Read the article at http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/jul/23/school-district-falls-short-no-child-goals/
Then answer and discuss these questions...
1) What are the requirements to meet Average Yearly Progress (AYP)?
2) Do you think No Child Left Behind is a good way of monitoring and accessing schools? If not what could be better? If you do like it what do you like? (2 paragraphs)
3) Take a look at the chart and see how Valley did? Are we we meeting AYP?
4) Lastly what is the Clark County School District setting as goals to help other schools achieve AYP?
Good Luck!!!
1. Schools must do better in standarized tests every year. They have to improve in the current year than the previous year in mathematics, reading, and English. For example, Valley has to make progress in the Proficiencies every year. This is how it is decided if schools need more funding and staff. If they don't make AYP two years in a row, they are categorized as "schools in need of improvement".
ReplyDelete2. No, I do not think that No Child Left Behind is a good way of keeping track of school's progress. Most students don't even care much when it comes to standardized tests. Some don't know what AYP is, and even when they do, they don't agree with it. Some standardized test is not going to tell you how much you're improving in school. Every student is at a different level when it comes to learning. Just because you passed doesn't mean you're a genius, and just because you failed doesn't mean you're dumb.
Students, including me, don't like standardized tests because they don't usually include what we have learned in that year. What is included in the tests is stuff that we have forgotten, or never thought about. To improve this, I think they should give tests that measures every single student's improvement. By this, I mean, they should administer tests different tests to every student based on their grade level and current classes. For the students that fail, they should begin tutoring for them.
3. Yes, Valley H.S. made AYP for the 2008-2009 school year.
4. To make AYP, Clark County schools are encouraging students to come to school the day the tests are administered. They are also creating extracurriculat activities that help the students achieve AYP.
1)The requirements to reach AYP must be a school that Average Daily Attendance- 90% and are based on first 100 days. The High School Graduation Rate must be 50% of the previous year. A 10% or more reduction in the percentage of non- proficient students and must meet the target for “Other Indicator”.
ReplyDelete2)I believe in a way that it is a good way of monitoring and accessing schools but with certain exceptions. I like that they must monitor absences and graduation rates. Also that the proficiencies are actually being used for a purpose. Its good that they monitor through math, reading, and writing but I don’t necessarily believe that ethnicity should be in place.
To me it feels like when ethnicity comes into place its like “Whose the better ethnic group” game, and that really shouldn’t be taken accounted for. They should monitor through classes, and test levels but not to see which ethnic groups are being better than others. There are other ways to categorize students into smaller groups, instead of taking your race, schools should categorize students on the classes they take. That way they can find out which students need more help based on their academic levels and not by ethnicity.
3)Valley High School did meet AYP and even received Exemplary Turnaround School Achievement.
4)In a way Clark County School District is setting goals for other schools to achieve AYP, by consequences. For instance if a school is failing to make adequate progress could result in sanctions by offering students to transfer to more successful schools, to replacing staff, and maybe even replacing the principal of such school.
1. The requirements of AYP are the increasing numbers of attendance and graduation rate. The school must also be improving the scores and the number of students who pass the standardized test.
ReplyDelete2. In my opinion, I do believe that no child left behind is doing a good job of monitoring schools in certain aspects. The program was made to improve testing scores, graduation rates, and attendance as a whole, which it has succeeded in. This whole program just gives incentive to administrators to make sure that the children of their school are doing well.
Where this program lacks in my eyes is actually teaching the students. Because of these test, administrators are more worried about the test and what’s on it. But I just have one question, what happens after you pass? They are not giving as much thought to happens to the student after they graduate what their life will be like. I know a lot of people who squeezed by in all of their classes then, barley passed the test and graduated, not knowing what they want to do or how to even start on their way once they have figured that out. I believe that schools along side working on test scores should be giving student life skills that they can use. Yes, some students are going to college, but a lot of student aren’t, so what happens to them? This program also needs make sure everyone leaves with a plan, and, that everyone should have certain skills, the skills to write a resume, filling out applications, or how to conduct an interview, and computer skills. When every American student is leaving school with a degree that they have truly earned, and an idea of what they want to do, a tools that can get them there, then schools can truly be proud.
3. Indeed Valley did meet AYP and received the special recognition by the district receiving the first ever "Turn around high Achieving” campus award.
4. Clark County is setting the goals with the funding to the school. Also they are giving consequence if that’s not enough they will remove staff members or sanction a school.
1.The requirments to meet AYP are schools must meet standards in 37 diffrent categories. They also must meet goals school district set. If not they must reduce the number of nonproficient students by 10 percent. If they do not meet these standards they are categories as "need improvement". These schools must offer students alternative schools to attend.
ReplyDelete2.The idea of No Child Left Behind is good. For example, they want to account for every child and hold schools up to standards. However, the monitoring and accessing schools is not good. I disagree the way they categories students. Also, I do not think that the standerized test are good. There are better ways to monitor and access schools.
They shouldnt categorise students by race and school lunch reduction because each student has diffrent education and background. They should categories students by previous test scores and classes. I believe this because students with similar test scores and classes are suppose to be on the same educational level. Also, I do not think that all standarized test are adequet with what you learn in class. They should leave test up to the individual schools or teachers.
3.Valley High School did meet AYP this year. The first time in three years. Valley was honored with a special honor of "turnaround school". The first in the district.
