-athletes and prevent their children from having to go to school with bad football players.

NEW ADDITION: (provided by "anthony" in another forum)

7. Although marching band is considered an important part of football, since the band itself does not play for the championship, rehearsals will be cancelled in favor of remedial football practices.

Then I asked myself the question, "What would a standardized test designed by an educator, like me, look like?" I came up with this little gem. I hope it makes as much sense to you as it does me.

Here's my version of that test! Please note that it is not to be given but one time let's say at the end of a students senior year. Answers may be type written, written in longhand or oral at the students discretion.

THE MOST IMPORTANT TEST OF YOUR LIFE

1) Who are you?

2) Where did you come from?

3) What goals do you currently have?

4) What is your plan to achieve those goals?

5) What role will other people play in helping you to achieve your goals?

6) To what extent will you go to help others to achieve their own numerous and varried goals?

7) Describe the level of commitment you will bring to your goals?
Include time, energy and finances in your description.

8)How will you adapt if your plan falls apart?

9) How will you know when you have failed?

10) How will you know when you have succeeded and what will you do then?

11) What will you be willing to change to be successful?

12) What legacy will you leave behind when your life ends? How would you have the world remember that you passed this way?


NOW, WHEN WE CAN COLLECTIVELY SAY THAT "WE THE TEACHERS" HAVE DONE THIS FOR OUR STUDENTS THEN "WE THE TEACHERS" WILL HAVE LEFT OUR OWN LEGACY.

Please feel free to add on to this document and let's see where this goes!

Success is a Decision
Bob Owen

[EricDNA]

I think it would help if there was funding for all the facets of the nclb acts. I have read the document and find our district is in violation of several sections but no one does anything about this. Child are being left behind because the whole program is not being executed and that's sad. I now call it the North Carolina League Baseball . Teachers are being left behind too! If we are all working for the children, how can any ever be left behind. I hope this changes and funding is provided by the government. Dream on ;-(

[EricDNA]

What is really sad about the testing is that we as teachers are told to teach to the different learning styles of our students. Then comes along the testing, which does not consider students being different, so they are all given the same test! One shoe will never fit everyone. The educational system needs changing and so does assessments. The kids all have strengths and abilities. Too bad the tests do not really test for growth or improvement. After 30 years in education, I feel sorry for the students. They need life skills where I teach more than knowing the life cycle of a frog. The current educational system is not meant for everyone. I hope things change in this 21st century for the sake of my future and my students. Eric

[mindykay]

What are your thought about the No Child Left Behind Act? Is this the best thing for schools today?

Today the NO Child left Behind Act is the best thing. It's like a reward to the child to really succeed at the next grade.
MindyKay

[landreth2007]

I have students who do not qualify for special services because they are "working up to their potential". These are the same students that struggle every day academically but I can't modify assignments for them legally. Tell me that they aren't being left behind.

[mopar]

But you can modify assignments. Many schools are pushing to an RTI model where all staff can provide services to any student. Special education teachers can pull struggling regular education students. And regular education teachers can provide minutes to special education students.
You can make any accommodations that you feel comfortable making for any student. Just keep in mind that you can change the format of how they respond or show their knowledge but they are still responsible to learn the knowledge. You can change how you deliver the knowledge but they must meet the state benchmarks/goals.

[teach1027]

I think that parts of it are good, like the highly qualified part, and the goal to have all studentds on grade level, but it needs some major adjustments. AFT is trying to get legislators to review and change it, which is a good idea. Teachers and parents alike need to contact their congressperson and voice their opinions on this issue. The time for change is now, NCLB needs to be overhauled, and we have the power to do it if we unite.

[javamomma]

I have a question about your timed test. Here in Colorado we also time all sections of the test...including writing. We have 3 sections of timed writing:
Day 1: Planning/rough draft
Day 2: Editing task and create final copy
Day 3: Smaller prompt writing and grammar/misc. tasks.


This is all done in a 45 minute process, start to finish. :(

[gsslmt2]

I am an elementary teacher in CA and we are having a very difficult time with NCLB. Most of our students are English Language Learners. The district I am in is 80+% Hispanic, many of them straight from Mexico. What is happening here is that we are not able to treat each child as an individual and teachers are treated as clones. I don't know how much of this is due to NCLB or how much is due to the state of CA trying to deal with this influx of immigrants we are facing. Many of our students are illegal immigrants and we are not able to do anything about that. It is a huge problem and we are all very frustrated. I signed the petition and will pass it on to my colleagues. Thanks Bernie. I am glad to hear that it is working for some people. I think the problem is, as someone else posted is that each state has their own state standards and some districts have power standards. This is my tenth year of teaching and the difference from when I began teaching now is like night and day. Ten years ago we were teaching the standards, but the way we were able to teach them was flexible. I don't know if it is just the District I am in or if teachers in other states are expected to do everything exactly the same as other teachers in their grade level. I loved Emergent Literacy, but that is not something most people out here do. They want us to do direct teaching, reciprocal teaching and SDAIE. I'm sad, frustrated and wondering if I need a career change.

[gsslmt2]

It sounds like Colorado really has it together with their testing setup for writing. Our students get one hour to do the whole thing and usually the pre-write they do is almost nil, the final copy ends up looking like a rough draft. Go Colorado!

[mopar]

javamomma what is your question about the timing? My state doesn't split up the processes and only gives the students 45 minutes to write.
Yes, it does end up looking like a rough draft and many students are sick of writing so they don't take the time to edit. But then I would think that all pieces would look like this, os its not really hurting my students.

[teacher5]

I couldn't agree with you more. I am in the same predicament. In one breath they cry differentiation and in the same breath they give us a schedule of lessons and tell us to be sure to stay on the schedule so you have covered every possible topic that may appear on the state test. When I asked about degree of mastery of a topic, I was told don't worry the kids with the IEPs will take it with the special ed teacher and be given their mods. The kids who receive some kind of academic intervention will take it in a small group and be refocused when necessary, and all the other kids will do just fine. As a colleague of mine remarked it should be called ECPA (Every child pushed ahead.)

[silvana]

In England we have the Every Child Matters agenda.....however, every child will never matter as long as we continue to focus on "high stakes" testing. All SATs and the like do is test a very small aspect of learning....but because we have to quantify the learning we have to teach the content of the test to show the powers that be that we are actually doing the job we get paid for......what a catch 22...If every child did matter we would give up narrow tests and move towards a more teacher assessed form of testing....