In West Virginia, 45% of the states 728 schools have been judged failures. Now, where is the help that Bush promised to ensure that no child will be left behind? Soon, many other states will be in West Virginia's predicament. They will be labled failures and left without funding promised in the No Child Left Behind Act.
FAIRLEA, W.Va. -- President Bush's No Child Left Behind education program -- acclaimed as a policy and political breakthrough by the Republicans in January 2002 -- is threatening to backfire on Bush and his party in the 2004 elections.
The signature education plan is pledged to improve the performance of students, teachers and schools with yearly tests and serious penalties for failure. Although many Republicans and Democrats are confident the system will work in the long run, Bush is being criticized in swing states such as West Virginia for not adequately funding programs to help administrators and teachers meet the new, and critics say unreasonable, standards.
Bush hoped to enhance his image as a compassionate conservative by making this education program one of the first and highest priorities of his administration. But he could find the law complicating his reelection effort, political strategists from both parties say, as some states report that as many as half or more of schools are failing to make the new grade and lack the money to turn things around promptly.
posted on October 14, 2003 08:50:59 AM new
This one is just a case of teachers and states not taking responsibilty for our children. "It's not my fault I can't teach " The standards should be higher and when they are raised the teachers complain. Compare them to some of the oversea standards and you can see why other countries have better educated youth. and in many cases it is the parents that are "leaving the children behind" , oh it's the governments fault my kid isn't being taught better. All a load of crap and a prime example of why I send my children to Private Schools. For 20 years and both democrats and republicans have been through all this, states say leave us alone and then when they can't belly up its the governments fault.
It's just another HUGE blunder by the Bush administration. The expensive testing program promoted by Bush is not the answer...especially when follow up funding is not in the cards.
posted on October 14, 2003 10:50:58 AM new
DC also has a terrible number of children who the educational system is failing.
The democrats continue to block vouchers that would allow parents to choose which school they'd like to have their children attend. Freedom of choice for parents should be the goal, imo.
And the teachers union has long fought changes in the educational system. Money has continued to be poured into the FAILING system. And the teachers fight every requirement/suggestion that is intended to assure THEY, themselves, can pass tests BEFORE they try to teach others.
Then there's the problem teach face with disciplining students. No one's going to tell their child what do to or not do....NO....
and some wonder why the system is failing our children.
posted on October 14, 2003 10:58:59 AM new
Het Linda. Please tell me how a voucher is going to get a poor kid or even a middle class kid into a private school. It is just another example of the right providing welfare for the rich and an attempt to dumb down America.
posted on October 14, 2003 11:02:30 AM new
So, Linda...let's just kick the asses of the teachers and the parents and let George Bush handle the problem LOLOL!
Hot dam! He can do the job for free!...just like that cheap war that was delclared over a few months ago.
posted on October 14, 2003 11:20:05 AM new
All I hear is more money more money.
An teacher can teach almost any subject they know themselves with a reasonably comfortable room, a pad of paper for each person, and a reasonable amount of uninterrupted time with their students.
However we have a monsterous system that is more concerned with social issues testing and control than teaching.
Even in the sixties many of my teachers had no deep knowledge or love of the subject they were teaching.
I see the schools as an instrument of government propaganda and more concerned with their own funding and perpetuation than doing their job. Even the few tEchers who want to teach are straightjacketed by a system that demands they follow a lesson plan directed from above. They reduce everything including talant to the lowest common denominator.
posted on October 14, 2003 11:30:04 AM new
Helen you brought up being small minded in a different thread. Boy talk about the pot calling the kettle black. This genreation being raised is a fat, lazy, blame someone else, something for nothing generation and like it or not it isn't a party to blame it's society as a whole. The testing just proves the failures and now they have been called on it and need to piss and moan and blame instead of correcting it.
Misreant, I would consider us middle class and our children go to private schools. Our oldest (school age child) is about to graduate and our midddle child will be going to a Private college prep school next year to start the ninth grade at a cost of $18,000 a year. Our youngest just started at a private catholic grade school. I just took a night job to help provide for funds for this because it is MY job to do so. Would vouchers help, sure but if they are not available it's not going to stop me from providing the best possible education for my child. It doesn't take loads of programs and money to educate a child it takes involvement and responsibility.
