NCLB

I recently read an article given to me by a fellow classmate and colleague. It was about a teacher who refused to administer the NCLB test in his classroom. He ended up giving it the next day, to keep his job, but his decision to boycott the test was interesting. The NCLB is very controversial in the realm of education and is something which sparks great debate. As a teacher, I feel the test is unfair as it places enormous pressure on schools and students to do well. As a teacher in a reasonably wealthy school district the pressures have not yet hit home, but I can not imagine the pressure of a poorer district where the test is staring them in the face. I remember being at a meeting when our superintendent said what year we would not pass the AYP (Annual Yearly Progress). It was remarkable that we know that we will fail the AYP because the expectations are not possible: 100% proficient by 2014!

The tests which the teacher decided to boycott are extremely biased. Not every student learns the same way, and to assess students the same way across the country is absurd. The matters facing our schools are a local issue and should be handled locally. Instead of testing the students there should be greater responsibility on the teachers and administrators for making sure that students are learning. There are many teachers out there who do a spectacular job at teaching their students. Their students learn and can show it based on the assessment given in class. Those who do not meet the requirements of the job should be placed on notice by an overseeing administrator.

Of course this is easy in an affluent school district where the parents are involved, the students are motivated, and the teachers are very qualified. However, in other school districts the answers are not so easy. Rebuilding the school as a center of the community is a must, so that students will feel safe at school and want to attend. If schools are a place of pride, there will be a greater emphasis on learning from the student and the cycle of falling achievement can be broken. This is obviously not the only answer, but I feel it is the best place to begin.

As for the teacher who refused to give the NCLB test, good for him. The politicians need to know that catchy slogans like "No Child Left Behind" may win elections, but they do not advance the cause of education.