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| Fri, 11-07-2008 - 11:33am |
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Chicago_Laboratory_School
Obama's girls have a nice school to attend; if public education is so great, how come his girl's don't go to public school?

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Most schools that are termed 'failing' under NCLB are not 'failing' for the majority of students. One of the biggest problems with the legislation is the way a school is labeled as failing. All students are expected to be 'proficient' on grade level material regardless of things like learning disability, mental limitations, including students who do not yet speak English. In addition this years students are compared to last years students. Individual student progress and growth is not compared, but this year's class is compared to last year's class.
Is it reasonable that a the progress of a student who does not yet speak or read English on grade level is measured on the basis of a grade level English test? Does it make sense that a student whose intelligence is just a point or two above mental retardation is expected to score the same as a student of average intelligence on grade level material? Does it make sense that a student has been labeled as Special Ed based in part on their inability to demonstrate grade level academic growth relative to his/her peers is then magically expected to show that growth on grade level material on test day? And yet failure of any of these groups can put the school into failure status. That doesn't mean that the majority of students are not showing growth, sometime exceptional growth, if one sub group fails the school is termed as failing.
And then there is the attendance factor. If enough parents do not value sending their children to school regularly the school's attendance rate can fall and that can put the school into failure status as well.
We have had a form of NCLB in Ohio since 1995-96.
That would be a very simplistic reading of my post don't you think? Do you think it is reasonable for a student who has just begun to learn English to be tested in entirely in English? Do you think it is reasonable that a child with an intelligence level just barely above mentally retarded should be expected to be on grade level material? Do you think it is reasonable to judge this years students, not against their own scores last year, but against the scores of last year's students? Do you think it is fair that parents can choose not to send their children to school and the school can be penalized for that decision?
I await your answers.
" Do you think it is reasonable for a student who has just begun to learn English to be tested in entirely in English? "
NCLB exempts LEP students for 1 year. http://www.ed.gov/admins/lead/account/lepfactsheet.html
Defines a recently arrived LEP student as an LEP student who has attended schools in the United States for 12 months or less.
Permits a State to exempt recently arrived LEP students from one administration of the State's reading/language arts assessment.
Requires a State to include recently arrived LEP students in State mathematics assessments and, beginning in 2007-2008, State science assessments; however—
—it permits the State to not count in Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) determinations the scores of recently arrived LEP students on State mathematics and/or reading/language arts (if taken) assessments.
Requires a State that exempts recently arrived LEP students from the reading/language arts assessment to publicly report the number of students exempted for this reason.
Makes clear that States and Local Education Agencies remain responsible for providing appropriate and adequate instruction to recently arrived LEP students so they will gain English language skills and be able to master content knowledge in reading/language arts and other subjects.
" Do you think it is reasonable that a child with an intelligence level just barely above mentally retarded should be expected to be on grade level material?"
My understanding is 2% of the student population in any district or state may be excluded from normal NCLB testing due to cognitive impairment. What percentage do you propose?
http://www.ed.gov/admins/lead/speced/toolkit/idea-nclb.doc
" Do you think it is reasonable to judge this years students, not against their own scores last year, but against the scores of last year's students?"
Yes, NCLB tests grade level performance, not student level performance. Do you propose we have no minimum standard per grade?
"Do you think it is fair that parents can choose not to send their children to school and the school can be penalized for that decision?"
A school which is incapable of managing the crime of truancy should be punished in my opinion. Do you suggest attendance be optional?
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