NO school can give a child a proper education without a parent following up and being involved with thier child. To many look at school as a day care and nothing more.
Lastly, I do not intend to vote for Bush this time around but I have a felling helen and her kind secretly wish for him to be re-elected. This way they can just piss and moan all day long and take no responsibility for anything , it is after all what they are best at. Remember a generation of kids isn't put in this situation over 3 years it took much longer to get to this point with our youth !
[ edited by tomyou on Oct 14, 2003 01:08 PM ]
posted on October 14, 2003 11:38:01 AM new
I can't find the article, but if you look at Arizona's schools, the kids are not failing.
What makes Arizona's schools so much better? well, they are not, really. Arizona has been persueing a policy of encouraging poor students to DROP OUT which removes their poor scores from the database! Kids are saying they didn't know that had the option to stay in school- the counsellors didn't tell them...
NO child left behind will take a LOT more than a cute slogan and more than money- actually, I don't know what it will take.
My own kids have been helped- a little by the new policies, and hurt quite a lot by them. I don't want to post one of my million word essays on the subject! But let's just say that "no Child Left Behind" is bulltwinky IMHO.
"And All Shall be Well, and All Shall be Well, and All Manner of Things Shall be Well"
posted on October 14, 2003 12:06:27 PM new
Two West Virginia Schools Earn Blue Ribbon Title
Posted: September 17th, 2003
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Do you remember running home with a straight “A” report card and you couldn’t wait to tell your parents? Two West Virginia elementary schools have earned bragging rights. The West Virginia Board of Education and the Department of Education today announced the winners of the first-ever No Child Left Behind-Blue Ribbon Schools Program.
West Virginia’s Blue Ribbon winners are Steenrod Elementary in Ohio County and Kenova Elementary in Wayne County.
The No Child Left Behind-Blue Ribbon Schools Program honors those elementary and secondary schools in the United States that make significant progress in closing the achievement gap or whose students achieve at very high levels. It recognizes schools that have at least 40 percent of their students from disadvantaged backgrounds that dramatically improve student performance to a high level on state assessments or assessments referenced against the national norms at a particular grade. It also recognizes schools whose students achieve in the top 10 percent on state tests or the top 10 percent in the state on assessments referenced against national norms at a particular grade.
“On behalf of the State Board of Education and the Department of Education, I applaud these No Child Left Behind-Blue Ribbon Schools,” said State Schools Superintendent David Stewart. “As part of West Virginia Achieves, the state’s No Child Left Behind implementation plan, we will begin recognizing all of our schools that are closing the achievement gap. However, to receive a national honor such as this one is quite a morale boost.”
The winners will be honored at a Washington, DC ceremony at a later date and invited to present at U.S. Department of Education conferences.
Hmmm looks different from what Helen posted... this right from the Department of Education web site for West Virginia.
posted on October 14, 2003 12:08:20 PM new
West Virginia Graduation Rate 5th Highest in Nation
Posted: September 17th, 2003
CHARLESTON, W.Va.- Schools across West Virginia deserve a hardy pat on the back! West Virginia’s overall graduation rate was the fifth highest in the nation at 84% and its graduation rate for black students was 70%, the second highest in the nation. The data was released today by the Manhattan Institute as part of the Public High School Graduation and College Readiness Rates in the United States Study.
“I applaud the tireless efforts of teachers and students across the state,” said State Schools Superintendent David Stewart. “It is because of their work and dedication that this ranking was achieved. I am especially proud of the graduation rate for black students. However, we still have a long way to go before we close all of the gaps.”
This study shows that public high schools must work harder to serve black and Hispanic students. The graduation rate for black students in West Virginia was 19% higher than black students nationwide. Also noteworthy, the state college-readiness rate for students was 49% compared to the nationwide rate of 32%.
The study also finds that nationwide 70% of all students in the public high school class of 2001 graduated, and 32% left high school qualified to attend a four-year college. Furthermore, it finds that 51% of all black students and 52% of Hispanic students graduate, and 20% of black and 16% of Hispanic students leave high school ready for college.
Highlights of the study include:
• 70% of all students in public high schools graduate, and 32% of all students leave high school qualified to attend four-year colleges.
• 51% of all black students and 52% of all Hispanic students graduate, and 20% of all black students and 16% of all Hispanic students leave high school college-ready.
• The graduation rate for white students was 72%; for Asian students, 79%; and for American Indian students, 54%. The college readiness rate for white students was 37%; for Asian students, 38%; for American Indian students, 14%.
• Graduation rates in the Northeast (73%) and Midwest (77%) were higher than the overall national figure, while graduation rates in the South (65%) and West (69%) were lower than the national figure. The Northeast and the Midwest had the same college readiness rate as the nation overall (32%) while the South had a higher rate (38%) and the West had a lower rate (25%).
This study was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The Manhattan Institute is a think tank whose mission is to develop and disseminate new ideas that foster greater economic choice and individual responsibility.
For a copy of Public High School Graduation and College Readiness Rates in the United States, please go to: www.manhattan-institute.org
Wow the differeing view point is just glaring....
Also from the Dept. Of Education for West Virginia website
AIN'T LIFE GRAND...
posted on October 14, 2003 12:26:44 PM new
tomyou - I pat you on the back for what you're willing to do so that your children can get the best education possible. Few, even those who can afford to, will sacrifice for their child's education. Other material things are more important. I personally commend you.
--------------
It is just another example of the right providing welfare for the rich and an attempt to dumb down America.
You'd better go read how the DC children are doing in school...test score wise...not being able to read, etc....before you call vouchers welfare for the rich. These are the worse of the schools in the US. The schools where the voucher system is being offered are showing remarkable results. The students are beginning to learn.
--------------
And I agree....all these children graduating from high school not being able to even read....all these children who can't pass the newly required tests in order to graduate....didn't begin three years ago when Bush was elected.
posted on October 14, 2003 01:17:41 PM new
It seems the more the government gets involved in the schools,the worse things get.I would hate to see the teaching materials these teachers are being handed to teach these kids. I would imagine that would explain alot. Until some of these cities are able to take care of some of the overcrowding in the schools I don't see how any system will work. They have schools operating here in Kentucky that should have been burned down years ago. Lord only knows where the money from the Lottery goes to I guess to buy gas for the school buses running up and down the roads when the schools are closed.
posted on October 14, 2003 01:23:18 PM new It appears that some people are not aware that George Bush is the instigator of the testing program for the No Child Left Behind education plan..This is an article about the cost of testing.
By Greg Toppo, USA TODAY
Congress has set aside enough money for the national testing required by President Bush's No Child Left Behind education plan — if states rely on inexpensive multiple-choice tests that aren't geared to children's coursework.
Otherwise, states could find themselves spending millions of dollars to develop, give and score the tests, according to a long-awaited report by the General Accounting Office, the investigative arm of Congress.
While Thursday's report echoes long-standing complaints of state education officials, it also says states can save money by sharing test development expenses.
Under Bush's education plan, all 50 states must begin testing students in grades 3-8 in reading, math and science over the next six years. GAO found that such testing could cost as little as $1.9 billion or as much as $5.3 billion, depending on the complexity of developing and scoring the tests. Congress is slated to give states about $2.7 billion over the next six years.
Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, chairman of the House Education Committee, says the study shows that "Congress is providing more than enough money for states to meet the annual testing requirements in the No Child Left Behind Act, and education reform opponents have significantly exaggerated the actual cost."
Previous estimates by education groups have put the figure as high as $7 billion.
David Shreve of the National Conference of State Legislatures says the report shows that states will be forced save money by developing a "bare-bones, minimum bubble test," rather than more in-depth tests that require written responses from students.
Bob Schaeffer of the Center for Fair and Open Testing says, "The pressure will be to dumb down assessment to the low-quality, cookie-cutter, multiple-choice tests.
And....
