After reading this informative chapter, I still believe that high-stakes testing is a disservice to many students, and teachers, not politicians, should make decisions about assessments. Teachers are responsible for educating our youth, so they should be the ones who determine whether or not students understand the curriculum.
Crawford begins by comparing the differing views of those in favor of bilingual education and supporters of English-only instruction. Bilingual educators have long had to explain the achievement gap between ELLs and native English speakers. I do not believe that bilingual education is the problem, but these teachers may need to be better trained to reach these unique students and their needs. As a person who has studied …show more content…
One new act came in 1989 from then-President Bush, “Goals 2000: Educate America Act.” Oddly enough, many of these goals were purposely made unrealistic to set the bar high. Why not set realistic goals for students to achieve that teachers will actually buy in to? Isn’t that the purpose of goals – for everyone to believe that they can be achieved, and then work together to make them happen? Even the current No Child Left Behind (NCLB) act has declared 2013-2014 as the year when all children will be proficient according to their state tests. Yet I do not know of any teacher who truly believes this will happen, especially when the tests are one size fits all. Many of us are wondering when no school will make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) and what the consequences will be at that …show more content…
One sidebar in the article discussed ways that NCLB helps ELLs, according to the U.S. Department of Education. These students supposedly now have highly qualified teachers and are receiving the best education possible because of NCLB. However, these same highly qualified teachers are not being trusted to decide how much progress a child has made in a year: a single test determines a child’s progress. Why should students with limited English have to take a test that does not give their teachers a diagnosis of their needs? Policymakers need to be informed of the best practices in which to assess ELLs and use these ideas when writing mandates. Input from current teachers across the country should be sought after and valued in the decision-making process of how to measure student progress. If portfolios are one of the best ways to do this, then they should be used as an assessment
Crawford begins by comparing the differing views of those in favor of bilingual education and supporters of English-only instruction. Bilingual educators have long had to explain the achievement gap between ELLs and native English speakers. I do not believe that bilingual education is the problem, but these teachers may need to be better trained to reach these unique students and their needs. As a person who has studied …show more content…
One new act came in 1989 from then-President Bush, “Goals 2000: Educate America Act.” Oddly enough, many of these goals were purposely made unrealistic to set the bar high. Why not set realistic goals for students to achieve that teachers will actually buy in to? Isn’t that the purpose of goals – for everyone to believe that they can be achieved, and then work together to make them happen? Even the current No Child Left Behind (NCLB) act has declared 2013-2014 as the year when all children will be proficient according to their state tests. Yet I do not know of any teacher who truly believes this will happen, especially when the tests are one size fits all. Many of us are wondering when no school will make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) and what the consequences will be at that …show more content…
One sidebar in the article discussed ways that NCLB helps ELLs, according to the U.S. Department of Education. These students supposedly now have highly qualified teachers and are receiving the best education possible because of NCLB. However, these same highly qualified teachers are not being trusted to decide how much progress a child has made in a year: a single test determines a child’s progress. Why should students with limited English have to take a test that does not give their teachers a diagnosis of their needs? Policymakers need to be informed of the best practices in which to assess ELLs and use these ideas when writing mandates. Input from current teachers across the country should be sought after and valued in the decision-making process of how to measure student progress. If portfolios are one of the best ways to do this, then they should be used as an assessment