Quote:
Originally Posted by AGDee
I'm not a teacher, but I'll hazard a guess that the teachers feel threatened that they are being assessed on the children's performances on one test when, no matter how good a teacher they may be, there are many other factors that determine how successful a child is on said test, including all the other teachers that have ever taught that child! Should an 8th grade math teacher be judged on how their students do on this test when, in reality, the child has been behind in their math skills since 1st grade?
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So the problem isn't the teacher, it's the teacherS? I'm much happier with that analysis than the demonizing of a set of standards (with the subtext of complaining about being judged based on performance, as happens in every other professional field).
It just seems like we speak in absolutes and platitudes when discussing NCLB - if the family has such a big influence on kids that they become essentially unteachable, why even have schools? If the previous teachers sucked that badly, shouldn't that be borne out in the data? If SpEd and ESL students are such a drag on the numbers, why are they included and/or why aren't these individuals placed in a location that can be fairly judged against standards (i.e. another program/school)?
This seems so eminently fixable that it sucks to hear about how much it, well, sucks. I've long held that the problems in education (ranging from teacher pay to classroom size) are largely a function of bloated and ineffective administration - is that, combined with legislative inertia, enough to remove our ability to enact seemingly straightforward standards?
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