No Child Left Behind - leaving a bunch behind here.

[TNDemo]

This is an e-mail I got from our school board representative that she sent out to our district. I have heard that the NCLB was mandated on the federal level but then failed to provide the funding promised yet still requires states to implement the measures. I guess it is a way to help bankrupt public school systems. Why are the right wing so against a good public school system? I have never understood that.

*****

First the bad news: Many Metro schools will be put "on notice" for not meeting impossibly high benchmarks set by NCLB, (a new federal law -- No Child Left Behind). Metro schools administrators are warning Board members that we will be fortunate if only 40% of ALL Metro schools are placed "on notice" under NCLB guidelines.
Now the good news: Most of the schools put "on notice" will be, in fact, good schools. For example, all 12 high schools in Cobb County (Atlanta) were recently placed "on notice". Two were recently named by Newsweek as two of the top-performing high schools in the US. They made the list because they did not test 95% of their students. The same thing is happening in high-performing schools across the US.
Is something wrong with this picture? This top-down federal legislation is being described as a federal takeover of local schools. Cynics say it is an attempt to discredit public schools and fund a voucher program. Everyone supports accountability -- under standards that make sense.
Under NCLB, to avoid being placed "on notice", every school must test 95% of ALL students. Every school must show that ALL students are performing at grade level - including students who do not speak English and special education students with IQ's as low as 60. When a school is placed "on notice", all students will, at first, be allowed to transfer to other Metro school with transportation provided. Eventually, the school will be shut down and students left at the school will be allowed to attend "contract" schools - or, private schools that are not required to show any results. Currently 29 private schools in Nashville receive federal money and do not have to show results.
To review: All students with disabilities and students who just arrived from foreign countries must be assessed in English on the same grade level, academic content, and achievement as other students. This means that the entire school will have a rating that reflects scores from students who should not be tested on those skills. A special education teacher said that all her students will inevitably be classified as "below proficient" - even though they are showing gains and improvement.
Currently, Metro has slightly over 70,000 students. Last year, 1,800 new non-English speaking students entered Metro schools. Over one-third of our elementary schools exceed 5% of their student population with non-English speaking students. Several schools have 40-50% ELL student populations. These children can and will achieve but NCLB requires them to be tested in English before they have the chance to master basic English skills. Metro also has over 2,200 students in Lifeskills classes - students who are learning basic life skills and are not even taught the standard curriculum. But under NCLB, they must be tested on the standard curriculum.
No Child Left Behind is high-stakes testing that is unfair to good Metro schools - schools that will be branded as "failing" because they have high numbers of students who have not yet mastered English or high numbers of students with severe disabilities.
Bob ******, Hillwood High and Westmeade parent, says "I have high ideals and expectations too, and I see the successful advance of education in my community without NCLB. What comes to mind is that the legislators who crafted this program either have not or likely would not send their own children through it. It is a one-size-fits-all, top-down approach that does not support local efforts to succeed in the communities that have to handle their own unique situations with students, parents, teachers, and community leaders."
Be prepared: MANY good Metro schools will be placed "on notice." Please take the time to learn about the impact of NCLB - and then contact Senator Frist and Senator Alexander with your concerns. For Sen. Frist, call 352-9411`or complete the form at http://frist.senate.gov/contact.cfm. For Sen. Alexander, call 736-5129 or complete the form at http://alexander.senate.gov/contact/index.cfm. It's time for concerned citizens to be heard.

[starroute]

1. A lot of unhappiness is showing up as the school year starts

PBS had a piece last night about how frustrated Maine is with the law. They already have something like the 6th best school system in the nation, they can't afford the additional testing or see any reason why they would need it, and because they're so rural they have no viable way to bus children from one school district to another if certain schools were deemed to be failing. They may sue the federal government over this, and several other rural states might join them.

There have also been articles in my local Pennsylvania papers about how even successful schools are getting negative ratings because of minor downticks in things like attendance rates and how much pressure the teachers feel as a result:

More than half of the state's public schools were found to need improvement, according to the new report, which was met with controversy. Several school districts in the region, including Bethlehem and Quakertown, have successfully appealed negative rankings for some or all of their schools.

"I don't know how you can't feel the pressure," said Piacenti, whose school made it off the state's distressed list this year by increasing the number of fifth-graders proficient in math and reading by more than 15 percent. "You're working with a new set of kids every year and constantly trying to surpass yourself."

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 is part of the Bush administration's plan to improve education by holding schools and teachers accountable for student test scores. By 2014, 100 percent of students are expected to be competent at math and reading.

<snip>

"No Child Left Behind is the president's way of forcing privatization of the public schools," said Creveling as he paced the auditorium's aisles on Wednesday. "The law is set up for you to fail. It's impossible — impossible — to get 100 percent of students on a college-bound track."

http://www.mcall.com/news/local/all-a1_4teacherssep02.story

[Ilsa]

2. Another failed WA initiative.

"All students with disabilities and students who just arrived from foreign countries must be assessed in English on the same grade level, academic content, and achievement as other students. This means that the entire school will have a rating that reflects scores from students who should not be tested on those skills. A special education teacher said that all her students will inevitably be classified as "below proficient" - even though they are showing gains and improvement."

Oh shit. My oldest has autism (he's becoming verbal). It's gonna be just peachy when the school determines that he and others like him are "holding back" the school ratings, even though he is making tremendous gains.

But why should I expect anything different from the Repukes in charge? They hold mentally deficient twelve year olds responsible for capital murder in FL. Another 170,000 children in Texas will somehow have to manage to not get sick since they took away their healthcare. Next, they'll be putting the little ones to work to pay off their parents' debts after putting them in debtors' prison.

[City Lights]

3. Not enough money for books here in the Phoenix burbs.

Half the kids in my son's fourth-grade class weren't lucky enough to get a spelling workbook this year. The unlucky ones have to re-write the assignment in a spiral notebook before they can complete it. Some kids have the organizational skills to do this, but many do not. The assignment takes much longer to complete this way, so the kids that don't have a workbook must often finish the assignment at home.

Class size has also blossomed this year and almost all of the fourth-grade classes already have 30 kids.

I just finished writing my repuke state reps about the dismal situation in AZ's public schools. I told them that shrub's NCLB act was passed with great fanfare, and since that time, 14 kids in one classroom at my son's school are being left behind.

Next up, writing my federal reps - also all repuke. I'm going to ask them why they are putting Iraqis before Americans and why we can afford $1 billion a month for Iraq, but we can't afford $300 for workbooks for my son's class.

:mad: