no child left behind? or not!!!!
By nehenderson
@nehenderson (140)
United States
May 30, 2007 10:39am CST
My grand children attend school in a small rural school In her third grade class of 18 last year there were 6 students that did not pas into the fourth. She was one of them. We choose to keep her in the third grade because her grades were not good. She did, however pass the TAKS reading test that is required to go on to the fourth grade.
This year her lowest grade on her report card was an 80. Her lowest grade at mid term was in the middle 80's. She did not pass this test this year. All they seem to be teaching is how to take the TAKS test. This is supposed to be a federal law given to the states to guide the school to help the students. Why then is it that the students that have passed this test once {and that is all that is required} must these students have to pass this test a second time?
What was wrong with the course end exams we were given when we were in school? We seemed to do well. I feel that, as parents and grand parents need to get something done to stop our children from being marked as failures with grades like hers.
1 person likes this
4 responses
@sedel1027 (17846)
• Cupertino, California
30 May 07
The testing system put in place is a complete joke. My sons public school complains that they barely have enough time ot teach what is required (here it is the LEAP test) and they cram information.
There are a few things wrong with that:
1. The kids are not getting enough time to absorb the information they are taught. It is not rare for a subject to be taught for one week and then not looked at again until next school year.
2. The kids are not in school enough during the school year. My son is out of school more days than he is in school. Since they have a long summer break, kids cannot retain the knowledge. I work all summer to keep my son up to where he should be, only to find out he has gotten further ahead of the other kids, just by maintaining skills.
3. The kids are not getting the other things they need - recess, art, science, etc - at an early age. At my sons school, if you want your kids to get those things you must pay extra and they attend courses after school.
4. The testing system is a joke. All it proves is that the kids can adbsorb information and spit it back out. The test does not actually test true skills which is how we have so many kids that graduate high school and still read on a 5th grade level.
Since we can't afford private school, my son gets a subpar education. Kids in 1st grade in most of the private schools here get art, computer, language, gym/PE, adn science on a weekly basis. My son barely gets the basics!
Sorry for the rant. The public school system really works under my skin.
@nehenderson (140)
• United States
31 May 07
I think that they need to go back to basics. Children need to have recess, art, music and science as well as computer. We had a long summer vacation when we went to school and we did well,but our teachers taught school, not how to take a dumb test. My grandson just finished kindergarten in the same school, he can read well. They worried more about teaching the basics because they are not required to take these tests until the third and fifth grades here.
@sedel1027 (17846)
• Cupertino, California
31 May 07
When my son was in Pre-K and Kindergarten he was in a public school which was only 4 years old and the situation was like what you describe for your son. They taught the basics. Unfortunately, that school was destroyed in hurricane Katrina and is not being rebuilt.
The test my son is being prepped for they do not take in 1st grade. This is the test like you describe above, but they don't take it until they reach 5th grade. Test prep has to start early for so many kids that they start pushing it in this school system at an early age and the kids loose out.
@nehenderson (140)
• United States
31 May 07
Too bad about the school. In our school they at least teach the basics in the first and second grades before teaching goes astray. They try to cram the test down the throats of the poor third graders, and again in the fifth.
@bicklelady (1404)
• United States
20 Dec 07
We have something like that called pack test. What it really is, is if the kids was learning anything the teacher was teaching. Then they tally up the percent of grades. Then they send out reports on what county done the best. All it is to me, is for the teachers to prove that they are doing there job.
@nehenderson (140)
• United States
1 Jan 08
If the teachers really taught the subject material to their classes, and taught a good basic knowledge instead of just how to take the taks test I feel the children would do much better in school and in turn make higher scores on the test in general.
@mrsjumppuppy03 (3301)
• United States
31 May 07
I don't like the no child left behind policy. It is pushing dumb kids through the system without giving them an education. Now tell me this, what good is it if the child at 17, can't read, or balance a checkbook on their own? Alot of teachers are nothing more than overpaid babysitters, don't get me wrong, there are still some teachers who inspire and teach. We need to get back to basics and only advance little Johnny if he has the smarts to be in the higher grade!
@nehenderson (140)
• United States
31 May 07
If the teachers would teach the children like they did when I was in school or even like they did when my daughter was, the children would be much better off.
@wildflower520 (14)
• United States
30 May 07
ugg...don't get me started on the school system. My best friend is an early education teacher and she spends so much time on the stupid stuff (constructing graphs to show how children are progressing,she already knows after all she has the information in front of her why on earth make her spend her hour planning time on that- when she could be working on curriculum or projects just one example of how the government makes teachers use their time)
@nehenderson (140)
• United States
31 May 07
I know it is very frustrating for good teachers who want to teach but have to spend teaching time and prep time on such things. They also do not always give them what supplies they need to teach with either. I have known teachers that bought their supplies out of their own pocket. My grandsons kindergarten teacher used some of her own supplies as well, in teaching reading, and my grandson reads well as a results.