4.To help other schools reach AYP Clark County has set a goal of increasing minimum scores on standerized test over two years. For elementery and middle schools this test is the criterion standard test. For high shools it is the Nevada State High School Proficiency Exam. If we do not meet this goal but reduce nonproficient students by 10 percent we will still meet AYP.
1) In order for schools to meet Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), students must pass a series of standardized tests in grades three through eleven. The schools must also have an average daily attendance of 90%, a graduation rate of 50%, and a reduction in non-proficient students by at least 10%. Each of these indicators is related to a series of subgroups of students which break down by school district, student ethnicity, special populations, and the economically disadvantaged.
ReplyDelete2) No Child Left Behind is a very controversial subject, and an institution for which I have very mixed feelings. As a student, I absolutely loathe standardized testing. They are nothing but an addition to the stress that students face at school everyday, and they are not a fair depiction of each student's progress. As the word 'standardized' implies, these are nothing but one-size-fits-all examinations that don't tell us much more than which students excel at testing and which ones struggle.
This is not to say, however, that no good comes from standardized testing. In spite of its highly generalized nature, exams like the proficiencies insure that all graduating students have a general knowledge of reading, writing, mathematics, and science. I still feel, however, that NCLB should branch out beyond standardized testing. The young minds of this country should not be chocked up to test scores alone. I feel that it should be changed to accommodate student grade point averages as well. As grades are a reflection of student progress and comprehension throughout school year, I feel that more focus should be placed on them rather than on endless standardized testing.
3) Yes. This year, Valley High School became the district's first-ever "turnaround high achieving" campus.
4) In an effort to help schools achieve AYP, Clark County School District has launched campaigns encouraging students to attend school on the day AYP testing. The schools in Clark County also operate beneath a strict system of consequences which can sometimes call for significant program and staffing changes.
1) The requirements to meet AYP is meeting the requirements of having outstanding numbers of attendance as well as obtaining a high number of graduates.
ReplyDelete2) Honestly, i dont think this program is such a great way of monitoring the students because it my opinion it doesnt work. For example, if a child couldnt read or write past a 5th grade level the school system is still required to move them up, and by the time this child gets to high school, they are so stuck that they cant even get there head above water. I also believe that this is extricably linked to children dropping out of school because they can't understand the work put forth and therefore arent able to have a career higher then mcdonalds. Obviously it would be harder for the school to reach AYP when students are dropping out before graduating. In my opinion students need to have the option of being held back if they are lacking in education because instead of barely graduating, or not even graduating, they should be able to meet or exceed the standards.
I really think that this program needs to be either done away with or at least tweaked because obviously its not working and it is effecting other schools and making them stay on that list of "needs improvement." Also, the no child left behind act is all about standardized testing, which students HATE by they way, including myself. Therefore, since students don't care, and know its not for a grade, they don't do as good and ultimately don't try. I think that we need to come up with a better way to keep children in school, because i believe this program is actually chasing kids out of school because they don't know what they are doing.
3) Valley was one of the few schools that did exemplary turnaround meaning after being on the needs improvement list for 4 years, we were able to come back up and do fantastic! Go vikings! :]
4) To have other schools in the Clark County School District meet AYP, they are pushing and encouraging students to come to school when tests are going to be taken as well as even creating some extracurricular activities that can help the schools achieve AYP, however they are also using the means of consequence by replacing the school's principals and even fellow staff members.
1) Requirements for AYP kindergarten- 12th grade are found in standarized test scores average and attendance rates. The test consist of Reading, Language and Mathematics. Graduation rates also play an important role for AYP.
ReplyDelete2) No Child Left Behind is a excellent way of monitoring and accessing schools but of course it is not bulletproof. Students will always drop out and fail certain classes no matter how good of a plan clark county comes up with. There has been a significant change in bettering schools ever since No Child Left Behind took arose, therefore, it is obviously working.
One thing that could definetly ensure better results for AYP through No Child Left Behind is finding the heart of every problem and doing whatever it takes to fix it. For example, you could see this years AYP results were very disappointing, and rumors linger that one of the problems was the lack of school funding, it would make sense to regain higher school funding. It must be understood, though, that not every problem could be fixed.
3) Proudly to say Valley High School met AYP, and won the award for turnaround school.
4) Goals for Clark County to reach AYP; stronger funding, attendance for testing, and harsh staff consequences if requirements are not met.
1. In order to achieve AYP schools have to demonstrate an improvement in 37 different types of categories, also schools have to meet required goals set by the school district.
ReplyDeleteIf schools don't meet AYP,they are categorized as "failing schools".
2. I don't believe that the NCLB is is worthy of being called a "good" program. Standardized tests seem to worry more teachers rather than students, who most of them don't even care about those types of tests.I think that standardized tests are a good way of keep track on where you are in certain areas, but that's all.
In my opinion standardized test are most of the time a waste of time and energy. Some of the things that I think should be done are: If the CCSD thinks that standardized tests are a good idea and a good form for improvement, they should be more often and include current stuff, not things that you learned in middle school, and also make it optional to students whether if they like the idea of standadized tests or not.
