The nation's 9-year-olds are doing measurably better and you're ready to declare No Child Left Behind a success? What... you didn't see the part after the comma, to wit: "...but the same can't be said about older students"? And the AP's source... a Bush administration cabinet member, right? Works for the President, right? The Bush administration? Lemme make sure I'm clear, here... this is the same Bush administration that told us there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq? The same Bush administration that keeps telling us the economy is okay? The same Bush administration that made numerous false statements about the provisions and effects of its super-sized tax cuts? The same Bush administration that offered disingenuous and misleading explanations about the 9/11 attacks, the war on terrorism, and homeland security? The same Bush administration that presented deceptive claims to sell controversial policies on the environment, stem cell research, missile defense, abortion, energy, Social Security, health care, education, and other crucial issues? The same Bush administration that told us the threat level needed to stay at orange for the months leading-up to last November's election in order to keep America scared, but then suddenly thereafter yellow or blue was good enough? The same Bush administration that promised the American people that it would fire whomever leaked the identity of Valerie Plame, an undercover CIA agent? That Bush administration? Oh, sure... I believe it. No Child Left Behind is a stunning success. You just keep tellin' yourself that, Jimmy. Oy.
if NCLB was successful then teachers in middle schools all over the state of TEXAS would be teaching there students something rahter than teaching them how to take an assessmet test.
Teaching to the test is one of the drawbacks of giving tests. The problem I have with NCLB is it doesn't address that so many kids enter their current grade with a deficit (and with issues that cannot be addressed in a 45 minute class). I do believe that's why we are seeing greater strides in the early grade levels than in the higher levels. It's also why I left public education for private. I do want to add though that I think NCLB was inevitable -- people want measurements of what is happening. Society wants to know that the young are being educated. Throw these two things together and NCLB is born (or rather reinvented from past legislative ventures).
Falsification of data Here's an older article to supplement Jimmies more recent article: http://www.ccebos.org/nytimes.texas_zero_dropout_rate.8.13.03.htm Jack
I guess my complaint here is if they don't teach to the assessment test then the schools get bad marks and teachers could loose their jobs. We aren't teaching our children anything we are just teaching them the information on a test and not explaining why they need to know the information.
I understood the complaint and it is valid. Like I said -- teaching to the test is one of the drawbacks of giving the test (or at least one that has such high stakes). I don't think it has to be that way, but it is in so many places. I've taught in elementary, middle, and high schools. That teaching to the test is not just a middle school phenom. It's happening at all levels and usually under poor administration. Good administrators know that if you teach the curriculum and the kids learn, then they'll do fine on those tests, AND the students may retain some love of learning. Do you have a middle schooler Michael?
Nope, used to be a computer technician for a local school district and I was fixing a computer on afternoon in the computer lab where they where teaching a group of rowdy 6th graders how to take the test.
As I get older I increasingly find myself in positions where I am asked to teach something to someone (or some group of people). Currently, the largest component of my job is teaching. It doesn't take long before you begin to wonder, "Are people actually learning?" You then become interested in the measurement of learning. It's a tricky subject and I'm sure that there are many people on this forum that know more about this subject than me. Despite that, what I know is that any conclusions are dependant on the reliability of the data. If huge sums of money, as well as people's employment, hang in the balance, then you've just got to wonder if the data is accurate. When the people who report/collect the data are the same people who benefit from the results then you've got to be downright suspicious. Here's another article: http://www.prospect.org/print/V15/2/schrag-p.html Jack
Thanks for the article, Jack. To those who were critical of my post, I guess you didn't see where I said "appears to be successful."
I don't want to pretend that I actually know much about the whole "No Child Left Behind" program. I don't. However, I remember watching a segment on 60 Minutes in which it was discussed. IIRC, the person who developed the program was a guy from Texas who was appointed as the Secretary of Education by George W. Bush based almost entirely on the "success" of the program in Texas. On the show there were interviews with several school superintendants/principals who stated that they were pressured into modifying the data that they had collected or found that the data had been modified for them once it left their hands. As far as I know, it is factually accurate that these things occurred. However, I think it's important to point out that just because a few bad apples have falsified data, it doesn't necessarily mean that the program is worthless or bad. I will point out though that when I did a google search on "No Child Left Behind" +data +falisification I got lots of listings. I only checked out a few. Jack