“Up to this point, Congress didn’t have a definitive word on [the costs] and now they do,” said David Griffith, director of governmental and public affairs for the National Association of State Boards of Education, (NASBE), a trade group. NASBE came under fire when it estimated two years ago that states would spend between $2.7 billion and $7 billion to implement the testing requirements. “We feel pretty vindicated,” Griffith said. “It affirms our estimates.”
Jack Jennings, director of the Center on Education Policy, a Washington, D.C., education think tank, told Stateline.org he thought the GAO’s estimates were accurate and that states will probably end up spending somewhere in the middle of GAO’s cost range -- $3.9 billion. “The president and the Hill are deluding themselves if they don’t think that [No Child Left Behind] doesn’t impose immense costs on states and school districts,” Jennings said. “This [report] will be an additional prod to have Congress provide more money to carry out this law.”
Some are concerned the report will encourage states to opt for multiple-choice tests simply to save money. “The only way there is enough money there is if states use bare-bones, multiple-choice, bubble tests,” said David Shreve, education expert at the National Conference of State Legislatures. Shreve said the report’s finding also might put pressure on the states to “dumb down” their tests to save money.
Congress is providing enough money for the states to put in basic, minimum tests, but not the funds needed to help students achieve at high levels, said Michael Pons, policy analyst with the National Education Association, the largest U.S. teachers’ union.
posted on October 14, 2003 01:26:37 PM new
The President has mandated that no child be left behind, and then proceeded to gut funding for public schools...go figure. Millions are being left behind.
___________________________________
In this world of sin and sorrow, there is always something to be thankful for; as for me, I rejoice that I am not a Republican. -- H.L. Mencken
posted on October 14, 2003 02:47:54 PM new
When I went to school we had to walk 10 miles each way
Uphill, both ways...
Barefoot. and it always snowed.
But the truth of the matter is this.
When I went to school students wanted to learn. Teachers wanted and knew how to teach. Your parents would kick your azz if you screwed up in school.
We didn't have courses like basket weaving..... Just to get the schools average up. Whatever happened to Latin? Greek?
When I went to school parents gave a crap. School was for learning. When you went home you had work to do, then you did your homework. The next day you started all over again.
Helen, you want someone to blame??? Blame the parents of the students that are failing. It could be bad teachers but if the parents cared they would know that and change it.
posted on October 14, 2003 03:12:34 PM new Helen, you want someone to blame??? Blame the parents of the students that are failing. It could be bad teachers but if the parents cared they would know that and change it.
I don't need anyone to blame any more than you do, colin. It's your tax money too that bush is squandering.
posted on October 14, 2003 04:27:37 PM new
See, "No Child Left Behind" is a PR slogan, and conveniently meaningless. How about "No classroom over 20 students"? That would show some serious results.
But that would mean omething concrete and irrefutable-and very very pricey. And the money wouold have to go for salaries etc, for real people. Concentrating on tests puts morre money into the pockets of government committees that get created to design the tests.
"And All Shall be Well, and All Shall be Well, and All Manner of Things Shall be Well"
posted on October 14, 2003 05:06:54 PM new
I for one am glad they're requiring testing. That way we know before they're ready to graduate from high school that there is a problem. And hopefully these problems can be addressed. Children who need more help learning to read etc. might just get some extra help they need IF they are identified.
Money well spent, imo.
Clinton poured money into education for 8 years, hoping it would improve the problem. Did the schools improve? No, they continued the two generational decline.
We need to try a different approach. I'm glad we beginning to.
posted on October 14, 2003 05:36:23 PM new
No, money won't make a big difference. Nothing will until we really change our attitudes toward education in this country.
See, folks say they want a better education for their kids--but complain about homework or put just about any extra-curricular activity ahead in importance over schoolwork.
Sports are given more prominence & importance than scholastic achievement. Schools cheer their athletes on, but not their "brainy" kids.
A prevailing attitude sends the message that there is something strange, geeky, or wrong about a kid--especially a boy--who would rather read than play sports.
We allow kids to put out the least amount of effort--and tell them how "wonderful" they're doing or say "you did the best you could"--instead of encouraging them to really put effort into their work.
