Submitted by Heather Ramage (not verified) on September 18, 2007 - 17:21.
The “No Child Left Behind” (NCLB) law has had a great impact on reading instruction in our schools. The law was enacted in 2002 and its premises were to hold accountability in our schools, enable local control, and give parents options. The goal of NCLB was to help give teachers information about their students’ strengths and weaknesses in reading and math through tests. The results of the tests would then gear the teacher’s lesson plans and instruction to meet the student’s individual needs. NCLB provides resources and even funding to the schools.
NCLB has made it so that a parent can expect that his or her child knows how to read by the end of third grade. Families can now, for the first time, expect that their child will be at or above grade level. This is very important. NCLB is now holding schools, teachers, and even parents accountable for a child’s success. Accountability is key in any field. Why not make accountability key in education?!
NCLB has given over 50 million parents a choice and has offered free tutoring to over 500,000 students. This tutoring would have never been offered before NCLB. However, even with the greatness there come some flaws. NCLB has birthed other problems, not only are the demands strenuous on teachers, they are also hard on the students. The assessments were not made for our ESE, ESL, or ELL students. These students, unfortunately, end up falling behind no matter what. These are the students that spend three years in third grade. These are the low income area schools that are labeled with a failing grade. These are the teachers that are being threatened with pay cuts.
NCLB has honorable goals in mind, but the implementation must be refined. NCLB has controlled reading in every aspect. Reading has now been added to every subject area including art and P.E. Reading has been made an integral part of every aspect of education. Reading is being woven into the lives of our students so that they can achieve the NCLB goals. I agree that reading is an extremely important tool, and it should be stressed in education. But, I also feel that it may be over stressed. I feel that students are being robbed of fostering a joy and love for reading and their education. They are being crammed with so much information, bombarded with so many demands, and burned with so many exams they can not enjoy learning something that has so much as stake for them? If they do not meet the reading standard, it will hold them back and prevent them from passing a grade or even graduating from high school! It’s grossly controlling their future.
NCLB has inadvertently taken away the creativity in education. It has made state wide standards and national standards that are not fair to the students. Every area is its own and every area should be treated as such. I think that accountability is key, but I feel that NCLB is leaving kids behind in other ways. The child that spends three years in third grade is being left behind. The students that have completed all of their courses but cannot pass the state exam are being left behind. The school that can not get a passing grade on the state exam is being left behind. Furthermore, the teacher that is being forced to teach a “set curriculum” with a “set of text books” on a “set calendar” is not a teacher, but is a slave to the NCLB. Is this fostering a healthy understanding and joy for reading? I think not. I think we have big problem.
Works Cited
Furger, R (2007, September). NCLB: Law and Evolution. Edutopia, Retrieved September 17, 2007, from http://www.edutopia.org/whats-next-2007-nclb-improvement
Spelling, M (2007, September, 10 ). Leaving No Child Behind. Washington Post, Retrieved September 17, 2007, from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/09/AR2007090901247.html?sub=new
The good, the bad, and the oh so very ugly NCLB!
Submitted by Heather Ramage (not verified) on September 18, 2007 - 17:21.
The “No Child Left Behind” (NCLB) law has had a great impact on reading instruction in our schools. The law was enacted in 2002 and its premises were to hold accountability in our schools, enable local control, and give parents options. The goal of NCLB was to help give teachers information about their students’ strengths and weaknesses in reading and math through tests. The results of the tests would then gear the teacher’s lesson plans and instruction to meet the student’s individual needs. NCLB provides resources and even funding to the schools.
NCLB has made it so that a parent can expect that his or her child knows how to read by the end of third grade. Families can now, for the first time, expect that their child will be at or above grade level. This is very important. NCLB is now holding schools, teachers, and even parents accountable for a child’s success. Accountability is key in any field. Why not make accountability key in education?!
NCLB has given over 50 million parents a choice and has offered free tutoring to over 500,000 students. This tutoring would have never been offered before NCLB. However, even with the greatness there come some flaws. NCLB has birthed other problems, not only are the demands strenuous on teachers, they are also hard on the students. The assessments were not made for our ESE, ESL, or ELL students. These students, unfortunately, end up falling behind no matter what. These are the students that spend three years in third grade. These are the low income area schools that are labeled with a failing grade. These are the teachers that are being threatened with pay cuts.
NCLB has honorable goals in mind, but the implementation must be refined. NCLB has controlled reading in every aspect. Reading has now been added to every subject area including art and P.E. Reading has been made an integral part of every aspect of education. Reading is being woven into the lives of our students so that they can achieve the NCLB goals. I agree that reading is an extremely important tool, and it should be stressed in education. But, I also feel that it may be over stressed. I feel that students are being robbed of fostering a joy and love for reading and their education. They are being crammed with so much information, bombarded with so many demands, and burned with so many exams they can not enjoy learning something that has so much as stake for them? If they do not meet the reading standard, it will hold them back and prevent them from passing a grade or even graduating from high school! It’s grossly controlling their future.
NCLB has inadvertently taken away the creativity in education. It has made state wide standards and national standards that are not fair to the students. Every area is its own and every area should be treated as such. I think that accountability is key, but I feel that NCLB is leaving kids behind in other ways. The child that spends three years in third grade is being left behind. The students that have completed all of their courses but cannot pass the state exam are being left behind. The school that can not get a passing grade on the state exam is being left behind. Furthermore, the teacher that is being forced to teach a “set curriculum” with a “set of text books” on a “set calendar” is not a teacher, but is a slave to the NCLB. Is this fostering a healthy understanding and joy for reading? I think not. I think we have big problem.
Works Cited
Furger, R (2007, September). NCLB: Law and Evolution. Edutopia, Retrieved September 17, 2007, from http://www.edutopia.org/whats-next-2007-nclb-improvement
Spelling, M (2007, September, 10 ). Leaving No Child Behind. Washington Post, Retrieved September 17, 2007, from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/09/AR2007090901247.html?sub=new