Reply #27: No ploy here. I live NCLB [View All]

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In Iowa, we have had historically good schools with LOCALLY dervied standards. Due to our selection of the Iowa Test of Educational Development (ITED) as our assessment tool, about half our schools will be considered failing. The ITEDs are much harder than most other states' tests so the criteria for failing or succeeding as a school is NOT standardized.

As a teacher, I am professional enough to work with others to develop meaningful and appropriate standards. Its what I'm trained for. Should we have no standards? Absolutely not. We need some, but they should be locally derived, achievable, and should not apply to certain populations of students. For example, a student with a severe mental disability should not have to pass the same test as a Harvard bound grad.

NCLB allows us to exempt 1% of our school from the test--we have that many students in our "Severely and Profoundly Disabled" classes. These are students that are wheelchair-bound, have limited or no power of speech and no control over motor skills.

I also have to test the student that has been institutionalized after having been physicaly and sexually abused by a parent. I have to test a homeless kid--and he must be proficient, regardless of what is going on in his life. Throw the damn thing out and start over. I don't trust Republicans to craft legislation for the public schools. Sen. Kennedy is on record as saying they threw out his most cherished parts of the legislation. It is also why Jeffords left their party.

Edited for spelling--can't let it go as a teacher.