The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, widely known as No Child Left Behind, is up for renewal this year. Many organizations and local individuals are fed up with the punitive provisions proscribed by law, saying it is time
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, widely known as No Child Left Behind, is up for renewal this year. Many organizations and local individuals are fed up with the punitive provisions proscribed by law, saying it is time for much needed change.
Michael Kline is a special education preschool teacher at Kilauea Elementary School. He is seeing the effects of No Child Left Behind at a level most of us would not expect — in his three year olds.
“We are required to do a standardized test that is very lengthy for our preschoolers. Many of them require several days to take it,” explained Kline.
The test is administered when they first enter school and before their IEP or Individualized Education Program.
“It is inappropriate for three year olds to be sitting for prolonged periods and working,” said Kline. He emphasized that children at this age are supposed to be playing, exploring and learning, “not sitting for a test.”
Special needs children are just one of several demographic groups broken out as a subgroup under No Child Left Behind. As a result, schools must ensure that these students meet the same levels of proficiency as the rest of their peers, including the goal of 100 percent proficiency by the 2013-2014 school year.
Under the current NCLB, there are no exceptions for measuring a special needs child based on individual ability. Instead they are judged based on an arbitrary measure of proficiency that was originally set by NCLB in 2001.
Kline questions the logic behind these provisions.
“It is not possible to have 100 percent proficiency from every special needs student,” said Kline. “And it is not fair to label these students as failing either.”
Another drawback of No Child Left Behind legislation is its rigid approach to curriculum. Under the legislation, schools must pick a research-based, scientifically proven curriculum.
“It is certainly less motivating to use a scripted program versus our best judgment. It’s too mechanical and it lacks creativity,” said Kline.
“It is a one size fits all approach with no modifications for students with special needs.” Every child is different and learns differently. You can’t expect every child to learn by only one method of reading,” Kline continued.
Students who lack English proficiency are also at a disadvantage. They are held to the same stringent requirements of meeting proficiency as are the larger student body, but tests are not conducted in their native language.
If a school fails to raise the scores of any one group of students, it is labeled as failing. That label can trigger a wide range of consequences, as can a subsequent year of failing status.
Kline is not alone in his critiques. Over 140 organizations, including civil rights groups, teachers’ unions, disability advocacy organizations, and parent groups have united under the Forum on Educational Accountability to call for changes to NCLB.
In a press release issued earlier this month, the FEA told Congress that, “minor tinkering won’t fix the law’s reliance on high-stakes testing, unrealistic achievement targets, and punitive mandates.”
It further calls on Congress to change NCLB so as to “transform the law to use accountability to build public school capacity and support educators.”
Robert Schaeffer believes that eventually “all public schools will fail” under NCLB standards.
“It’s irrational to think that students who are non-English speakers or are special needs can meet 100 percent proficiency,” said Schaeffer, who has served as Public Education Director of FairTest, the National Center for Fair & Open Testing, since 1985.
Schaeffer indicated that the problems facing Hawai‘i a re similar to those in many other parts of the country. He also has a problem with standardized testing being the sole basis for evaluating students, teachers, and schools.
“Tests show there is a weakness, but they don’t tell you why or how to fix the weakness,” said Schaeffer, who serves as a spokesperson for the FEA, as well as FairTest.
Kline and Schaeffer both agree that teachers are under pressure to teach test taking and dumb-down the curriculum to ensure they meet NCLB standards.
“Teachers have their hands full and are overwhelmed with the changes, bureaucracy involved, and the inflexibility of teaching,” said Kline.
“To beat the tests, schools are now focusing on test-taking skills and have narrowed the curriculum to little more than practicing for standardized exams in reading and math,” said Schaeffer.
According to Schaeffer, anything less than a complete overhaul of NCLB will result in an increasing number of schools in the failing category, resulting in mounting pressure and consequences for teachers and ultimately our students.
Recent proposals to reauthorize the NCLB now call for financially rewarding teachers based on student test performance. This idea is equally frightening and repugnant to both Kline and Schaeffer.
“It’s an extremely bad idea that undermines the professionalism of teaching and would serve to only place more pressure and focus on test preparation and teaching test taking,” said Schaeffer.
Kline called the proposal “very disrespectful to teachers.”
“I love teaching and that’s what most teachers are about. They are not in this for the pay. Give me my salary or a million dollars and I will still perform to the best of my ability, “ said Kline.
The reauthorization of No Child Left Behind has become a highly politicized issue, leaving many wondering what will become of public education. Kline and Schaeffer stressed the importance of teachers and parents getting involved.
“Contact your members of the U.S. Senate and Congress and call for nothing less than a complete overhaul. A compromise is not acceptable- it’s bad for Hawai‘i and the nation,” warned Schaeffer.
Kline had similar advice for teachers emphasizing the importance of making their voices heard.
“This law is setting the public school system up for failure. I really believe public school teachers need to stand up and start speaking out (before it’s too late),” said Kline.
If no reauthorization proposals pass this year, No Child Left Behind will continue on as is, and so will the problems it fails to address.
• Farah Mongeau is a freelance writer and can be reached by email at: KauaiWriter@gmail.com
