08.18.05
Posted in education at 8:51 pm by
Once again, the ‘No Child Left Behind’ act (aka the “Let’s Do Our Damndest To Ensure Every Student At An Underfunded School District Is Royally Fucked” act, or the LDODTEESAAUSDIRF act), has struck again.
It now has struck a bit closer to home, though. Jen’s school hasn’t met Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). Why, you ask? Is it because of lazy teachers with blatant disregard of their position? Is it because no one cares about the students? No. It’s not because of that, though I’m sure there’s a teacher or two who could stand to refocus their attention, they’re not the reason Jen’s employer hasn’t met AYP.
My wife’s school didn’t meet AYP because they didn’t have a high enough graduation rate.
Let’s give that a moment to sink in.
Okay. Have you thought about it yet?
That’s right. They didn’t have a high enough graduation rate, therefore they didn’t meet adequate yearly progress. Beautiful. So, it’s not that students weren’t succeeding on standardized testing.
Jen’s school didn’t meet AYP because two things happened.
One thing that invariably happened was that enough seniors didn’t pass their classes. This group of mostly 18 year olds (who are, by the way, allowed to vote, serve in the military, and smoke cigarettes, but are, evidently, not held responsible to turn in their homework) were failed because they didn’t meet the expectations of the class. Jen’s school is, in this case, punished because they set a standard (which was pretty minimal to begin with) and stood by it.
Another thing that invariably happened is that some students who were over the age of 16 exercized their legal right to discontinue their secondary education. The school has no legal precedence to forcibly keep them in school. The school could eventually (if AYP isn’t met next year) get penalized because of some individuals executing their legal rights. Of course, no one’s pointing the finger at businesses that snap up 16 year old labor. There’re no government programs that actually give any impetus to the 16 year old to FINISH high school.
It’s time that people started blowing the whistle. Politicians in this country have positively paved a fucking five lane superhighway to the end of public education as we know it. They’ve set public education up to fail with the NCLB act, and then have succeeded in ensuring that it wouldn’t have the funds to even have a prayer.
If you asked me, and so far no one has, it seems like it might be prudent to reassess NCLB and see if it’s making a positive difference. Perhaps, and this is a groundbreaking suggestion, rather than asking politicians what the best educational move is on behalf of this nation’s children, maybe, just maybe we should be asking the teachers?
7/19 ADDENDUM: Speaking of education, today is a big day in mine. I’ll be defending my thesis proposal, so if you think of me at around 1:30 say a little prayer, or wish me luck if you’re not the prayin’ sort. Hopefully, everybody will think my ideas are good enough to go through with…so keep your fingers crossed!
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Posted in education at 8:51 pm by
Once again, the ‘No Child Left Behind’ act (aka the “Let’s Do Our Damndest To Ensure Every Student At An Underfunded School District Is Royally Fucked” act, or the LDODTEESAAUSDIRF act), has struck again.
It now has struck a bit closer to home, though. Jen’s school hasn’t met Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). Why, you ask? Is it because of lazy teachers with blatant disregard of their position? Is it because no one cares about the students? No. It’s not because of that, though I’m sure there’s a teacher or two who could stand to refocus their attention, they’re not the reason Jen’s employer hasn’t met AYP.
My wife’s school didn’t meet AYP because they didn’t have a high enough graduation rate.
Let’s give that a moment to sink in.
Okay. Have you thought about it yet?
That’s right. They didn’t have a high enough graduation rate, therefore they didn’t meet adequate yearly progress. Beautiful. So, it’s not that students weren’t succeeding on standardized testing.
Jen’s school didn’t meet AYP because two things happened.
One thing that invariably happened was that enough seniors didn’t pass their classes. This group of mostly 18 year olds (who are, by the way, allowed to vote, serve in the military, and smoke cigarettes, but are, evidently, not held responsible to turn in their homework) were failed because they didn’t meet the expectations of the class. Jen’s school is, in this case, punished because they set a standard (which was pretty minimal to begin with) and stood by it.
Another thing that invariably happened is that some students who were over the age of 16 exercized their legal right to discontinue their secondary education. The school has no legal precedence to forcibly keep them in school. The school could eventually (if AYP isn’t met next year) get penalized because of some individuals executing their legal rights. Of course, no one’s pointing the finger at businesses that snap up 16 year old labor. There’re no government programs that actually give any impetus to the 16 year old to FINISH high school.
It’s time that people started blowing the whistle. Politicians in this country have positively paved a fucking five lane superhighway to the end of public education as we know it. They’ve set public education up to fail with the NCLB act, and then have succeeded in ensuring that it wouldn’t have the funds to even have a prayer.
If you asked me, and so far no one has, it seems like it might be prudent to reassess NCLB and see if it’s making a positive difference. Perhaps, and this is a groundbreaking suggestion, rather than asking politicians what the best educational move is on behalf of this nation’s children, maybe, just maybe we should be asking the teachers?
