Comments on: An Inconvenient Truth about NCLB http://borderland.northernattitude.org/2007/02/09/an-inconvenient-truth-about-nclb/ (bôr'dər-lănd') n. Located on or near a frontier. An indeterminate area or condition. Fri, 29 Aug 2008 02:25:39 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 By: Queen Anne Lace http://borderland.northernattitude.org/2007/02/09/an-inconvenient-truth-about-nclb/#comment-26620 Queen Anne Lace Fri, 23 Feb 2007 20:19:06 +0000 http://borderland.northernattitude.org/2007/02/09/an-inconvenient-truth-about-nclb/#comment-26620 There needs to be reconciliation between NCLB and IDEA; for example, IDEA never states that if a student with an IEP does not make progress that a school will be penalized. Schools do need to make a "good faith" effort in achieving those goals in a child's IEP. NCLB's AYP does punish schools if students with special needs don't make the progress. There needs to be reconciliation between NCLB and IDEA; for example, IDEA never states that if a student with an IEP does not make progress that a school will be penalized. Schools do need to make a “good faith” effort in achieving those goals in a child’s IEP. NCLB’s AYP does punish schools if students with special needs don’t make the progress.

]]> By: The Blog of Ms. Mercer » NCLB, why won’t you leave me be… http://borderland.northernattitude.org/2007/02/09/an-inconvenient-truth-about-nclb/#comment-26318 The Blog of Ms. Mercer » NCLB, why won’t you leave me be… Sun, 18 Feb 2007 04:59:49 +0000 http://borderland.northernattitude.org/2007/02/09/an-inconvenient-truth-about-nclb/#comment-26318 [...] Next, there are pleas for alternative assessment. I will admit that having come into teaching when I did, I don’t have much experience in “portfolio” based education, except what I’ve done inadvertently, so I am not the best person to discuss this. I’d like to see teachers who do this talk about what it would look like. Here are some concerns that I have, but I view them as problems that can be solved, not impediments to implementing alternative/portfolio based assessment .What standards will you have for the work? Who will set the standards (local, state, federal)?Who will “grade” the work? How do you stop grade inflation/deflation from creeping in? Will there be auditing? Part of the reason that exams are so popular is that bubble-tests are cheap to have outsiders grade (as opposed to having outsiders review a portfolio) and are uniform. [...] [...] Next, there are pleas for alternative assessment. I will admit that having come into teaching when I did, I don’t have much experience in “portfolio” based education, except what I’ve done inadvertently, so I am not the best person to discuss this. I’d like to see teachers who do this talk about what it would look like. Here are some concerns that I have, but I view them as problems that can be solved, not impediments to implementing alternative/portfolio based assessment .What standards will you have for the work? Who will set the standards (local, state, federal)?Who will “grade” the work? How do you stop grade inflation/deflation from creeping in? Will there be auditing? Part of the reason that exams are so popular is that bubble-tests are cheap to have outsiders grade (as opposed to having outsiders review a portfolio) and are uniform. [...]

]]> By: Doug http://borderland.northernattitude.org/2007/02/09/an-inconvenient-truth-about-nclb/#comment-25672 Doug Sat, 10 Feb 2007 18:50:09 +0000 http://borderland.northernattitude.org/2007/02/09/an-inconvenient-truth-about-nclb/#comment-25672 Brian - Your point about parent perceptions is right on. My own school is now on (I don't know the official designation.) its first year of being an "underperforming" school for not meeting "adequate yearly progress" in one category last year. But we have a large population of kids from outside of our official attendance area who are choosing to come there. Many parents like what we do, and they bring their kids <em>to</em> us. Marco - The issues I outlined are not black or white - which was my point. The middle ground is the only sane place to try to understand any of this. Is that what you mean by waffling? I agree that this is mostly semantics. Words like <em>failure</em>, <em>achievement</em>, and <em>accountability</em> have gained enormous symbolic weight. What do they mean? How they are influencing us? Those are not easy questions. Are they helping to make things better for kids? No. Brian - Your point about parent perceptions is right on. My own school is now on (I don’t know the official designation.) its first year of being an “underperforming” school for not meeting “adequate yearly progress” in one category last year. But we have a large population of kids from outside of our official attendance area who are choosing to come there. Many parents like what we do, and they bring their kids to us.

Marco - The issues I outlined are not black or white - which was my point. The middle ground is the only sane place to try to understand any of this. Is that what you mean by waffling? I agree that this is mostly semantics. Words like failure, achievement, and accountability have gained enormous symbolic weight. What do they mean? How they are influencing us? Those are not easy questions. Are they helping to make things better for kids? No.

]]> By: Brian Crosby http://borderland.northernattitude.org/2007/02/09/an-inconvenient-truth-about-nclb/#comment-25669 Brian Crosby Sat, 10 Feb 2007 18:25:44 +0000 http://borderland.northernattitude.org/2007/02/09/an-inconvenient-truth-about-nclb/#comment-25669 Marco (and Doug) - The parent part is one of the inconsistencies - when I talk to parents they think test scores are important, but not more important than doing a good job teaching their kids (whatever that might mean to that parent). "I'm not tied to test scores." - I've heard this 1,000 times from parents. This is one reason why when parents are surveyed they will say schools are terrible (based on what they see of test scores in general), just not their child's school, which just so happens does a pretty good job - at least this is what the results of the many surveys on this subject I've seen over the years - from most parents and across all socio-economic levels. Brian Marco (and Doug) - The parent part is one of the inconsistencies - when I talk to parents they think test scores are important, but not more important than doing a good job teaching their kids (whatever that might mean to that parent). “I’m not tied to test scores.” - I’ve heard this 1,000 times from parents. This is one reason why when parents are surveyed they will say schools are terrible (based on what they see of test scores in general), just not their child’s school, which just so happens does a pretty good job - at least this is what the results of the many surveys on this subject I’ve seen over the years - from most parents and across all socio-economic levels.
Brian

]]> By: Ms. Whatsit http://borderland.northernattitude.org/2007/02/09/an-inconvenient-truth-about-nclb/#comment-25630 Ms. Whatsit Sat, 10 Feb 2007 17:13:34 +0000 http://borderland.northernattitude.org/2007/02/09/an-inconvenient-truth-about-nclb/#comment-25630 Very well said. NCLB mistakenly sends the message that by homogenizing education we will improve our system. Those who do not spend time within schools buy into this notion, and that is one reason why they perceive teachers to "whine" when they speak out against this fallacy. Very well said. NCLB mistakenly sends the message that by homogenizing education we will improve our system. Those who do not spend time within schools buy into this notion, and that is one reason why they perceive teachers to “whine” when they speak out against this fallacy.

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