Grammar, spelling, etc. are downplayed with the idea that somehow, by some magical process, kids will pick it up on their own. Now there's a fairy tale...
Instead of having kids excercise their brains and actually learn to do math on their own, schools & parents slap calculators into their hands at an early age. Can't tell you how many kids I deal with every day who can't do addition, subtraction, multiplication or division without a calculator in their hot little hands.
And we tell kids it simply doesn't matter how much effort they put into something when we go to grading systems such as "satisfactory" & "unsatisfactory." Why put effort into something that will get the same grade as something that was dashed together? Censorship, like charity, should begin at home; but unlike charity, it should end there --Clare Booth Luce
posted on October 14, 2003 05:59:05 PM new
bunni - You point out so many truths about things that need to be changed. And money doesn't buy those things.
It used to be the kids that were tops in their class were envied, now...as you said.
Playing sports meant you HAD to keep those grades up or you didn't play until they were up.
During the week your job as a student was to study....doing your homework. Now parents complain if homework is sent home at all, because THEY don't have the time to do it. Not to help with it, but to do it for their children.
And I especially agree with you on this 'new age' grading system. Set up so no one feels 'bad' about themself. Well...they should feel bad about themselves if they are failing or barely passing. And the students who are applying themselves should be the ones others emulate.
But how do we work to get this going in a positive direction? It just continues to worsen and now most parents feel the only way to really insure their children get a good education is to pull them out of public schools [if they can afford to]. Or they choose to homeschool. I've read the numbers of parents homeschooling are continuing to grow.
posted on October 14, 2003 06:02:01 PM new "No, money won't make a big difference. Nothing will until we really change our attitudes toward education in this country."
I believe that money makes a difference. I believe that higher salaries for teachers will attract better qualified teachers. In my neighborhood, public schools are considered superior to the private schools because the county is able to attract better teachers by offering higher pay.
Good equipment, books and supplies cost money. How can educational expense be so casually dismissed as "throwing money at a problem"?
"When the bell rings in this school, there is not an inch on any floor where you can walk," said the principal, Anthony Rotunno. "It's a mass of humanity moving from one place to another."
posted on October 14, 2003 09:16:35 PM newWhat exactly is your state doing Profe? Besides standing there with its hand out? States have some responsibility in this matter also... not just begging for Federal funds...
Right, states have the responsibility of following a FEDERALLY MANDATED program, NCLB. If they don't, there will now be hell to pay. This is hardly a question of beggar states standing around with their hands out. Do some reading on what NCLB requires of states, and how little of the original federal monies alloted for it are left after the President has gutted funding. It seems to me that you would under other circumstances be a strong advocate of state's rights twelve. I guess not in this case eh? The states have almost NO rights left in determining their educational standards. This is an example of the big, meddlesome government you claim to despise , at it's very worst.
My state has taken the standard grade level exit skills it has used for a long time and tightened them, making it appear that they have been reworked. Teachers are being told in so many words to "teach to the test" for these exit expectations, so their students will perform well on the standardized tests that are used to assess student achievement. Any good educator knows that standardized tests are only one measure by which student competency can be appraised. They are at best a very narrow measure at that. The numbers can be played with a million ways. No Child "Left Behind", allows schools to disaggregate the numbers of those who are on the fringes of the system. So we don't have to include the scores from kids who are just learning english, the special ed. kids, and the kids who are reading more than 2 years below grade level. I ask you, doesn't that mean that those very kids who need the most educational focus are by definition being "left behind"???