3. Yes, Valley HS did achieve AYP, and was recognized as the district's first "turnaround high achieving" campus.
4. The CCSD is trying to make students attend school the days of standardized testing and have a better training or "preparation" to students taking this tests, which i believe is not working the way they expected, and in some schools students are being threatened if they are abscent those days.
1) Requirements for AYP for this past school year were graduation/attendance, test participation and at least a 74% in reading and 58% in math.2)Interestingly enough i actually saw this play out during the past school year. You know how laws may be passed but as a teenager they mostly only affect your parents, well this No Child Left Behind thing that Bush passed really has affected us. I accept and respect it because for the most part its in our best intrest. This is a great way to monitor schools because they break down each group of kids so that their scores can be diffrent then that of some one who tests better. But at the same time it is kind of wrong to sterotype groups of kids because sometimes they may qualify for reduced lunch and not be homeless or less achiving than your average child.
ReplyDeleteI also like AYP because it motivates the school to motivate the kids to "Pass the Test". Mr. Montoya did a wonderful job of motivating us to pass, by reminding us every single day that we are smart and we will pass the test. Maybe that was a combination of him truely caring and him doing his job, but i know having to meet AYP requirements played some kind of role. I believe that AYP is there to make sure that no child is left out, and that is what it has accomplished.
3) I couldn't exactly find the chart that you were talking about so i seeked Valleys AYP scores on google. According to (http://www.city-data.com/school/valley-high-school-nv.html) Valley did meet AYP, infact we recieved an award for the "turnaround" school. Thats so cool because we were a part of that! Yay Valley!
4) To achieve AYP there are a number of methods used. Such as providing free continental breakfast the day of, motivating them to attend, reminding them throughout classes and on announcements, providing consequenses if you do not show up, providing boot camp or a second class in the area that you need. For example, say you take your proficencies and you pass all of them but science, they would take you out of your elective and put you in a second science class for the ret of the semester. As harsh as that may sound it is helpful for the student in the long run.
1. In order for schools to achieve AYP, the school must meet goals set by the district and the government. they must improve on their test scores every year more than the previous year. They must also have a 90% attendance rate.
ReplyDelete2. I am split on this answer because i believe that it is a good way of monitoring and accessing schools. On the other hand i believe that the standardize test could be trouble. I believe that it is good in a way that it forces the schools to look at every single student.I believe that by setting goals it makes the school officials work more in a sense that it makes them motivate us and come up with improvements such as after school tutoring.
The downside to the no child left behind act is that the standardize testing needs to be more suited for the different types of students. It can not be a " one size fits all" type of test.If an honor student and a regular student take a test suited for an honor student, the regular student is bound to fail.
3.Valley did excellent meeting AYP and even earned recognition for being the first turn around school in the Valley.
4.CCSD is helping by trying to prepare students with programs such as Boot camp and after school tutoring.
1.Students are required to pass the standardized tests given to them in order for schools to meet Adequate Yearly Progress AYP. If schools are unable to complete this task they may also meet AYP by having an average daily attendance of 90% which are based on the first 100 days, a graduation rate of 50% from the previous year, and a reduction in non-proficient students by 10% or more.
ReplyDelete2.The NCLB ACT is without a doubt disastrous. It makes an unfair decisions about students and schools based just on test scores.It does nothing more than accolade those students who are good at test taking and punish those who are not. Not only do the high-stakes testing impede learning but it also produces rote memorization and restricts the curriculum. In a desperate attempt to reach AYP schools eliminate valuable subject like art, music, history, social studies, and physical education.
Undeniably the act has done little to improve current pending issues like reducing class size. Having parents and students leave schools that are not meeting AYP and closing some down will not improve education. This act must change from one that relies on mandatory testing taking to one that promotes better instructional practices in classrooms.
3.Valley was able to meet AYP and became the district first "turnaround high achieving" campus.
4.The Clark County School District is encouraging students to attend school on the days of AYP testing. If a school fails to make AYP it could result in sanctions and replacement of staff members.
1. For schools in Clark County to make AYP they need to make improvements in 37 different categories.
ReplyDelete2. Do I think no child left behind is a good way to monitor student’s progress? Yes I do. I feel that if students are monitored for their work ethic and proficiency than they have a better chance to correct their mistakes before it’s too late. If The No Child Left Behind Act were never passed, than we would have never seen such great progress throughout these past few years. It is also noteworthy that parents and guardians must also take interest and a certain role to help monitor their own kids. Other than that, I am very satisfied on how this particular program is working out.
As in any program there are a few tweaks that I’m sure must be made somewhere. With the past meeting that took place at the school board the facts and data are undeniable. The efforts put fourth by the administrators and those who care about our futures, I believe are doing a great job. They sincerely feel as I do in the fact that we are the future of tomorrow. If we do not implement such programs, than we face a risk of a lost and confused group of youths.
3. In the chart, Valley High School has actually surpassed the expected mark. We were gifted to have a great turnaround since we had some issues throughout the past 3 years. We definitely meet AYP and more. I give credit to our group of great staff and our schools administration for their great efforts to truly make a difference for us all. I guess you could say we received a great deal of adulation for that.
4. The continuing goals which will be set will be the necessary courses of course. Math, Reading, Sciences and English classes. Perhaps Valley High School could assist in creating a path for other schools to find their common goal. If we set examples for others, I know we can make a great beneficial difference for us all.
