No Child Left Behind -- what's the problem?

by Roger Sinasohn (Subscribe to Roger Sinasohn's posts) Aug 31st 2008 1:00PM

A lot of people -- mostly politicians, it seems -- have praised the No Child Left Behind initiative to no end. Best thing since sliced bread, it seems. But a lot of people -- especially teachers -- have voiced plenty of criticism, If you're not quite sure why anyone would be opposed to NCLB, given its goals of making sure all students get the education they deserve, I urge you to read Susan Hobart's essay on the matter.

Hobart is an educator who -- like so many public school teachers -- teaches because it is her passion. And yet, despite being willing to go the extra mile and do the extra work necessary, she can't really teach her students. Instead, she has to make certain her students do well on the standardized tests so she spends time teaching students how to properly "bubble up," the term for filling in the circles on answer sheets.

We're not too far gone, though, Hobart says. We can return to doing it right if we're willing to let go of easy answers -- because easy answers rarely work. We need to let teachers teach according to the needs of their students, not according to the bottom line of the test makers. We also need involved parents and home environments that are not only conducive to learning, but encouraging as well.

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Comments (18)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Sandyone 8-31-2008 @ 7:45PM

"We need to let teachers teach according to the needs of their students, not according to the bottom line of the test makers. We also need involved parents and home environments that are not only conducive to learning, but encouraging as well."

Saaaayyy, that's what homeschools do!

SKL 8-31-2008 @ 2:35PM

OK, first of all, I am 42 years old and I had a lesson in "filling in the circles" when I was in elementary school. (In those days, we took the Iowa tests.) When I was 17, I tutored 1st and 2nd grade kids and they had a lesson in "filling in the circles."

It takes maybe 10 minutes, one time, to teach even a really stupid kid how to fill in the bubbles.

I am so sick of this crap. The only reason the teachers don't like NCLB is because the president who signed it into law was a republican and their union hates republicans.

And if kids aren't learning what's important, because the teachers are seriously teaching them how to fill in bubbles all day, then it's definitely time to fire their teachers, or maybe throw their parents in jail for having beaten their kids in the head with a blunt object.

Teacher 8-31-2008 @ 4:03PM

SKL - She is not literally teaching them how to fill in the circles...(by the way, there are NO "really stupid kids"). She is teaching them to read the questions, read all the answers, choose the one that is the best. This literally takes many days (of about 30-45 minutes a day) for the kids to understand exactly what they are being asked. For most students they have NEVER taken a test like this before and just like any new skill they need to practice, practice, practice. The larger problem is that any good teacher (and most of us are, despite what the general public thinks) tries to tie in what the students are learning to their everyday life and world. When was the last time you spent 5 days in a row filling in bubbles?

kansanpooker 8-31-2008 @ 5:10PM

ok , well when NCLP act came into play , i was a junior in high school , between the testing and first hand exprience with it , i can say , its pain for students and teachers , not every student is equal. The government focus so much attention on the kids that so called " need help" it almost forgets about the average or even the gifted kids to a point. if you where wondering , i actual almost had to go through a NCLP program because i failed 2 math problem on the state test. But i did get my self out of it do to some other issues. if i had to had to go through that program , it would have taken me out of my focus on my regular classes because the program was during our free time , i usually used my freetime to catch up in others , in turn i probly would have not had hardly any good grades my junior year.

Sara 9-04-2008 @ 3:31AM

SKL-

The article mentioned a very valid point, which I will reiterate since you seem you have missed it. NCLB uses funding as leverage to force teachers to teach in a way that will raise scores on aptitude tests. The problem is that more and more focus gets put on getting a good grade and just getting through the test, while less and less gets put on learning relevant and interesting information. I can guarantee you that however important good test-taking skills are, it will almost always serve the students better to teach them how to be curious, how to love learning, and to give them information that, being relevant, will actually be retained after the test is done.

If you don't believe me, check out some studies that have looked at the real level of improvement- or lack thereof- due to this emphasis on tests.

SKL 8-31-2008 @ 9:05PM

I fail to see what is wrong with teaching kids how to comprehend written questions and such. How is that not something they "need" to learn? We learned that in reading comprehension and also in math class and any other class that had tests. If the teachers were doing a proper job in teaching reading comprehension, they would not have to have a separate curriculum on test reading comprehension.

I stand by my statement - it's all whining and I'm sick of it.

SKL 8-31-2008 @ 9:15PM

As a kid, I took a test to enter KG at age 4; then I took the Iowa standardized tests every other year throughout elementary school; took some sort of standardized IQ test in the 8th grade, a biology scholarship test and the ASVAP in the 10th, and in the 11th, the ACT twice, a math scholarship test, and a college entrance exam (I graduated early). Not to mention the LSAT, GMAT, bar exam, and CPA exam. Those are just the standardized tests I remember. I was lucky nobody tried to convince me that I needed to take the SAT or PSAT. I just don't get why people are acting like standardized testing was all Bush's idea. Other countries do this, and kids' whole careers depend on it. Our kids are really getting off easy. Now we have a commenter above who actually thinks he wouldn't have had to take standardized tests if it weren't for NCLB. That's great, let's convince kids that they shouldn't be motivated to learn this stuff.