A few years back, my daughter's teacher recommended that she be tested for the Gifted program at her school. She was a third grader at the time and had never taken a timed test. She needed a 97% score on the test to be accepted into the gifted program. At the end of the testing period she was still working away. The gifted program teacher told her it was time to stop working. She looked up incredulously at the teacher and said "but I'm not finished yet", the teacher said "but you have to stop anyway, it's a timed test". My daughter said "don't you want me to finish??" ...she got an 87 on the test that year. Later, in 5th grade, she scored very well and entered the gifted program. She wasn't any brighter two years later, she had just become a better test taker, thanks to DAD teaching her how to do well on a timed test...This kind of thing happens all the time to kids on standardized tests. Some very bright kids test poorly, and some average kids do very well. Measuring a school's performance, and labeling it as "underperforming" in the local newspaper on the basis of standardized test results is unfair, plain and simple, and that is the kind of punishment system NCLB has instituted on a nationwide scale. I for one don't believe it has anything to do with helping kids do better in school. IMO it is a political ploy designed to appeal to the kind of simple minded "bad teachers" "bad NEA" mentality exhibited by some here. If only it were that simple. I have been a teacher for a very long time. I believe strongly in standards and accountability. I have never belonged to any Education Association. There is no question in my mind that the education system in the US needs help desperately. NCLB won't do anything to help it. It'll just make the teacher haters feel better, and give states mountains of Federal paperwork they have to comply with.
Clipped for you below are a portion of the grades 4-8 standards that my state uses, if you really want to know what my state is doing. This is only a portion, I scanned 4 out of 16 pages of standards for these grade levels.Similar standards exist for reading and language arts, as well as science, social studies, music, arts and technology.
Note that the standards are largely unchanged from their original development before NCLB was even a glimmer in the President's well educated mind.
STANDARD 1: NUMBER SENSE
Students develop number sense and use numbers and number relationships to acquire basic facts,
to solve a wide variety of real-world problems, and to determine the reasonableness of results.
Note: Certain performance objectives may appear to be misnumbered. This document has been
reformatted and the numbering from the original document has been retained.
• 1M-E1. Read, write and order integers, whole numbers and rational numbers
(Grades 4-5)
PO 1. Compare and order using concrete or illustrated models
A. whole numbers (to millions)
B. common fractions (halves, thirds, fourths, eighths)
C. decimals (thousandths)
PO 2. Represent place value using concrete or illustrated models
A. whole numbers (millions), decimals (thousandths)
PO 3. Read and write whole numbers, integers, common fractions and decimals using real-
world situations
A. whole number (millions), decimals (thousandths), fractions (halves, thirds,
fourths, eighths)
(Grade 6-8)
PO 1. Compare and order using concrete or illustrated models
D. rational numbers (e.g., -5, 1.2, 1 3/4, square root of 16)
PO 2. Represent place value using concrete or illustrated models
B. rational numbers (millions to millionths)
PO 3. Read and write whole numbers, integers, common fractions and decimals using real-
world situations
B. rational numbers (millions to millionths)
• 1M-E2. Relate the basic arithmetic operations to one another (e.g., multiplication and
division are inverse operations)
(Grades 4-5)
PO 1. Represent the process of multiplication as repeated addition, using concrete or
illustrative models
A. whole numbers
PO 2. Represent the process of division as repeated subtraction, partitioning a group and
partitioning a whole, using concrete or illustrative models
A. whole numbers
PO 3. Write the family of equations using inverse operations for a given set of numbers
A. whole numbers with addition/subtraction [(4 + 5 = 9, 5 + 4 = 9, 9 ? 4 = 5,
9 ? 5 = 4) and multiplication/division]
(Grades 6-8)
PO 1. Represent the process of multiplication as repeated addition, using concrete or
illustrative models
B. fractions and decimals
PO 2. Represent the process of division as repeated subtraction, partitioning a group and
partitioning a whole, using concrete or illustrative models
B. fractions and decimals
PO 3. Write the family of equations using inverse operations for a given set of numbers
B. positive fractions and decimals, integers with addition/subtraction and
multiplication/division
• 1M-E3. Demonstrate proficiency with the operations of multiplication and division of
whole numbers
(Grades 4-5)
PO 1. Calculate multiplication/division
A. three-digit by two-digit to find the product
B. facts through 12
C. mental math and estimation with multiples of 10
D. one-digit divisor to find quotient with remainder
PO 2. Calculate multiplication and division problems using contextual situations
(Grades 6-8)
PO 1. Calculate multiplication/division
E. two-digit divisor, with remainders and rounding in context (e.g., percentages and
money)
PO 2. Calculate multiplication and division problems using contextual situations
• 1M-E4. Develop and apply number theory concepts (e.g., primes, factors and
multiples) to represent numbers in various ways
(Grades 4-5)
PO 1. State the factors for a given whole number