I would like to comment on Joey Lopez and his writing in regards to The No Child Left Behind Act. I would say that Joey is completely correct in his words. For many we can not pinpoint what causes the problems we face. He is correct in that we must first find the root of the issue otherwise we will never really fix anything. Basically a band aid on top of a band aid. He is also correct that no matter what program America comes up with we can never completely resolve every single problem out there.
ReplyDeleteIt’s an unfortunate reality we all face. Since we are human, we are all subject to error. I would however disagree with Mr. Lopez in the fact that more funding would cure the problem. How would more money really make the learning issue improve if the students don’t care? More funding would be a waste of money for so many and to see little improvement. Fortunately for Valley High we don’t fall in that category. Other than that Joey is mostly correct in his responses.
1. The requirements needed to meet Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) include high-achieving standardized test (Math, Reading and Writing), high student attendance, senior graduation rates, drop-out rates, and many more factors. All these factors affect the way schools function and the funding they receive from the government. As mentioned on the LV Sun article, schools need to demonstrate achievement in 37 different categories as well as a goal set by the school county or state.
ReplyDelete2. I firmly believe that the No Child Left Behind is not the best way to keep track of schools that meet the “AYP”. First of all, how did they come up with the AYP and how exact is it to telling the government which schools satisfy their goals. I think this law is just there to tell the world “Look Everyone, We Are Now Really Trying to Improve Our School System by enacting the NCLB”. The government should not be pushing us real hard to be “100% Proficient” by 2014, that is just not going to Happen! Instead, they should be working hard to lower the drop-out rate which is getting worse as time goes by. I would like the government to realize that we are making progress in some areas of the nation and those areas should receive financial support in order to keep up the good work.
3. We are doing great! We were recognized as the district’s first-ever “Turnaround high achieving” campus. We got this recognition because we were tagged as “Needs Improvement” for at least 3 years before we rocked the floor! We did awesome on the Proficiencies too.
4. In order to achieve its goals, the CCSD along with the state of Nevada opted to increase scores on standardized tests every two years. In addition, elementary and middle schools are judged differently than high schools. Elementary/middle schools are judged using “criterion-reference tests” while high schools are rated based on results from the Nevada State High School Proficiencies Exams.
1. In order to meet the requirements of AYP schools must show improvement in 37 different categories. Schools must also maintain a 90% average daily attendance rate for the first 100 days of the school year. Furthermore, high schools must achieve at least a 50% graduation rate of the previous year, and all schools must reduce the number of non-proficient students by 10% or more each year.
ReplyDelete2. I think that NCLB does not work as a proper way to monitor the progress of schools. It has some goals that are just unrealistic, such as having 100% of students be proficient in English/language arts and math by 2013-2014. Raising the standard difficulty of tests every year only makes graduating a more difficult task than it needs to be.
That's not to say that schools shouldn't have high standards for their students. I think that it should be the responsibility of the individual schools to monitor the progress of their students. Schools should then raise the difficulty of the test as they see fit in order to improve the standard of learning for each school.
3. Valley High School did in fact make AYP and was recognized as a turnaround high achieving campus.
4. In order to achieve AYP CCSD is encouraging students to take AYP exams the day they are given. Also, CCSD will replace faculty members of a school if that school is not meeting the required progress needed to make AYP.
I). To pass AYP students are divided into groups by ethnicity and sex etc. and then a certain number of them must pass in all three categories; reading, writing, and math.
ReplyDeleteII). No I do not believe that no child left behind, or any of it’s connecting legislation has helped schools or children. To be honest I knew that this was a ridiculous in elementary school when it first came out and we had to stop during English lesson to learn test taking strategies. Keep in mind I was 9 at the time with barely one foot out of the sandbox. Something that makes you push aside core lessons to learn how to bubble in answers is intrinsically wrong. It is a system that makes child worry and fear punishment if they don’t score high enough. This can not be the efficient method to monitor schools.
I can’t even begin to say that I know what kind of system should replace no child left behind, because I don’t, but it has to be a far cry from the school ‘triage’ system we have now. Focusing on the students closest to passing rather then the kids who are far from it, wither it be those who has already passed or those who fail time and time again. As a student who passed all her proficiencies I can personally testify to the amount of hours wasted in several classes going of proficiency testing material. Material that I already know because I paid attention the first time around. No, scratch that, I did not pay attention. I failed Algebra I freshman year, yet I still passed the math proficiency the first go around, because I have higher standards then the test does. There is something very wrong with a system that let a child who failed math I pass a test which is supposed to encompass three years worth of math skills. Very wrong indeed.
III). Yes, in fact we did make AYP this year and apparently we’ve only been considered an adequate school for one year. Bad wording on their part if I do say so myself, but I digress, be passed (with honors too) end of story.
IV). The state’s big prize winning idea for helping schools make AYP is not to, you know, spend more on preparation or implement any worthwhile courses like you would think. No we as a state has decided to lower the standards. Big shock there. Honestly I can see how that will help in way, shape or form, instead we give schools a ‘safe harbor’ for failure. Who’s that helping?
