NCLB - A perspective...

[StayBack500FT]

No Child Left Behind: The Football Version

1. All teams must make the state playoffs, and all will win the
championship. If a team does not win the championship, they will be on
probation until they are the champions, and coaches will be held
accountable...and possibly released.

2. All kids will be expected to have the same football skills at the
same time and in the same conditions. No exceptions will be made for
interest in football, a desire to perform athletically, or genetic
abilities or disabilities. ALL KIDS WILL PLAY FOOTBALL AT A PROFICIENT
LEVEL.

3. Talented players will be asked to work out on their own without
instruction. This is because the coaches will be using all their
instructional time with the athletes who aren't interested in football,
have limited athletic ability or whose parents don't like football.

4. Games will be played year round, but statistics will only be kept in
the 4th, 8th and 11th games.

5. This will create a New Age of sports where every school is expected
to have the same level of talent and all teams will reach the same
minimal goals. If no child gets ahead, then no child will be left
behind.

[mcaldwell]

Do I detect a sence of animosity towards Dubya's pet program Stayback. ;)

Dubya was supposedly a "C" student, so I guess this is his way of bringing the rest of the class down to his level.:p

Anyway, I think you clearly have the teacher's viewpoint nailed. :D

[StayBack500FT]

Yes..yes..I view it in a negative fashion.:)

[CaptainGonzo]

Thew PC crowd has invaded kids sports, with insane ideas like not keeping score, because "being on the losing team will harm a child's self esteem"... and not preparing them for the real world...

newsflash, you morons!...

You may not be keeping score, but the kids are, despite your misguided efforts!

[scfire86]

Originally posted by CaptainGonzo
You may not be keeping score, but the kids are, despite your misguided efforts!

The ones who get wacked at children's sporting events are the parents. I responded to a call where a man was yelling and screaming at the coach because his kid wasn't getting enough playing time, and the parent keeled over from a full arrest.

Karma is sometimes not your friend.

[CaptainGonzo]

Originally posted by scfire86


The ones who get wacked at children's sporting events are the parents. I responded to a call where a man was yelling and screaming at the coach because his kid wasn't getting enough playing time, and the parent keeled over from a full arrest.

Karma is sometimes not your friend.

Tell me about it! Mt wife volunteered to help a friend of hers coach a soccer team while the real assitant coach was recovering from minor surgery. There was one really obnoxious parent who literally would scream in the coach's and my wife's face because "little Johhny wasn't being given the ball often enough". She would scream at the referees because she felt that there were fouls committed against her child.

"Little Johhny" was about 3 feet tall and just as wide and couldn't run more than 10 feet without either stopping to catch his breath or falling over. He got as much playing time as any other child out of fairness.

[ullrichk]

I hate sports nazis. . .

[Bones42]

30 districts lagging under "No Child" act


Freehold Regional, 4 others in area miss test-scores goal
Published in the Asbury Park Press 03/8/05
By BOB JORDAN
FREEHOLD BUREAU

Freehold Regional — the state's largest regional high school district — and the Asbury Park, Central Regional, Lakewood and Long Branch school districts have been told by the state Department of Education that they are not meeting the mandates of the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

The districts are among 30 in the state where not enough students in one or more particular subgroups scored well on standardized tests, state education officials said on Monday. If they fail to improve during the next two years, the districts could lose federal money or face other sanctions. In extreme cases, state takeovers are possible.

Three of the state's charter schools — including Academy Charter High School in Lake Como — were also designated as needing improvement.

The designation is based on school improvement data and calculations of "adequate yearly progress" in 40 areas.

The districts had until last Thursday to notify parents of the unmet requirements.

Ju Ping Tomazic, whose daughter attends Freehold High School, said parents should take responsibility if a school is found to be underperforming.

"Turn off the television and the Internet and let your child study," she said. "I saw the notice and I think the teachers and administrators are doing a good job. Parents should do what they can to help."

