State chief of schools staging meetings to discuss ways to
improve program
Gilroy – The legislation some teachers have cheekily dubbed “No Child Left Untested,” is up for renewal soon, giving educators and state leaders an opportunity to add a spoonful of constructive criticism to the ongoing dialogue surrounding the controversial federal law.
“I think it’s better than it was, but there’s still some room for improvement,” said Gilroy Teachers Association President Michelle Nelson.
The No Child Left Behind Act, approved in 2001, places an assortment of federal standards on schools and districts across the nation. The federal accountability system tagged Adequate Yearly Progress, the proficiency model and the teacher quality segments of NCLB have come under fire by both the state and California’s teachers.
State chief of schools Jack O’Connell has publicly criticized the disparity between California’s accountability system and AYP and is searching for a middle ground that will cause less confusion. O’Connell spent Monday and Tuesday – and will spend today – traveling the state listening to public opinion on NCLB.
On Monday morning, he visited the Santa Clara County Office of Education to discuss accountability and in the afternoon headed to Sacramento to review interventions and corrective action. Tuesday afternoon’s conversation in Fresno concerned NCLB’s “highly qualified” teacher clause and today O’Connell will visit Glendale to chat about English learner issues.
“What is clear after several years of NCLB is that the law has had significant impact on our schools,” O’Connell said in a press release. “While we can all agree with the goals of NCLB, it is also clear that the law has had unintended consequences for our schools.”
The state department of education will submit the information and recommendations collected from this week’s meetings to the U.S. Department of Education for consideration when the legislation is renewed in 2007.
Nelson, who said the state department of education and California Teachers Association have worked to improve some aspects of NCLB such as extending the teacher quality deadline, would like to see the federal government error on the side of reality.
The 2014 deadline, NCLB expects every student to test proficient by that date, is unrealistic and not one single state has managed to meet the teacher credentialing requirement set for this spring.
“We still have teachers who are not fully qualified, according to federal guidelines,” Nelson said.
In addition, the union president said educators aren’t excited about the increasing emphasis placed solely on standardized test scores.
“If the whole focus is to do well on a test, it takes away from the sheer love of learning for both the teachers and the students,” she said.