-Shelby.B
3. This comment is in regards to David’s comment:
ReplyDeleteI would have to disagree with almost your entire second paragraph, why? First of all, how do you exactly say that the NCLB is monitoring our work ethic and proficiency? I really don’t see how it helps since the drop-out rate has gone out of control for the past years, especially since the NCLB was passed. If they were monitoring our progress, then we would not have so many students leaving schools to go to work. You might say that the drop-out rate has decreased a little and I agree, but let me ask you something…Why do you think that’s happening? The economy is reason because there are not jobs out there for students that do not have at least a High School Diploma.
Also, what exactly is the progress that you are talking about? The progress schools made so far is due to the escalating concern that we, the future, will not continue to represent America as the world’s leading country. Do you happen to see Canada or European countries enact laws that force their schools to be “100% Proficient” by 2014? No. The NCLB was created with the solely purpose of making us “successful” via a method that force us to meet certain requirements. Is that what you call progress? I’m sorry, but I Don’t. Apart from that, I agree completely with your last paragraph.
This comment is in regards to Shelby’s comment:
ReplyDeleteIt is really sad that I have to agree with one of my fellow Valley students on a piece of legislation that instead of helping us, it’s making us “fear punishment”. I say, Shelby you can’t be more correct with your wording and phrasing of your paragraph describing the NCLB. It is just hard to believe that the Ex-President (should not be named) and other important lawmakers fell for the “stuff” that came with the NCLB. It’s just ridiculous like Shelby said! The government should focus on students that are working hard to make it through high school or college; they are this country’s future. I don’t mean to be rude, but if you are not giving your best at school and you just go to see your friends and bother the teacher; then why are they the ones that should receive all the attention.
I can’t even imagine a system that will replace the current one because it will probably be similar. Just look at countries like Switzerland or Finland, where students leave high school knowing 3-5 languages in addition to their native one. Take a look at France, where the government pays students’ college tuition and their tests are not at an 8th grade level. Seriously, why are we getting graded and judged with tests that are at 8th grade level??? This is just Wrong and the NCLB is “working towards students being 100% proficient by 2014”. Something needs to happen before we become an uneducated Deleloped Nation (which is currently being challenged by a Developing country named China).
1. Schools must improve in 37 categories to meet AYP. They must improve graduation rates as well as attendance.
ReplyDelete2. I believe that No Child Left Behind is a good way of monitoring and accessing schools. This is an easy way for the government to check up on the schools yearly. This program allows the attendance of the children to be monitored and also helps the government look at which schools are graduating. Not only helping the schools be recognized for their hard work, schools are encouraged to do better if they aren’t doing as well. Yes, I do think the No Child Left Behind is a good way of monitoring schools.
The No Child Left Behind is not a way of monitoring children’s intelligence. Teachers that are worried about the test often teach around the test. The teachers are the ones that are in the heat for student’s test scores. While I attended Nevada Girl’s State (which is a conference where you learn about government procedure, and get a taste the life of a politician) we were encouraged to write, create, and debate our very own bills. In both the senate and assembly we passed only 3 bills. One of those bills was to throw out the No Child Let Behind act. So, that isn’t only me disagreeing with the No Child Left Behind, it is a camp of 120 girls all across Nevada.
3. Yes, Valley High School did make AYP and we did great! – so great, that we are even district’s first-ever “turnaround high achieving” campus. The average daily attendance must be 90% (which is why the school takes attendance on testing days.)
4. Clark County School District’s goals include: increasing scores on standardize tests, they make a change of staff if progress is not shown, and schools offer boot camps to help the students pass.
This is concerning Jordan's comment.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you stated about the student's future after graduation and everything. I mean, not every student knows what to do their lives after passing the tests. Passing the tests doesn't really guarantee anything. It just shows that you're at the level you should be in. For the ones who fail, they might become discouraged and even stop trying.
I don't agree with what you said about the No Child Left Behind program being a good idea. Ok, I guess it has helped with the graduation rates, and attendance increasing, but it has a disadvantage, also. As some students are keeping up with the tests and all, the ones that are already ahead have to wait. There are many gifted students that have to go backwards just because the regular students have to catch up. They are doing extremely well in school, but they can't go as far as they could because of the other students.
This is a comment in regards to Jordan’s response:
ReplyDeleteWhen you said: “Where this program lacks in my eyes is actually teaching the students.” I think that you are totally wrong. When you go to school and sit down in that seat do you think your teacher is honestly thinking about what is on the test? When they think about what is on the test, they think: how am I going to teach today’s lesson so that the student can pass the test? In my opinion the teachers ARE worrying about the students, and I like my teachers.
Next, when you said: “This program also needs make sure everyone leaves with a plan, and, that everyone should have certain skills, the skills to write a resume, filling out applications, or how to conduct an interview, and computer skills.” Without the plan, a diploma REQUIRES you to take a computer class so I don’t think that the program needs to monitor that. If the student doesn’t pass that class than that is the students decision and you cant spoon feed people. In mentorship they are suppose to teach you how to write a resume, fill out an application and teach you those “certain skills” you are talking about; I think we all see how successful that is, and I would hate if we had to enforce mentorship on all American schools.
1. In order to make AYP, I believe some of the requirements should be that every school takes a "pre-test" or a practice test to see what level students are at and which subject they need help in. After all, the number of students(12th grade) that make AYP affect the number of students graduating.
ReplyDelete2. I do like the idea of the program because The school Board takes a "better" look at the schools and their progress.
