'no child left behind" BS

[shanti]

just got this in my email - anyone heard of this? i was not aware of this little "provision".

This is the kinda stuff that makes ya wanna scream. The "Certificate of Completion or Attendance" that is being offered in lieu of high school diplomas, is a part of Bush's "No Child Left Behind".

This is how it works:

It is for students who are unable to pass both the Language Arts & Math portions of the 10th grade ISTEP. Students must take the same 10th grade test over in the 11th & 12th grades until they pass both portions. If they are unable to pass the 10th grade test by the 12th grade then they have two options:

1. Drop out and go to a GED program or,
2. Accept a "Certificate of Completion" - it is NOT a diploma. Once a student accepts it, they cannot ever get a diploma or a GED. A certificate of completion means that a student can never (as long as they live):
1. go to the armed services
2. go to college
3. go to trade school
4. go to journeyman's school
5. go to beauty school
6. go to culinary arts school
7. get a federal loan in their lifetime

This is the portion of NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND (2001) that Bush slipped in during the 2004 revision of the NCLB bill. It has not been publicized. At a high school in Indiana, in 2005, there were 87 seniors in the graduation class. Five got diplomas and 82 got "Certificates of Completion".

This is being referred to as the "Paper Plantation". It is better for students to drop out and get into a GED program so they seek other forms of education, later in life, if they desire to do so. All 50 states have "Certificates of Completion or Attendance".

Please pass this information along to EVERYONE you know who has school age children.

[Chuletas]

1. Indiana

It's for the state of Indiana, although most states have similar laws including my own. Kids should be able to pass this test, it's a minimum standard. In my state they are opportunities for appeal for children with cognitive disabilities and other issues if they have worked hard in school, attended and put forth some effort.

I would be more concerned about the education or lack thereof, many of our kids are getting,than the test that one case in Indiana is bizarre, in my state 95% of kids pass eventually.

[madaboutharry]

2. Never get a GED, ever?

That sounds nuts. This is going to get challenged in the courts. What a crock of shit. I have had it up to here with this No Child Left Behind thing. My kids go to a so called "Blue Ribbon School." Man, has the school milked this. I have already in numerous threads addressed my opinion of how this was achieved.

[eyesroll]

3. It's a legend:

http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl_certificate_of_completion.htm

It does not affect future eligibity for diploma or GED

Does being a recipient of a certificate of completion render a student ineligible to receive a diploma or GED at a later date?

No — although, again, the law varies from state to state, and there may be time limits or other constraints affecting a given student's continuing eligibility to receive a diploma or equivalent.

In Indiana, for example (home of the "ISTEP" test mentioned in the email), a student who has received a certificate of completion can still elect to return to high school and complete the requirements for a diploma (or enter a GED program) through age 21.

It is not a permanent obstacle to attending college, etc.

Does receiving a certificate of completion or attendance mean you can never, as long as you live, join the armed services, attend college or trade school, or get a federal loan?

No, that's complete rubbish.

Nearly all colleges and most trade schools do require a high school diploma or its equivalent for entrance, so anyone holding a certificate of completion will need to go back and complete the necessary academic requirements to get one before they can apply. The same is true, generally speaking, for military enlistment and receiving federal student aid. But there is no sense in which the mere fact of having received a certificate of completion or attendance permanently disqualifies one from pursuing any of these goals.

[madaboutharry]

4. Well, I am glad to here that.

It sounds so punitive and off the wall, I am happy to hear it is not true. I still think the NCLB is bullshit.

[shanti]

5. ok, thanks

i don't want to spread propaganda...

[liberal N proud]

6. Some schools are starting programs in 7th grade that set kids on

this path.
They want to take lower ranked students out of the mainstream and set them on a vocational path. It will bring their test scores up and they will look like they are passing the NCLB criteria.

[1monster]

8. I sub in a high school that was set up to give vocational training to

students who have a hard time with the FCATS. The school still works very hard to get the kids to pass the tests, but some never will. In the meantime, they are taking classes that will give them employable skills.

I am not against this at all. The students choose whether or not to attend this school, it is not mandatory. The students take classes along side with adults who are looking to expand their employable skills. When they finish high school, many of these students are certified nurses aids, chefs, cosmetologists, car mechanics, etc.

They can go on for more training or they can immediately get into the workforce if they so choose.

Most of these kids are not college bound anyway, so what is wrong with giving them the alternative of a trade?

[dysfunctional press]

7. obviously bullshit.

who comes up with this kind of crap?

and worse than that- who actually believes it?