Spring time is a time for rebirth. Flowers planted last session begin to sprout, grow and bloom. Trees begin to blossom and shower pollen, birds begin to sing. The time changes and along with that comes longer days. Springs signify that summer and summertime fun is just around the corner; but for schools and school districts it signals the frantic preparation of state testing, and everything it entails. For teachers it is a stressful time of making sure that their students are ready for the high stakes state exams. From teaching topics to meet standards, to administering assessments prior to these test, teachers and students alike do not see spring as a time of April showers that bring May flowers, but as a time of pass or fail.
So what exactly are these state exam? Known as No Child Left Behind and Common Core Standards are educational reforms that were introduced under the administration of President George W. Bush and continued as Race to the Top in President Obama’s administration. These initiatives are the answers to the demand for high quality K-12 public school education. It requires that states, and school districts across the country hold public schools, principals and teachers accountable for the passing or failing of their students. In order to do so each state must adopt an approved curriculum that would close the achievement gap, improve teaching quality and ensure that students were prepared for college and career ready.
No Child Left Behind also required states to produce penalties for schools that failed. Unfortunately, even the best plans faces a great deal of setbacks and design flaws. No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top became mired in the fact that it offered states financial rewards if they complied, ...
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... Implementing more professional development, mentorship, and requiring Teaching Schools to raise their standards so that those who truly deserve to teach can in fact be selected to impart knowledge to our next generation. Returning to end of school year exams for each course in which the material was taught. No longer do we need fill in the bubble, but we need critical thinkers. We need students who well see the world objectively and be able to think through problems, not just answer questions by rote or memory.
Certain information can only be learned by rote, but how they are taught makes all the difference in the world. Spring time should not be a time of stress, less teaching, and a worrisome time for teachers and students alike. It should be seen as a time preparation for the next grade, and a time that brings what they have learned through the year to closure.
...nge of lessening the amount of testing that goes on in schools. As a future parent I would hate knowing that all my child is getting out of school is a bunch of right answers drilled into their head instead of having the chance to gain useful knowledge and grow. With that being said, knowing how much of a role standardized testing has taken in schools makes teaching a less desirable profession to get into. Being a teacher is all about growing the minds of students and inspiring them to gain the knowledge they need while making learning fun. All of that is impossible with they way things are now. Although schools have made many accomplishments and are far better than when they started out in the 1700s, there is still a good amount of change that still needs to happen. I am interested to see where education will go and where it will be at when I begin to teach myself.
Most students look forward to fall and spring break. It’s a time of rest and relaxation and perhaps for a few, a chance to get ahead on assignments. These breaks are often something that I personally look forward too, furthermore assuming that this is the same for other students as well.
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001’s main purpose was to enhance the education system and hold schools accountable in its attempt to bring equality in the fight against poverty for poor and minority groups. Once this Act was signed into law the American public expected an overhaul of the education system with only good outcomes. The public assumed our children would be receiving the best education available and the economic issues that plagued schools would no longer be a problem. In the beginning of its implementation No Child Left Behind was expected to bring America up to standards with other nations, this was something that America has struggled to do for many years. Our children were now being put first according to Act and the public and many political figures were ecstatic over the possibilities.
The implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act applied a market approach to school reform as a way of improving the school system. This new law promised an era of high standards, testing, and accountability in
The proposed Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act identifies key factors for college and career-ready students. The act asks that states adopt rigorous college and career ready standards in English/language arts and mathematics along with assessments aligned to these standards. In June of 2010, the NGA Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) released the Common Core State Standards which 45 out of 50 states have currently adopted. Additionally, states are required to develop a system of accountability that rewards successful schools, requires interventions for the lowest-perfor...
According to a report from the National Summer Learning Association, it’s common practice for teachers to dedicate at least one month to re-teaching material students have forgotten over the summer[3]. Reviewing material is one thing; completely re-teaching it is quite another. Instead of continuing the educational momentum of the previous school year, teachers and students lose at least four weeks of valuable instruction time in order to relearn the same material, but beyond this - summer slide can affect students on an individual level.
Since 2010, there were 45 states that have adopted the same educational standards called Common Core State Standards (CCSS). The initiative is sponsored by the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers and seeks to establish consistent education standards across the states. The Common Core Standards is initiative state-led effort that established a single set of clear educational standards for kindergarten through 12th grade in English and Mathematical standards. These standards help to educate all of the students equally, they help children who move from state to state, as well as they help to prepare students for college and workplace. The common core standard helps to provide a clear understanding for teachers and parents of what is expected of the students to learn. It is designed to help educate our children for the future; it gives them the knowledge and skill they need to be prepared for post secondary education and employment. "The standards are designed to be robust and relevant to the real world." (National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, Council of Chief State School Officers)
Education is the foundation of American society. It empowers the youth of America to become the successful leaders this country needs for the future. Education has been one of America’s top priorities since 1965, when the Elementary and Secondary Education Act was passed. Now, education is controlled by the No Child Left Behind Act, which was launched in January 8, 2002. This act was passed with intentions from the government to provide Americans with a more superior education system. However, The No Child Left Behind Act carried many flaws which were left unseen to a vast majority of the public. This act limited American students by not allowing them to demonstrate their full academic potentials while proceeding in school. While the act was still fairly fresh, there was already evidence to prove that it had already gotten off to a bad beginning. For the crucial math and science courses, statistics showed minimal improvements which had begun around the time period in which the No Child Left Behind Act was passed. The act was also supported by a number of educators who voiced themselves by testifying against having the right to teach at their own free will. Teachers across America claimed that because of this new act, they felt a constant heaviness upon their shoulders from the state government to “Teach the test.”
