NCLB: The Trojan Horse of the 21st Century
Opinions and Thoughts of Robert C. McCracken
NCLB and Teaching
First here are some mandatory lessons about teaching!
NCLB
Some Facts Some Opinion Some Reflective Activities
Pre-Assessment
What do the letters NCLB stand for in respect to a federal program?
Is NCLB a new program? Who is in control of education, states
or the federal government? NCLB has the ability to declare a
school as a failed school? True or False
Pre- Assessment
What is the term and measurement of a school success under NCLB?
What are penalties if a school does not meet the expectations of NCLB?
Can a teacher lose their job as a result of NCLB expectations?
Can the state take over a school that does not meet the expectations of NCLB?
Some Facts
History: Title I, Chapter I and ESEA Trojan Horse Example First Benchmark: Highly Qualified
Paraprofessionals Next Benchmark: First set of data
regarding schools failing to make Adequate Yearly Progress
Some Facts
State Accountablility: AKA as “Workbooks”
Virginia’s “Workbook”; timeline issues First Set of Data release: Virginia’s
Issues Data Sets: Disaggregated Data
What does that mean?
Required Pass Rates (percent)
Language Arts/Reading Passrates60.7 61.0 61.0 65.0 69.0 73.0 77.077.0
81.0 85.0 89.0 93.0 97.0 100% Mathematics58.4 59.0 59.0 63.0 67.0 71.0 75.0
79.0 83.0 87.0 91.0 95.0 100%
Some Facts In Virginia: SOL test results
Beginning in Grades 3, 5, 8 and End of Course (English and Math - Guess what else use to be included?)
At the end of 2005-06; 4 and 7 Addition of mathematics to middle school
grades Science in middle school and high school Attendance Graduation Rates
Some Facts
the Nation: All the same subgroups In Implementation Goals of NCLB
100% All Subgroups by 2014 Virginia first goals: 58 Math and 61
English Failure of ANY subgroup at any time
MEANS “Failure to Make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)”
Some Facts
Highly Qualified Professional Personnel Who are they? Provisional Licensure Career Switchers Experienced Teachers
Staff Development: High Quality Staff Development
Some Facts
School Improvement AYP Issues Accreditation Issues
VaDOE Requirements and Funding
Some Facts
Penalities: Failure to make AYP “Title I” and Non-Title I
Regardless; Public label is applied
Supplemental Services School Choice Removal of Staff “responsible for the
failure” Reconstitution of the school
Some Facts
Reopen as a Charter School Virginia’s Requirement for Charter
Schools Virginia’s Changing Issues and
Requirements Charter Schools in other states
Some Facts
More Facts from REAL People
Some Opinion
Provisional Licenses no longer exist Local Licenses no longer exist Relationship to Special Education i.e.
“Highly Qualified”
Some Opinion Special education and NCLB will conflict in
court IF adjustments are not made, public schools
as currently defined and as we know them, will begin to disappear in 2014
What is the intent of the political agenda to implement Charter Schools and or Vouchers?
What is the outcome of implementation of Charter Schools and Vouchers?
NCLB and Testing
TESTING????
Some Reflection List five facts about NCLB that you were not
aware of prior to the presentation (if you knew it all, just list five facts)
List five facts that will affect your career by the year 2014
List five questions you would ask as a School Board Member when a Charter School application is presented to you.
Some Reflection List five arguments you would present to
defeat a Charter School application that will be competing for students in your school.
List five arguments you would present to support a Charter School application that will be competing for students in your current school.
Additional Discussion
If you would like to have discussion about NCLB, a blog has been established for you to share your thoughts.
http://runclb.blogspot.com/
Questions / Comments
Questions Comments Thoughts Action Plans?