TheBanyanTree: ESEA

[JNorton]

I think I mentioned it was state testing week. It's interesting to note that
the Republicans, who have historically been against government intrusion
into state business, have legislated the most sweeping intrusion into local
education EVER with the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), also
known as No Child Left Behind. Teachers prefer to call it No Child Left
Untested.

My students who are all 4-6 grades below grade level and who have learning
disabilities or mental retardation were tested on 5th and 6th grade levels.
And so were the kids who are English language learners, including those who
have been here a year or less or are non-English speakers. There scores will
be included in with all the other scores and our schools will be judged
based on these scores.

What happens if a school doesn't score well? They might get extra funding
and a couple of years to improve. Or the principal could be replaced and
teachers from "good" schools transferred to help the students do better. Or
the worst case scenario is the state takes over the school district and all
teacher contracts and due process protections under our negotiated contracts
go out the window.

There's a requirement that all schools have to be above the 50th percentile.
If you have ANY knowledge of statistics, you know that this is impossible.
No matter if ALL the schools do well, statistically, there'll always be
those below the 50th percentile.

My school district will be compared to districts that have median incomes
above $50,000 a year, parents with high school or above education and are
literate, parents who speak fluent English and English is spoken in the
home. In my district, the median income is probably $30,000. About 75% of
the kids are on free or reduced lunch. English is most likely the second
language and many parents don't speak it in the home, much less read or
write it (and some of them are illiterate in their native language). A high
school education is the average education level of the parents. And probably
1/3 of the students have been in the district less than 2 years.

So, we give these tests to children who probably are just guessing at the
answers. They finish a 75 minute reading and math tests in 40 minutes or
less, and tell us the test was so easy. We know differently because most of
them couldn't even do the sample questions.

Jena, Full Moon Warrior Princess