Reply #8: Classrooms in SoCal. [View All]

[longship]

In many districts here in Southern California classrooms have over 40 students. The districts justify this by spewing studies that conclude that classroom size is not correlated to quality of education. The teacher's unions here are livid about it but are powerless to fight the too powerful school boards.

A high school at which I was teaching, in an at risk district, was mainlining all 9th grade students through algebra regardless of their qualifications, and regardless of the fact that 3/4 of them were failing. This was a direct result of NCLB. The state of California has adopted a high school exit exam which requires high academic achievement in mathematics. They are going to require *all* students to take math through geometry.

In the year after I was fired (along with 5 other math teachers at my school for not being fully credentialed) the algebra failure rate increased to 92%! The firings were justified by arguing that they needed only "fully qualified" teachers. This, in spite of the fact that we were hired as intern teachers and were in the process of obtaining our credentials.

That same school is now teaching algebra classes with substitute teachers because they cannot find replacements. That means that the substitute can teach only six weeks before another sub must be put in the position. That was done the year I was first hired and the discipline in those classes was a nightmare. There was zero learning happening.

All this in the name of NCLB.

NCLB is a nightmare for our children.