Teacher 9-01-2008 @ 11:53AM

SKL - I am not saying that standarized tests are evil. I am saying that basing how much funding and if a school is "good enough" on ONE test is not okay. How about those high funtioning kids who had a terrible morning (saw dad hit mom, slept in the car because mom and dad were at the bar all night, saw their older sibling doing drugs, etc.). Do you REALLY expect them to perform when things like that are going on? What about if they are sick? Still HAVE to take the test...in the given 3 week window. How is it fair to judge an entire institution on ONE test! That is why teachers are angry. We want to be judged on progress. Say a kid gets a 50 on the test one year, and then the next moves up to 75. But passing is 80, so that kid is STILL a failure? Get real, that kid kicked a$$! Too bad people outside of the education world keep telling us we are stupid, when they know NOTHING about what really goes on in school!

ame s 9-01-2008 @ 12:58AM

I am 40 and 've lived in West TN all of my life. I took standardized tests all through school. I remember one in first grade that "asked questions" such as: "I like to eat ice cream." and "I like to mop the floor." with the "answers" Yes, No, Don't Care.
In high school, we had to pass a proficiency test in Math and English to graduate. My freshman year, I made a 90 in Math and a 100 in English. My English teacher was so thrilled she hugged me. In public. In front of other students.
My daughters are 8 and 10. I spend a lot of time volunteering at their schools, including proctoring during the state testing. Another person beside the teacher must be present in the classroom during testing. We are allowed and encouraged to walk the room, look over the shoulders of the children to make sure they are focused and working on the correct section. I've seen questions so simple they were almost silly, questions that had 2 possible answers, and questions that seemed to have been written to confuse the kids.

A well-known frozen foods company is located in the next county over from mine and the majority of the workers are Mexican. The school my younger daughter attends has many Spanish speaking children who have Engish as a Second Language class. A teachers aide and I once spent several minutes asking a Spanish-speaking first grader if he had eaten breakfast. We finally enlisted the help of a Spanish-speaking little girl who understood English very well. I don't think it is fair for children who barely understand English to have to take the state tests in English. They do great in math but very poorly in the other subjects. Go figure!
My 10 year old is attending a private school this year. The difference in the cirriculum (sp?) is astounding. In math 4th grade last year, she studied multiplication and long division the first semester. After Christmas break, the focus became prepping for the state test. Both of my daughters did very well, with scores in the high 90's. My older daughter had a 99 average in math on her report card. The first chapter in her math book at her new school has double and triple digit multiplication. The public school she attended last year didn't get around to covering it, so she is having to catch up.
NCLB is a good idea in theory but "teaching to test" isn't working in our school system. The State Board of Education has now officially stepped in to "help" our county's school system raise the scores on the state tests.

SKL 9-01-2008 @ 1:36PM

I agree there will usually be one or two kids who do lousy for some reason. That also hasn't changed. But on average, kids will do however they're going to do, just like they always have. And kids/teachers are given many chances to get it right. It's not like most countries where your score on one single test determined whether you're ever going to college or not, or whether you have to repeat the 10th grade. Do we really believe American kids aren't capable of achieving what other kids around the world routinely achieve? Because that's wht we're teaching our kids to believe when we make excuses for thier incompetence.

Are you actually required to "teach to the test," or are you doing it because you're afraid the results will suck if you don't?

Because when I was a kid, I was taught that it was unethical to prepare for standardized tests. Our focus was always on developing skills in general, with the goal being to develop the skills we needed and pass the regular tests we always had in class, never to pass a standardized test. I never studied at all for any standardized test (other than a licensing exam), including the ACT, GMAT, and LSAT, but did exceptionally well on all. I think teaching kids "to the test" is teaching them to have test anxiety and do worse than they otherwise would. Why would you do that unless you felt you weren't doing a good enough job teaching basic skills?

As for the poorly-written questions on the test, etc., first of all, you'll always have some of that; it's no excuse unless it's really out of hand. In the latter case, the focus should be on revising the tests.

As for English as a second language - I don't know how the rules say to handle that, but I agree some consideration should be given. For example, subjects other than English could be tested in Spanish (though that raises questions about the many other first languages spoken by school kids), and there could be an ESL English test based on how many years the child has been getting ESL services (phased out after a point). I would not agree that non-English speaking kids should not have to be tested in English at all. It is extremely important for them to learn good English.

Teacher 9-01-2008 @ 3:46PM

How about just the fact that Bush MANDATES this and doesn't fund it? He requires schools (except private ones with teachers who don't even need training to get the job) to give these tests that cost THOUSANDS of $$$$ and then PROMISES to fund them, but doesn't. This requires schools to make cuts elsewhere (teachers, supplies, the arts, etc.) so we can give this ONE test that determines how much funding we can actually get. Do you see anything wrong with that?

SKL 9-01-2008 @ 4:12PM

Fire the teachers who aren't teaching, and there's your funding.

Sorry, but it seems like funding schools is all we taxpayers do. Taking tests is nothing new. If there wasn't special funding before, why should there be now?

That whole "unfunded" thing IS the rant I'm sick of hearing about.