PO 4. Sort numbers by their properties
A. odd, even
(Grades 6-8)
PO 2. Factor a whole number into a product of its primes (prime factorization)
PO 3. Identify greatest common factor and least common multiples for a set of whole
numbers
PO 4. Sort numbers by their properties
B. prime, composite, square, square root
PO 5. Simplify numerical expressions using order of operations
• 1M-E5. Represent and use numbers in equivalent forms (integers, fractions, percent,
decimals, exponents, scientific notation and square roots)
(Grades 4-5)
PO 2. Demonstrate the relationship and equivalency among
A. decimals, fractions and percents (e.g.,1/2 = .5 = 50% with halves, fourths and
tenths)
(Grades 6-8)
PO 1. Add, subtract, multiply and divide integers, positive fractions and decimals
PO 2. Demonstrate the relationship and equivalency among
B. decimals, fractions, ratios, percents
PO 3. Factor numbers into prime form and express in exponential form
PO 4. Convert standard notation to scientific notation and vice versa with positive
exponents
PO 5. Determine the square root of a perfect square
• 1M-E6. Recognize that the degree of precision needed in calculating a number depends
on how the results will be used and the instruments used to generate the measurements
(Grades 4-5)
PO 2. Apply the appropriate strategy (e.g., estimation, approximation, rounding or exact
numbers) when calculating to solve problems
PO 3. Demonstrate/describe the magnitude of
A. whole numbers (e.g., ?How many apples in the orchard??)
Note: We recommend that the following be assessed at the district level:
PO 4. Interpret calculations and calculator results within a contextual situation
(Grades 6-8)
PO 1. Express answers to the appropriate place or degree of precision (e.g., time, money, pi)
PO 2. Apply the appropriate strategy (e.g., estimation, approximation, rounding or exact
numbers) when calculating to solve problems
PO 3. Demonstrate/describe the magnitude of
B. rational numbers (e.g., ?How small is a bacterium??)......
___________________________________
In this world of sin and sorrow, there is always something to be thankful for; as for me, I rejoice that I am not a Republican. -- H.L. Mencken
posted on October 15, 2003 03:37:18 AM new
This came about because states weren't doing enough.... look in the mirror and at your fellow educators...just because some of you are meeting the standards, many weren't; this is the reason we have NCLB.
This act set standards for all states to follow if they wanted the funds... it does not say it would be an open wallet.
In the case of education I applaud strong Federal govt. State governments have been woefully in adequate in this area and at last this may be the kick in the azz they needed.
edit to add a line
AIN'T LIFE GRAND...
[ edited by Twelvepole on Oct 15, 2003 06:25 AM ]
posted on October 15, 2003 06:39:18 AM new
Twelve, I love it, here's a case where you are on the side of the feds and I am against 'em!
I would be more on the fed's side in this case- if the program were set up to actuallly make a difference. I have to believe that it was *meant* to make a difference, that it wasn't meant to be an empty slogan. But the emphasis on test taking, which didn't used to be considered a skill- has really shifted the focus of the schools, away from teaching knowledge. My kids, both of them were tested into the gifted program. I thought that might mean they got tought *deeper* so to speak- allowed to explore more in a subject. All the school wanted was an excellerated acedemics class- they want the kids to be at a twelfth grade level by the time they reach eighth grade- in every subject. What's interesting, is the kids we know in a Catholic school, are pretty much at the same pace- in their regular classes,
The thing about "giftedness" is that it is sometimes more like a learning disability. some kids are incredible in one subject- and backwards in everything else. My daughter was okay, her "speciality " is language arts- and visual art- but she was able to struggle along in math and science. My son however, is easily over-stimulated, and gets quiet when the room is too noisy for him. in 1'st grade, the teacher asked me to take him out of her class- not because he was disruptive, but because he was dreamy! She was unwilling to stop and work with him because she had a classroom of 30 and she had been told she had to bring the test scores up. The gifted program had a couple of tutors that would pull kids out of class for extra help- my son got thrown out of the program, and lost the tutors that he needed. He was moved into the "normal" classroom,which was noisier and more chaotic, and that teacher tried her best with him. He tested back into the gifted program the next year, and did okay, but never really brought his scores up. I asked the psychologist "are you sure he isn't A-D-D?" He said "No- he IS gifted- sometimes it just looks the same"
He likes to work slow, and he does terribly on timed tests but very high on regular tests. He has had the worst school career- one teacher actually developed Alzhiemers- she was great for my daughter, but a basket case by the time my son got to her- the administration had to talk her into retiring and it took half the year, during which she lost books, and the kids got fined for them- shouted, never graded a paper- couldn't remember names- she would get mad at one kid and right up someone else's name.Discipline went out the window, most kids were scared to go to class, and the administration had to pretty much scrap that grades she reported during that time. When she finally left, the student teacher was left in charge for the rest of the year.
