…and i’ll find me a soapbox where i can shout it

The number of articles that deal with the issue of schools needing to improve to meet the standards of No Child Left Behind can be so overwhelming at times that one could grow serious doubts about our nation’s educational system.  I came across such an article written by Kathryn Heidecker from the Daily Freeman on January 12, 2007 that I felt was perfect to respond to because of its discussion of two topics that seem to be recurring themes in the debate – Adequate Yearly Progress and teaching to the test.

Three districts were cited in this article as needing improvement because they failed to achieve AYP in English test scores in middle and secondary classrooms.  What does this all mean?  The state could end up taking action if districts fail to meet the standards set forth by NCLB, possibly allowing students to attend nearby public schools, replacing staff, instituting a new curriculum, and an assortment of other creative ideas set forth by politicians staring at statistics rather than actual situations.  If you are questioning my neutrality stance on the issue from that last statement, understand that my cynicism is a result from my frustrations towards AYP, an idea that sounds great on the surface, but appears so flawed in writing. 

In some cases, the designation for needing improvement in middle-level and secondary English Language Arts means that as little as 1 percent of students are not performing up to par, said James Douglass, the Kingston district’s director of secondary education.

I think that making schools and teachers more accountable is a great thing, but the standards we are holding these districts to must be reasonable.  The way in which we are deciding AYP can also be brought into question.

…many students did not take sufficient notes during the oral comprehension part of the state English exam last year, and as a result, scored poorly on an essay portion of a test…

There is a nuance in having students know how to take a test… teachers have worked with consultants hired by district specifically to address testing strategies for students.

I think that if you were looking at this issue of teaching to the test, and just allowed yourself to take a step back and really see what was happening here, it would be easy to notice how ridiculous it has become.  Is using classroom time to prepare students to take tests that are assigned for states to evaluate schools and have little to do with the skills these students need for the future really a valuable use of time? 

 full article