7/19 ADDENDUM: Speaking of education, today is a big day in mine. I’ll be defending my thesis proposal, so if you think of me at around 1:30 say a little prayer, or wish me luck if you’re not the prayin’ sort. Hopefully, everybody will think my ideas are good enough to go through with…so keep your fingers crossed!
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Derby said,
August 18, 2005 at 9:45 pm
The more the federal government is involved with education, the more education becomes bogged down in politics, as is described in your post. Give education entirely back to the communities, for crying out loud!
Steve J said,
August 19, 2005 at 4:59 am
Brandon,
do you think it would be prudent to reassess the NCLB policy?
I can almost hear the explosion from here
Howie Luvzus said,
August 19, 2005 at 10:11 am
New Orleans public school kids will be able to wipe their a$$e$ after they poop this year, so I’m sure things will be looking up for them. How someone could continue to teach under the pressures that they have and the conditions they experience is beyond me. Seems like everybody is getting left behind!
See my latest post for details.
Thanks for spreading the word about this awful program!
MMM said,
August 19, 2005 at 10:34 am
and people wonder why i won’t teach in the school districts and why I yell “HOMESCHOOLING” every chance I get.
I know everyone can’t do it, but….
Benjamin said,
August 19, 2005 at 12:59 pm
My boss’s school (one of the most affluent here in the city of trees) failed in some category called “participation”, so it’s not just the poor feeling a little pain in their “Behind”s, it’s only mostly the poor….
bill said,
August 19, 2005 at 3:30 pm
Well here’s a twist for you. The elementary school that my two kids went to, does do rather well in these shell game metrics. But, one way they accomplish this is to marginalize, in the early years, all kids they’re afraid will do poorly enough on the state’s standard tests to hurt their averages. They have plenty enough money for special ed. teachers, it seems, but in reality, they mostly just put the kids in limbo.
In just a few short weeks of home instruction, the one child at risk, moved up a grade level in both math and reading. After several months of unschooling, the anguish and occasional tantrums when set in front of school work, and the sub minute attention span—even with stimulant drugs—all disappeared and the attention span, sans drugs, is more than one hour!
Standards and averaging are the best ways to leave behind an increasing number of kids. It’s obvious when you think about the standard tests begetting standard curriculum and standard curriculum begetting standard tests. . . It’s a downward spiral into a black hole of ever decreasing standard deviations.
BTW, when standard tests are based upon standard curricula, and visa versa, the “A” student is really the average student because that’s the goal. So, there will be some really smart students getting Cs because they’re not average!
Allison said,
August 21, 2005 at 7:51 pm
Grrrrr.
First, I hope your thesis proposal defense went smoothly. What’s your thesis topic?
NCLB just infuriates me — and almost every other parent I know as well. All that the government is doing is ensuring that schools teach kids what to think (ie, teaching to the test) instead of teaching kids how to think. I know that I didn’t begin to learn critical thinking until college, and even then, I only did because I was in an honors program. Gee, and I wonder why I never questioned religion until well into college…
My daughter is on the (long, long, LONG) wait list for a local charter academy that actually does emphasize critical thinking, and if I’m financially in a position to do so, I would love to homeschool her instead. Considering that I’m currently single, that’s not particularly likely. This may become an activism issue for me over the next few years, sigh.
Streak said,
August 22, 2005 at 8:35 am
I am still waiting for one public school teacher to tell me they like this bill.
Common Sense said,
August 27, 2006 at 2:59 pm
Benjamin,
“Participation” is the “minimum rate of students required to be tested in order to meet AYP IF, and that’s a BIG IF, the students score high enough to meet the target goal.”
In my state the participation rate requirement is 95%. If a school (or district) fails to assess 95% or more of its students, it does NOT matter how the tested students did, they building/district does NOT make AYP.
NCLB is up for reauthorization in 2007. If it is not modified, the destruction of education as we know it in the United States will be hastened.
This year alone the U.S. is SHORT 200,000 teachers. That means that there are 200,000 (or less) substitute teachers or non highly qualified staff members teaching those students. Or, in other cases larger class sizes (35+) and those buildings/districts are supposed to make it with unqualified people? That will never happen.
In my state 34% of certified staff within 5 years of retirement. 40% of certified administrators are within 5 years of retirement as well.
The accountability and demands on NCLB are okay, it’s the HOW the accountability is measured that’s the problem.
One thing I also have a problem with is the ELL population. English Language Learners must pass the same Reading assessment as their peers. That’s a problem as students get older. Expecting a 7th grade ELL student to pass a Reading assessment (in English) is ludicrous at best. Plus, those students are typically Hispanic and receiving Free/Reduced lunches so they count in multiple subgroups. That makes a building/district chances of making AYP exponentially more difficult.