By now it should seem painfully obvious that a student’s performance in school is the result of many factors, environmental as well as physical and mental. However, supporters of No Child Left Behind incorrectly assume that if they can change the way schools function and assess their students, test scores and proficiency will rise. And that’s all that matters, right?
Wrong. Through my Google Reader, I found a very well written opinion piece from Joe Monninger’s Journalism class at Plymouth State University. The class correctly cited the need to “teach to the test” to make the grade as a major problem of NCLB. According to the class,
Students in those inner cities are not getting the education they deserve because since their test scores are so low, they have to focus daily on how to take and pass this test. They are not receiving full educations, but are being pushed through the school system so long as their test taking skills are top notch.
Teachers are forced to teach only material that would be found on the exam, without taking time to explore topics that would benefit the students or to use alternative methods to really ingage their students.
However, this is only one part of the problem with No Child Left Behind. Another part is that it does not take into account other factors in students’ lives that make it difficult to perform well on standardized exams. Issues such as broken homes, poverty, unemployment, and violence are not addressed through NCLB. The legislation completely ignores these factors, yet still demands that students perform at a certain level in school. For many students in impoverished areas, their performance in school is often that last thing on their minds, and teachers’ hands become tied by the need to meet Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) reports to truly help the students in need.
No Child Left Behind treats only the surface problems without attacking the actual causes of poor school performance, at least in impoverished or urban areas. However, that is just one of the multitude of problems concerning the legislation.
The many children left behind act
Joe Monninger’s Journalism Class, Plymouth State University, October 20, 2007
The Clock Student Newspaper
6 responses so far ↓
1
Shakura
// Nov 26, 2007 at 8:29 am
I love the name Kayda! Its so cool! Anyway, I agree with you here and I also thought of another problem with NCLB. In some states like Michigan for example, students do not have to perform well because there is no accountability for students. I feel that many students just don’t care about taking these test and so they don’t perform as best they could. Telling a student “The school gets more money if you take the test and do well on it”. Ha, how many people do you know really care about that. On the other hand, in the state of Illinois, if you fail those test in 3rd, 6th or 8th grade, you must repeat the grade. I feel that this is a little cruel but it does give students a reason to take those tests seriously and to do their best on it. Most kids need evidence, they need to know that their performance on these tests matter. Extra money for the school is sometimes harder to see, since their are so many non-tangible components that costs in schools. I feel that NCLB must be revamped if they want to make it work.
2
My Thoughts on the Blogs of Others! at As You Like It
// Dec 1, 2007 at 12:13 pm
[...] Tests Just One Part of The Problem By: Kayda [...]
3
Mike
// Dec 2, 2007 at 9:27 pm
Let me begin by saying that I am sorry I have not read any of your blogs in the past. I came here randomly to read one and comment, but then got hooked into reading all of them. As a whole, well done! This one in particular really struck a nerve for me, simply because I feel the exact same way. I hate that preparing for a standardized test will eat up a good portion of my curriculum as a future teacher. With that, I’m just not sure how some of these legislators even rationalize the idea of NCLB in its current state. It discriminates against those in urban areas while placing students from suburban areas on a pedestal. The fact of the matter is that it seems many of these legislators forget who they are writing these laws for - people. It would seem that they completely cut the human element out of the equation when writing things such as NCLB. You hit it right on the head when you said that they were only worrying about surface level problems as opposed to the deeper-rooted issues. NCLB is like taking Pepto-Bismol for stomach cancer - useless. Good job on your blog!
4
Our Finest Hour Arrives » All Of My Unique And Interesting Comments…
// Dec 2, 2007 at 9:44 pm
[...] Kayda [...]
5
Sheryl Smith
// Dec 4, 2007 at 5:04 pm
I completely agree with your ideas here. Teaching to the test is such a shame because it wastes the potential of possibly talented teachers, as well as students. It completely drains all the fun and creativity out of learning, especially when it comes to writing. Because of the boredom associated with teaching to meet qualifications of standardized tests, a student that might actually enjoy writing could miss the chance to fully realize that joy.
The effect teaching to the test has on underprivileged kids is also very sad, not only because many of them will end up failing due to events at home. Writing can be such a good outlet for these kids, and because they are only taught skills to pass a test, they may not ever realize this outlet. It’s so true that no child left behind actually leaves many behind.
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In a Classroom Far, Far Away… | My Comments (I Think)
// Dec 4, 2007 at 5:43 pm
[...] http://kayda.edublogs.org/2007/10/23/tests-just-one-part-of-the-problem/#comment-14 [...]
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