nochildleftbehind serial bitch #1

[liberalitch]

It's me again from down here in the trenches fighting back W's new dark age in the classroom.

I have these "problems" with NCLB.... so for now let's call it "let every child kiss my behind" LECKB... for short

My first bitch is the tests....

Obviously all of you know that the heart of LECKB is student passage of these tests. Okay, let's take for example the World Geography test that is typically given to ninth graders, same test for every ninth grader in the state.... sounds fair right?
All kids must pass this test to get "verified credit" for world geography regardless of who they are and what difficulties they face.... autistic kids, kids with reading problems, blind kids, deaf kids, kids who do not speak english.
The law says it is our job to get these kids empowered enough to take this test..... that would be great if we had all of the training and staff we need to accomplish this.... but this takes money and as you know there is no money.
Then to add insult to injury.... we must test in early may.... a month and a half before school ends.... It is impossible to cover the material at an understandable pace and deal with individual student learning needs in the time allowed.

Tomorrow's bitch.... restart classes

[napi21]

1. Shrub started this in Tx. when I lived there.

Everyone was complaining, but he managed to push it through. The teachers simply spent the entire year teaching the students to pass the test! Kids didn't learn the subjects, with any foundation...just how to pass the damn test. There's lots of uneducated young folks there now, and it's not getting any better.

[liberalitch]

2. well, it is spreading from texas to every corner of the country....

I have a vietnamese kid who could pass the test... but someone has to read it to him....
I am not allowed to look at the test and we do not have enough staff to read him the test.... so he just fails.

[IrateCitizen]

4. Texas is the national laboratory for bad government...

At least that's how Molly Ivins describes it. And she should know!

[AllegroRondo]

5. My daughter went to Texas public school for one year

that was enough for me. Good thing we moved out of there.

At 3rd grade, most of the kids time was spent learning how to take those tests. Rote memorization - these are the questions you will be asked, and these are the answers you must give.

[napi21]

8. I was lucky. When we lived in TX our kids were already gone.

Both had moved out several years brfore we moved to Tx. We are from Pa. and both my kids graduated from school there. We then moved to SC, TX, and finally GA. The public schools in the south can't hold a candle to those in Yankee town. My youngest kid attended a tech school in SC. He was 20 when we moved there. He had to teach Math to most of the kids in his class because they just hadn't learned the basics during their 12 years in SC schools.

We all live in Ga. now, and both of my kids spend a lot of time teaching their kids because they simply don't learn the things they should in school each day.

God bless the kids whose parents don't do that!

[callous taoboy]

3. Our principal recently

told the 5th grade special ed teacher at our school that she must select 6 of her students to take (and pass) the 5th grade state alternative test for reading, even though none of her students read above a 3rd grade reading level. This was requested because, without those kids passing the 5th grade SDAA test, we will not meet our adequate yearly progress for that population.

So many parallels between *'s Iraq policy and his sorry education policy. Totally out of touch with reality.

[FreedomAngel82]

7. I feel bad for these kids

What happens when they get to college? Thank God I grew up in Clinton's years. I know how lucky I am and others my age. I was reading a website of a guy running for mayor in my town and he has some good ideas on helping with education here and it could work for other areas. You can read his ideas/plans at http://www.danjohnsonformayor.com and then point your mouse over issues and click on "education." He is a conservative republican but I do like a lot of his plans and ideas for the city. I'm torn right now between him and http://www.ronlittlefield.com If anybody can check these two people out and tell me what you think. :\ Ther's another woman running for mayor but I'm not that fond of her. If you want her address you can Pm me.

[FromTheLeft]

6. Not only that...

But all schools are put up to the same standard, but yet don't get the same funding. Schools are run on local property taxes. Do you think that collect as much per kid in rural Upstate NY as they do in Brooklyn NY as they do in Westchester NY as they do in the East Hampton's etc...(sorry about the NY skew, its where I'm from).