However, I do think there are other alternatives. Many get stressed out or worried about the test that they blank out. Maybe if it was just an assignment in class, students would not worry about it. But students still need to take it seriously.
3. Yes, we are meeting AYP. I also believe that we can surpass the standards instead of just meeting them. Valley was acknowledged for being the "turnaround school".
4. Attending school, having school funds, encouraging students to try their best, and having consequences for the school staff are some of the things that CCSD is trying to do in order to achieve and maintain AYP in the school district.
This is regarding Erica Arnold's comment.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with what you said about the students' hatred towards standardized tests. I'm also one of the students that despise them, and they are just extra stress we have to deal with throughout the school year. It's difficult to tell who excels or just barely passes them. Like I said before, it doesn't really tell you anything if you pass or fail. It just says you are or are not at the level you should be. Most students don't really take it that seriously, so they don't even try to at least study and improve on it the next year.
I don't really agree with you on the general knowledge of those subjects. General knowledge doesn't guarantee a spot in the college classroom or enough to get a real job. Some students don't go to college even if they pass the proficiencies, but it doesn't really help them get a good job after they graduate. I totally agree with what you said about the tests including actual grades. Someone's grades tell you so much more than than a couple of test scores. Oh, and what if the student is very intelligent and gets good grades, but they don't pass the proficiency? That doesn't mean they are not proficient, maybe they weren't prepared because of other homeworks and tests. The only good thing about the proficiencies to me is that if you pass them once, you don't have to worry about taking them again.
This is in regards to Elias's comment.
ReplyDeleteOk, I can see why you don't really which side to choose. But I think when you really consider it, you can see NCLB has more of a downfall to it. You said that because every student is considered in the plan, the school staff can help us to improve for the next test. But even when they do, not all the students pass. They can motivate us all they want, but not every student takes it to heart. I also think teachers shouldn't have to work that hard to find all these solutions. Their job should just be teaching us what they can in that one year we have, and not worry about extra tests out of class.
I believe what you stated about the "one size fits all" is completely correct. They really don't expect regular students to be in the same level as honor students, do they? If they made the tests in a way that separated students by grade or personal accomplishments, I think the scores would improve greatly. Students would also feel great about themselves, and be motivated to do even better for next time. I think they should make changes with NCLB asap!
1. The requirements needed to meet AYP are good attendance and a high graduation rate.
ReplyDelete2. My opinion based on “No Child Left Behind” is I do not see it improved. I mean the School District set up goals that are unrealistic. And plus I don’t understand why they are dividing students into categories like the article mention with all this broken down into ethnicity, special Ed statuses, etc..etc. I understand the district wants us to improve in our testing manners but how come they make decisions based on scores? Like it some type of “Who has the highest IQ” type of thing and this tests just bring even more stress for student’s and as well for teachers.
The standardizing testing why can’t they make it about what we are learning in the present. Why do they put questions from the past, as if a lot of students are going to remember all what they learned in 6th, 7th, or 8th grade. I say that because I don’t remember everything what I learned back in the day in middle school. I believe there can be other ways for the district to monitored and accessed schools. Also, classes should be reduced because if the class is packed up, the teacher is not going to get to see in time if the student is progressing and understanding concepts.
3. Fortunately, Valley did meet the requirements due on AYP.
4. Clark Country School District are trying to encourage students to come in test days and to attend after school classes to get help.
My comment goes to Mario;
ReplyDeleteI agree where you mention standardized tests are a good way to track in certain area’s. Like when you say in certain areas yes because a student may want to major in a particular area in college and in high school they can take this standardized test to see where they are standing and could possibly make them improved more to reach a high score and to acknowledge that certain spot.
But it irritates me as you mention to put questions about current stuff not from the past that many student’s do not remember in particular. The optional part sounds good to me but I doubt that the district would accept that. Anyways, I liked your comment and I agreed.
I would like to comment Gina, also;
ReplyDeleteI also agree with your opinion because yes there are a lot of student who are good test takers but in the other way many are not. Its like this type of punishment that student’s who do very well in their classes but when this tests come up, it stresses them out and may lacked on these standardized test’s. These tests are hardcore and stressful, because these people who make up the tests put questions about the past that many of us don’t remember.
Also, where you mention the act has not done anything to reduce the class size. And this upcoming year I heard Valley is going be packed in classes and its going to be hard for the teacher to manage with a lot of student’s in one class, its going to be hard to keep on track everyone to see if they understand the topic they are learning. Overall, Gina I liked your last sentence a lot because it wraps up everything, it directly goes to the point.
Regarding to Shelby’s comment;
ReplyDeleteYes, its ridiculous in elementary school stopping a lesson and all the sudden going to “Hey kids, we are going to learn how to bubble in the answers” I remember when I was in elementary each year we had to do the same procedure bubbling in correctly. I found that a waste of time. But getting more into the topic, many students feel pressured when these tests come, they feel is they don’t pass this exams is going to be some type of punishment.
Not even I know what type of system could replace no child left behind because it hard to determine what can improved this situation. Shelby, I agree with your opinion and NCLB just seems unrealistic to me.
This is a comment in regards to Mekdelawits response
ReplyDeleteI agree with your reasoning of why you think No Child Left Behind isn't a very good way of keeping track of school's progress. I like most students didn't really care about the proficiencis. Yes i passed them but even if I didn't I would of passed them my junior year. I see the standardized tests pretty pointless and a waste of time for the most part.
