Submitted by Rhonda Browning (not verified) on March 15, 2007 - 03:03.
The problem with No Child is No Child. It has tried to put all students and all schools in the same box. It has really hurt special education because with the reinterpretation of IDEA combined with its demands, special needs kids often don't get what they need---core courses that are taught at a level and in a way that helps them learn even if that way is not as fast as someone else. Plus it is an unfunded mandate. The feds require states to meet the standards, but then expected them to do a lot of it out of their own meager budgets. This put special needs in a position of scorn (like we weren't already) because with most of the cognitive related disabilities the students are going to be slower to learn. I wish No Child would be replaced with a standard for functional literacy. Then it could give grants to the states and let them be creative with how the goal is accomplished.
The other thing is that they need to do is quit breaking scores down by race and replace it with socio-economic data instead. I would rather know if the low income kids were improving.
The problem with No Child is
Submitted by Rhonda Browning (not verified) on March 15, 2007 - 03:03.
The problem with No Child is No Child. It has tried to put all students and all schools in the same box. It has really hurt special education because with the reinterpretation of IDEA combined with its demands, special needs kids often don't get what they need---core courses that are taught at a level and in a way that helps them learn even if that way is not as fast as someone else. Plus it is an unfunded mandate. The feds require states to meet the standards, but then expected them to do a lot of it out of their own meager budgets. This put special needs in a position of scorn (like we weren't already) because with most of the cognitive related disabilities the students are going to be slower to learn. I wish No Child would be replaced with a standard for functional literacy. Then it could give grants to the states and let them be creative with how the goal is accomplished.
The other thing is that they need to do is quit breaking scores down by race and replace it with socio-economic data instead. I would rather know if the low income kids were improving.