GWB isn't funding my kids' development in any way. So I guess they'll grow up to be blithering idiots, won't they?

Jamie 9-02-2008 @ 8:46AM

There is no easy answer and the NCLB act tries to be just that. Please research the pros and cons of the NCLB so that you can better understand the fears parents and teachers have. I am concerned about sending my child off to school next year as he will be tested to death so that he will be ready when the time comes the take the one that counts. Well the time it takes to teach every student is extensive, as earlier sighted. Therefore other programs are getting cut out of the curriculum that, in my opinion, are equally important. The funding is an issue. Cutting faculty does not save funding. It crowds classrooms and complicates the issue even more. Do you think you could teach a class of 30 as easily as a class of 20? This test assumes all teachers don't care. I can tell you that is not true. Believe it or not, most teachers are not getting a job in the public school system to get paid a lot of money. Please respect others who have different views. There are valid reasons and fears behind the NCLB act. I have a BS in Math and Computer Science and am studying to be a High School Math teacher. I hope to make a difference in a child's life.

JSteacher 9-01-2008 @ 5:04PM

SKL,
Your rant is highly offensive to teachers who do care about their
students - and yes, there are some out there, contrary to the blather
you are posting.
The problem with NCLB is that it focuses on one test and ties all
school funding and ratings to that one test. It does not use other
measures, such as incremental improvement, special programs, etc. in deciding the quality of a school (or a student). A written test is not a comprehensive measurement, and it is being used as one.
To date, THOUSANDS of inner city or other low-income students have benefited from NCLB. Most of these families cannot afford extra help, and they are now getting it. Recent testing of 9 and 13 year olds isshowing improvements now that NCLB is several years in progress. What the lay person doesn't understand, is that it takes several years before schools go into school improvement and are given the funds to support the public school choice and SES tutoring - then add a year or two for the students to be re-tested and show gains. It is not a quick fix.
Oh,and btw, after 5-6 years of not showing gains... staff is replaced
if that is the right answer. But most teachers I know are busting
thier butts to make sure that doesn't happen.
So, is NCLB a little broken? Sure. Do we need better assessments of student and school performance? Of course. But ask the parents of those kids that are ARE getting supplemental tutoring when the family cannot afford to help the child themselves if NCLB is working? It is the biggest step in the right direction we've had for years! Now we just have to make it better.

MrsG 9-01-2008 @ 5:23PM

re: NCLB I teach middle school science. Currently our school scores are 85% proficient/advanced. Best in the district - HOWEVER, we do NOT teach the district NCLB science program which is a wonderful cook book program for those who need a cook book. The district CONTINUES to ram their program down our throats, and we continue to ignore them, and do what we've been doing. (Thank God for an outstanding principal) The sad thing is we will NEVER reach 100% proficient/advanced. When special ed, 2nd language, and kids PUSHED through the system are placed in classes of 37-38 (yes- you read that right) there is neither the time, space or energy to devote the necessary one on one time to help them get it. Oh- btw, in response to "more" funding... our new superintendent just hired 14 new assistant superintendents, and cut nearly 100 teachers. THEY just don't get it. I wish the government would mandate how much money district admin gets to run their part so the rest really would go into the classroom. I would love to simply have a class size of 30 or less and I'm personally tired of the Bush and Arnold bashing here in CA. They don't micro-manage the money, and perhaps they should!

3boys 9-02-2008 @ 7:11PM

From what I've read, people are frustrated by NCLB for a couple of reasons:

1. Appears to be legislation to enrich people in the testing industry. I've read that some of Bushes pals made a fortune on the increased demand from school districts.

2. Money waisted on misguided programs - It seems that money is being sucked away from proven programs into programs designed to meet NCLB.

Regarding the comments here about the amount of time to teach children to fill-in a bubble:

1. Many types of questions never come up in school, only on the tests. Apple is to tree, as hamburger is to what? These never show up on regular school work.

2. Children are told to "just do your best, the test doesn't count for anything." This is an outright lie, because the test administrators think this will keep children from being overly nervous while taking the test. For a lot of children they should say, "do well on the test or you'll never see your friends in school again because you'll be tracked into a class full of hooligans and thugs.

SKL 9-02-2008 @ 9:01PM

OK, well, if it's really true that teachers have to spend half the year teaching how to take a test, then I agree with Sandyone - chalk another point up for homeschooling.

But I still think if they passed identical legislation with Obama's or Hillary's name on it, the teachers' unions would be all ga-ga about how wonderful it is.

Teacher 9-04-2008 @ 8:39PM

Thanks Sara. I think people outside of the education world think teachers are lazy, always complaining and only want summers off and more money. Let me tell you, I do NOT take summers off for many reasons: 1. can't afford it with the super low pay, 2. need the time to get projects together for the next school year and 3. you just don't get it. I am not lazy, I put in an average of 45 hours during the week and a good 5-6 over the weekends. Yes I would like more money, especially when I am buying snacks (and sometimes lunch) for kids with parents who can't get it together enough to feed their children. I spend my own time after school helping kids who need it, mostly because parents won't or can't. i work hard and it angers me when people judge who don't know.

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