I agree that the tests do not cover we learned that year. They cover things that we probably forgot cause we haven't really worked on them for a while. I think we should administer different tests as you pointed out in your response. That will be a better way of keeping track of the progression of students.
This comment is directed towards Jocelyn's Response
ReplyDeleteI see that in a way they should have alternatives to having proficiency testing. Many kids do get stressed and that might be some of the reasoning to why some people don't pass. I think the idea of making an assignment is way better than taking a test. Doing work feels more comfortable sometimes than actually taking a quiz.
I believe we could also have an alternative to proficiencies based on your class grades. I know that in some schools in Mexico if you have good grades all year you don't even need to take a final exam, cause you have proved that you've known the material all year. I believe that if you have taken and passed the classes the proficiencies monitor, you should be exempt from taking them. Since you have proven you knew the material in classes you shouldn't be forced to take a test.
This comment is directed towards Jasmyn's response
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that No Child Left Behind is not monitoring children's intelligence, but I don't really believe thats its purpose. It is mostly to monitor if kids are going to school and doing what they are supposed to be doing. I believe its kind of a way to classify the schools not the individual students. It is to see if they are progressing thats it.
I understand that nobody likes the program because it is flawed. When I attended Boy State we also didn't like No Child Left Behind, for the pure reasoning of the proficiency testing, not for all the other reasons. If there were alternatives to the test then the program might actually be monitoring the progress since tests can't really show that much. The program does stress students and faculty because the school does want to reach AYP, but in a way No Child Left Behind is monitoring the school. It may not be monitoring each childs intelligence, but at least its doing something usefull, such as keeping track of attendance.
This comment is in regards to Rafaela’s comment:
ReplyDeleteIt is very unfortunate that I continue to concur with my fellow classmates about the poorly developed NCLB. I can understand that there are people out there that really want to help us, but they need to realize that need to analyze every piece of information within a piece of legislation. Also, I am really questions the ideals behind the separation by ethnicity or disabilities. Are they trying to figure out what ethnicity group is the best? Those are signs of discrimination/racism that should be unacceptable especially in one of the most populous school districts in the nation.
Rafaela goes to highlight my concern about the level at which the standardized tests are. Why are we getting judged at an 8th grade level? Is it because the CCSD thinks we are not capable of succeeding. That method is just discouraging those that are really working hard in school from reaching their full potential. Moreover, Rafaela is right about increasing the number of students per class. I, myself, struggled to keep up with a teacher last year because the class was just enormous. Now, the CCSD is saying that we can expect to have classes where the number of students can be reaching 50 per class. That is unbelievable, is that how they expect us to succeed?
This comment is in regards to Gina’s comment:
ReplyDeleteGina, you are absolutely right about everything you said about the NCLB act. The only thing brought by the NCLB has been disaster throughout the nation. Education has definitely lost its touch. Prior to this act, schools would focus on student and their effort rather than their tests scores. A student who has worked so hard throughout the year by going from C’s and D’s to B’s and A’s deserves a great pat on the back. Now, schools worry about meeting the requirements from the NCLB, which is meeting the AYP, instead of rewarding those that spend hours studying for the Proficiencies even though they end up failing.
Indeed, the NCLB is a failure but there’s still some hope to restore our education system. The government needs to switch paths and go back to the Good Old education that is present today in hospitals, legal offices, prosperous businesses, and many more work places around the country. There should be more funding going to struggling school districts because we cannot have a future full of people working low-paying jobs.
This comment is directed to Jasmyn F.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you said about the No Child Left Behind Program. It is something that really has not shown much improvement and it really isn't a way of determining how students are really performing in class. When this program came into play, many believed it will show improvement, but we don't see it as students. Has it really improved our students' potential and desire to continue doing their best in class to be able to reflect it in the future?
The program is unrealistically able to identify the students' capability in their education. We do need a program that will help students, but I think the No Child Left Behind Program went down hill after a couple years. The government is still concerned, but I think they are much worried about other things....the economy maybe??
This is a response to Saul's comment.
ReplyDeleteYea, I know what you're saying, I see the tests the same exact way. I think if we focused on our classes more and not have to worry about the proficiencies, we would be much more intelligent. It's not a surprise to anyone when they pass them because it's pretty basic stuff. It just doesn't make any sense to me how they think just because you passed it, you're doing what you're supposed to be doing. Many students that don't even come to school usually can pass it easily, and that shouldn't mean anything.
I like how you said that the ethnicity card takes control in this issue. That shouldn't be the way it is, they should classify us according to our accomplishments, not by our background. And yes, most of us don't even remember what we did the year before, so how do they expect us to recall material from the past 3 years?That is ridiculous!!!I know I don't remember everything I learned. As soon as you have to learn new material, you kind of block the old stuff out to make room.
This is regarding Melissa Morelli's response.
ReplyDeleteWhat you're is certainly true, in my opinion. Some students in high school can barely read, but they are in regular classes with all the other students. Maybe if they kept tabs on them since elementary school, we wouldn't be having this problem. These kind of problems need to be dealt with before they blow up in our faces. Unfortunately, in this case, they weren't solved with, and we have to pay for it now. I think if students are held back, they will become very discouraged, and of course no student is going to agree to be held back. They're just going to have to come up with better solutions to this problem.