No Child Left Behind (NCLB) is currently the educational policy in the United States. Prior to NCLB the educational policies in effect were “A Nation at Risk, in 1987 America 2000, and a few years later with Goals 2000” (Eisner, 2001, p.21). No Child Left Behind is a test based accountability system used in schools to measure their performance holding the districts, administrators and teachers liable and accountable for the outcomes. Supovitz (2009) States that No Child Left Behind was a major reform initiative intended to bring about widespread improvements in student performance and reduce inequities between ethnic groups and other traditionally under-served populations like economically disadvantaged students, students from major racial
At a time of wide public concern about the state of education, the legislation sets in place requirements that reach into virtually every public school in America. The law emphasizes accountability, teacher quality, parent choice, improved teaching methods, and flexibility. (Correa) Strict requirements and deadlines have been set for states to expand the scope and frequency of student testing, revamp their accountability system and guarantee that every classroom is staffed by a ?highly qualified? teacher in his or her own subject area. (I ed) The plan also mandates annual student testing in reading and math by 2005, and requires all school districts to allow students in consistently low-performing schools to transfer to higher performing schools, at the districts expense. (Hull) From year to year, states are required to improve the quality of their schools. No Child Left Behind has expanded the federal ...
In 2002, President George W. Bush passed the “No Child Left Behind Act” which tied in schools’ public funding to standardized tests and enforced the tests in elementary and high schools every year by state education departments. This law also began to put more emphasize on standardized tests which has diminished our level of education and the law “made standardized test scores the primary measure of school quality” (Diane Ravitch 28). Bush hoped this law motivated more students to do well on these exams and teachers to help them prepare better, but it ended up hurting many schools in the process. These exams like the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) should not play such a prominent role in schooling and the government should not make tests the main focal point.
The Common Core State Standards has been adopted by many states in the United States already. This issue is gaining both positive and negative opinions within the education world and society. Some want to know why the standards were created and what the meaning behind these standards is. What is the reasoning for implementing these standards, and why is there so much controversy that follows. Why do these four words cause such controversy? The following will analyze and evaluate The Common Core State Standards in hopes to understand why education is being overtaken by them.
The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLBA) deals with student achievement standards by holding schools accountable for the achievement of their students (Implementation 11). The NCLBA uses standardized tests to chart the success of students. If students are not meeting standards, the school is required to offer tutoring, which is funded by the state with Title I, the education mandate passed in which granted all public schools access to federal grants, money (No Subject 7). The Act itself is not the problem; the problem is that the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) standard which is a big part of the NCLBA is not being met. The AYP standard is not being met because schools are not changing their methods quickly enough. It was said in the NCLBA that schools nationwide were to have 100% proficiency of the AYP standard within 12 years (Implementation 9). Since the passing of the NCLBA in 2001, most public schools, nationwide have not improved at all.
In society, education can be seen as a foundation for success. Education prepares people for their careers and allows them to contribute to society efficiently. However, there is an achievement gap in education, especially between Hispanics and Blacks. In other words, there is education inequality between these minorities and white students. This achievement gap is a social problem in the education system since this is affecting many schools in the United States. As a response to this social problem, the No Child Left Behind Act was passed to assist in closing this achievement gap by holding schools more accountable for the students’ progress. Unsuccessful, the No Child Left Behind Act was ineffective as a social response since schools were pushed to produce high test scores in order to show a student’s academic progress which in turn, pressured teachers and students even more to do well on these tests.
The No Child Left Behind Act, standardized testing, and the large use of technology are some of the reasons why the United States is falling behind in educational rankings. The No Child Left Behind Act was set into place with the goal to improve student performance in school, and close the achievement gap between students; as Stecher, Vernez, and Steinburg state, “When Congress passed the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), it established an ambitious goal for the nation’s states, districts, and schools: All children will be proficient in reading and mathematics by the 2013-2014 school year” (1). While the No Child Left Behind Act was implemented with good intentions, the act itself is one of the main reasons the United States is falling behind in educational rankings. One of the most common complaints from parents surrounding the No Child Left Behind Act is the weakest link factor: the weakest student sets the pace in the classroom. The weakest student takes attention away from children whose learning level is above theirs....