Every Child Being Left Behind
I have recently been teaching school. Today I administered the infamous TAKS Test (as it is called in Texas) which is basically a standardized assessment test for essential knowledge and skills in various content areas - Reading, English Language Arts, Math, Science and History. As I am sure most of you are basically aware, this is the major component of the "No Child Left Behind" federal legislation mandating a national procedure for measuring students' learning achievements across the country. Every state has basically the same Tests, simply with different names. Each teacher is given reams of paper setting out the specifics which must be taught in each learning domain of every subject, every day. All of the information to be taught by the teacher is geared directly to the "TEST" questions. There is little time left in the classroom for individuality in teaching or additional information, as the content information is dictated by the government. As it is, it is almost impossible for any teacher to cover all of the content material required. Teachers must weekly post precisely what they will be covering in the classroom each hour of each day of the week, and are monitored by unscheduled visits to make sure they are staying on course with the Test questions. These lesson plans must derive directly from the mandated course work. If the students do not perform well on the Test, it is considered the teacher's, not the student's, failure.
Most people have no idea how restrictive the teaching profession has become and the amount of paper work that now is required due to federal legislation. All students, whether learning disabled, special ed, English as second language learners, high achievers or low achievers, are taught the same content at the same time in a classroom of 25-30 people. It is referred to as "inclusion." And, other than a few exceptions, they are all expected to pass the exact same test. If they do not pass, the constituency of the classroom as to learning backgrounds, socio economics, learning differences, or language barriers is not taken into account in judging the teacher. The new thinking is that "every one is capable of learning the same information" and if they do not, it is the teacher's fault. So to put this in perspective, the students at Beverly Hills High School are taking the same test as the students at Compton High School in the poorest part of Los Angeles.
It is certainly optimistic to hope and strive for both of these High Schools to provide the same quality of instruction and learning environment, but in reality they do not. I have recently taught at many inner city schools, as well as at suburban enclaves. They are not the same. The students have not had the same experiences and do not learn in the same ways. Learning is quite different when a student has had little nutrition or has stayed up most of the evening working at a job and then helping with his siblings. Learning is also quite different when you have a mother and father who come from educated backgrounds and are able to provide time and help for homework. My hope is that students' progression in individual learning can be measured and rewarded. It is the improvement that counts, and each student starts at a very different beginning point depending on their backgrounds.
My whine about this subject is that I have seen too many students feel defeated before they ever begin these tests. They know they are being compared to students they cannot quickly catch up with, and they will remain on the lower end of the spectrum. The tests begin to mean more than the actual learning. These uniform tests assume that everyone begins at the exact same starting point, and they simply do not. Many students have never even been exposed to some of the situations referenced on these tests. They are biased to a homogenized world, that simply does not exist. No Child Left Behind is leaving children behind from the joy of learning or having an innovative teacher who can move them toward achievement. When every thing that goes on in the classroom is directed towards one specific test and how to tackle it, when is there time to learn anything else? We must find a better way to educate in this 21st Century than "teaching to a test."
Most people have no idea how restrictive the teaching profession has become and the amount of paper work that now is required due to federal legislation. All students, whether learning disabled, special ed, English as second language learners, high achievers or low achievers, are taught the same content at the same time in a classroom of 25-30 people. It is referred to as "inclusion." And, other than a few exceptions, they are all expected to pass the exact same test. If they do not pass, the constituency of the classroom as to learning backgrounds, socio economics, learning differences, or language barriers is not taken into account in judging the teacher. The new thinking is that "every one is capable of learning the same information" and if they do not, it is the teacher's fault. So to put this in perspective, the students at Beverly Hills High School are taking the same test as the students at Compton High School in the poorest part of Los Angeles.
It is certainly optimistic to hope and strive for both of these High Schools to provide the same quality of instruction and learning environment, but in reality they do not. I have recently taught at many inner city schools, as well as at suburban enclaves. They are not the same. The students have not had the same experiences and do not learn in the same ways. Learning is quite different when a student has had little nutrition or has stayed up most of the evening working at a job and then helping with his siblings. Learning is also quite different when you have a mother and father who come from educated backgrounds and are able to provide time and help for homework. My hope is that students' progression in individual learning can be measured and rewarded. It is the improvement that counts, and each student starts at a very different beginning point depending on their backgrounds.
My whine about this subject is that I have seen too many students feel defeated before they ever begin these tests. They know they are being compared to students they cannot quickly catch up with, and they will remain on the lower end of the spectrum. The tests begin to mean more than the actual learning. These uniform tests assume that everyone begins at the exact same starting point, and they simply do not. Many students have never even been exposed to some of the situations referenced on these tests. They are biased to a homogenized world, that simply does not exist. No Child Left Behind is leaving children behind from the joy of learning or having an innovative teacher who can move them toward achievement. When every thing that goes on in the classroom is directed towards one specific test and how to tackle it, when is there time to learn anything else? We must find a better way to educate in this 21st Century than "teaching to a test."
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