Calls process flawed

James Wasser, superintendent of the six-school Freehold Regional district, said the requirements unfairly punish schools with diverse student populations and high percentages of special-needs students.

Wasser said some districts were cited mainly because certain groups of students — those with disabilities or whose native language isn't English — did not meet the standards.

"There's nothing wrong conceptually with No Child Left Behind, but when you're dealing with desegregated groups, you're going to put a label on kids who are severely handicapped if they don't pass the test. Kids who come into our school system not speaking a word of English have to pass this test," Wasser said.

Only one of the district's six high schools — Colts Neck — achieved the required perfect score, with all its subgroups passing standardized tests.

State Education Commissioner William L. Librera, in a conference call with reporters, said his staff set the criteria as fairly as it could, but added that the federal government requires that all students be held to the same standards.

"These are not our rules and we are not necessarily endorsing the implementation of NCLB in terms of fairness," Librera said.

Four schools in Lakewood — Ella G. Clarke, Clifton Avenue, and the middle and high schools — did not score passing grades.

Ervin Thomas, a candidate seeking a seat on the township Board of Education, said No Child Left Behind is a myopic federal law that doesn't reflect the big picture.

"No Child Left Behind is not the right avenue for our kids," Thomas said. "There's still so much for the kids to learn, other than reading, writing and arithmetic."

How success is measured

The adequate yearly progress standards are based on year-to-year comparisons of schools' scores on several tests. In order to make adequate progress, a school's entire student body must meet the proficiency targets in math and language arts. In addition, each of nine subgroups must also pass. The subgroups include: students with disabilities, limited English proficiency students, economically disadvantaged students, white students, Hispanic students, African-American students, Asian/Pacific Islander students and American Indian/Native American students.

The method was criticized by Antonio Lewis, superintendent of Asbury Park.

"What is most unfair is that it's strictly based on test scores. There are many educators and social scientists that will tell you this may make it biased racially or socioeconomically," Lewis said.

Superintendent David Trethaway of the Central Regional School District — which serves students from Berkeley, Island Heights, Seaside Heights, Seaside Park and Ocean Gate — said the designation "in need of improvement" can be misleading.

Trethaway said the general education population in the district exceeded federal standards but special-education students did not. He said 18 percent of the district's 2,300 students are special-education students.

"We have met pretty much every one of (the requirements) except in special education," he said.

Trethaway said the district plans to offer supplemental after-school instruction to special-education students and improve communications between special education and general education teachers about curriculum requirements.

"It does not give an accurate reflection of the improvements in the school district," said Berkeley resident Eileen Giffoniello, an officer with the district's Parent-Teacher Association and Alumni Association.

Giffoniello, whose daughter is in 10th grade, said the formula used to calculate a school district's success and funding issues complicate how well teachers and administrators can educate every child.

"There are a lot of factors," she said. "It's very confusing."

Joseph M. Ferraina, superintendent for the Long Branch schools, said the results show the district "is improving in many areas. We're going to meet the mandate. We can make it happen."

Academy Charter High School Director Mary Jo Knipper-Kapalko said the school "will continue to strive to improve test scores." The school's small enrollment, capped at 200 students, allowed "one or two test scores" to sway the overall result, she said.

"The NLCB mandate is reinforcing our school objectives," Knipper-Kapalko said.

============================== ============================== ==========

Kids who come into our school system not speaking a word of English have to pass this test," Wasser said. Welcome to the U.S.A. Learn the language.

[StayBack500FT]

Originally posted by Bones42


Welcome to the U.S.A. Learn the language.

I agree with you...but don't hold me (the teacher) responsible for ESL children. Yes, after a reasonable period of time he/she should score better on tests...but not in the first year.

[ullrichk]

Originally posted by StayBack500FT


I agree with you...but don't hold me (the teacher) responsible for ESL children. Yes, after a reasonable period of time he/she should score better on tests...but not in the first year.


And a corrollary: don't hinder MY child's education while you force under-equipped teachers to teach ESL in the same classroom as english speaking students.

[StayBack500FT]

I agree.