The year after that he got a teacher that is so obnoxious, disorganised, and ineffective- each year the parents who are in her class find themselves in a group demanding she be fired. And she is not fired. My son ended her class with failing grades on his report card- yet, he made the highest scores for anyone in his grade, in reading comprehension and social studies tests...well, guess what? the school moved him ahead anyway. But it has taken him two years to regain his classroom skills from that woman. I hate her. If I were driving my car and I saw her walking, I would try to hit her.
If you want to see some real gains try "No classroom over 20 children"
even 25 would be better.
The thing is, for all the talk about testing, the teachers are just human beings, and they are dealing with human beings- little ones- and they are dealing with 25 to 35
of these little human beings each day. They are expected to show the kind of results that a car mechanic would- get that motor tuned up, get that gasket sealed- and education doesn't work that way. There are always kids who just learn differently than most. In the old days they could move into a trade school, but that isn't an option anymore, for some insane reason But even the car machanic model would be more effective if the poor slob teacher didn't have to work on 32 cars at once!
The problem with a program like "no Child Left Behind" is that so very many children DO get left behind, but they slip out of the reporting loop. It should be "No child that can take tests gets left behind"
"And All Shall be Well, and All Shall be Well, and All Manner of Things Shall be Well"
posted on October 15, 2003 06:50:38 AM new
I've looked in the mirror plenty of times over the last quarter century twelve, and as an educator, I like what I see. Be advised once again that you don't know anything about my professional training, experience or methods beyond what precious little I have chosen to expose on this board. Any assumptions you make beyond that are made in ignorance.
I know it's really easy to blame everything on teachers. Like I said, that's a simple-minded rationale. As in any profession, there are those who are masters of thier craft and those who never will be. American society has never wanted to admit that it's teachers are human; but, in fact, we are. Sorry about that.
No one who truly understands NCLB thought it would be "an open wallet". I don't think it's too much to ask though, that the program be fully funded as promised. That funding has not and apparently will not come through. Testing alone will cost the states about 1 billion dollars yearly each at a time when most are straining under huge deficits, each will only be repaid about 400 million from federal funds for the first year.
Educators, myself included, support the goals of the NCLB Act, but if the mandates are not funded as promised because this country is busy cutting taxes and nation building overseas, it's going to be our kids who suffer,and NCLB will become no more than another example of underfunded federal mandates. Just like IDEA. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1975 (the "special education" act), has never been fully funded. Congress promised 40% of state's costs for that one. It was going to make sweeping changes in the way special needs students are educated. The current federal contribution is only about 17%, and many states are swamped trying to pay the costs of keeping up with this act's demands already, now along comes NCLB, and in it's first year of implementation, we find out it's funds are already being cut! IMO, this is nothing more than making political pawns of the nation's school kids, and their teachers and administrators into convenient scapegoats.
"Here, you states, jump through all these hoops to prove you are educating our kids..oh and don't forget, you have to pay for those hoops!"
If you're only interested in assigning blame, the solutions to society's problems are pretty simple, I guess. Those of us who are actually trying to make a difference see things a bit differently.
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In this world of sin and sorrow, there is always something to be thankful for; as for me, I rejoice that I am not a Republican. -- H.L. Mencken