I completely agree with you on this one. Some schools are just bound to stay on the "needs improvement" list, and there's really nothing we can do about it. Mr.Montoya always encouraged us to pass the test, and that's why I think Valley moved from that list. Some schools might not have that motivation to keep them going, so they just don't care. But I think we're supposed to be 100% proficient by the year 2014. Now, that's just absurd, they really don't think that'll happen, do they?
STACEY AYALA
ReplyDelete1. Students need to do better in the english, reading, and mathematics standardized tests. Year by year that passes by the school needs to improve its scores. One example would be how high schools need to improve in their proficiency scores every year.
2. I do not agree with the No Child left Behind Act. Standardized tests only make students nervous and stressed while they are busy trying to graduate. There are certain people who do very well academically but do badly on tests. On the contrary there are others who aren't so well and do very well on tests. It just depends on the person.
Many people are either kinesthetic, oral or visual learners. Therefore, many teachers have only one type of a teaching strategy which not all students can learn from very well. As a result not all students catch up as quickly. Making them take tests can be good way to see where they are at. Although, it does't help when they are being teached in a way that they don't understand. Standardized test are the majority of the times mixed subjects. So the kids pass there strong subject and don't do as well on their weak point, but they still pass. So it isn't a good way to keep track.
3. Ofcourse Valley High School met the AYP. During 2008-2009 for the first time in three years Valley was honored with a special honor of a "turnaround school".
4. They are trying to make extracurricular activities afterschool for kids. Sort of like clubs to hlp the studnts learn as they go. Not forgetting to make students attend school the days that the tests are given.
This is in regards to Saul”s comment:
ReplyDeleteWhen you said, “I agree with you that No Child Left Behind is not monitoring children's intelligence, but I don't really believe thats its purpose.” That only stirred up a question to me: Then why must you pass them to graduate? The only reason there are graduation requirements is to make sure the students are equipped with the knowledge they need to succeed in the real world. Your diploma is a symbol of your intelligence.
Also, you said. “It may not be monitoring each childs intelligence, but at least its doing something usefull, such as keeping track of attendance.” I agree with this statement. The government REQUIRES you to attend school and this is a way of monitoring that. You mentioned that at Nevada Boys State they didn’t like the testing, but “not for all the other reasons.” What are those reasons?
1.The requirements to meet AYP are for schools to improve attendance each year, also for students to pass standardized tests like CRTs and the Proficiencies.
ReplyDelete2.No child left behind is not a solution that I favor, but I am also not against it. I believe the program wants to help students. To me it is not doing a good job. The program itself has a goal, but without realizing that each student learns at different rates. The school can focus on making AYP, but it is an overall score of many students. It is a good idea that they want students to learn and that no one should stay behind, but can they really achieve it?
I think the program is made for students to recap their knowledge, but it is alot that we have learn in past years. To me, no child left behind needs to improve their plan to make students' scores outstanding. They have a set goal, but don't really know how to achieve it. The material being tested on is long gone and a student may need time to go over what they have learned. An opportunity needs to be given because like I said everyone learns at a different paste and I don't think the child left behind committee realizes this.
3.Valley High School did make AYP this year, but not only that they received the "turnaround high achieving" award.
4.Clark County Schools are encouraging their students to go on days that the test are given and also to have extracurricular activities to help students pass them.
This is a comment to Mekdelawit. I undesrstand what you mean, but then to you the program is just waste? I know the tests are boring, but don't you think it is good to recap? Yeah, it can be borin. No one knows when we might need them again.
ReplyDeleteI don't think so much pressure should be placed on a student. The scores I agree does not make you a genius nor a dumb student. The tests are borin and are the worst, but don't you think it is just helping you? I mean I am in the middle with this program. I just think they cannot make a plan that can actually help us.
1. AYP requirements include same high standards of academic achievement for all, continuous and substantial academic improvement for all students and graduation rates for HS1 and one other indicator for other schools.
ReplyDelete2. I think No Child Left Behind Act is a great act; however, the part that I don't like is its system of assessing schools on how much money a school should receive based on the test achievement of the students. I think it's somewhat unfair to those schools where teachers and students tried their best to achieve AYP, and not get what they deserve.
I mean, why can't the government just give equal money to every school. This system actually creates competitions between students. Two of my friends were actually arguing about which school is better and richer. I can't believe they actually had thoughts like that about schools. In summary, I am not in favor on how they assess schools' money each year.
3. Valley High School did meet AYP this year. In fact, Valley High School had a special recognition for being the district's first-ever "turnaround high achieving" campus.
4. Clark County School District is helping other schools achieve AYP by encouraging students to be present on test days and do great on the tests.
This comment is directed towards Jasmiy:
ReplyDeleteI agree with your opinion. Monitoring Attendane is not goin to help a student become samrter. It will not help them learn any faster. The program is not monitoring the intelligence, but is really helpful on attendance. That is part of their goal. The program itself it is bad, but focusing that it doesn't want to leave a child behind is good.
I think it is interesting what you said. If Nevada Girl’s State beind a conference where there are girls all around Nevada and they have a similar opinion it is good. I do think that this conferences should count as an opinion of students about the no child left behind program. Who is more suited to be right than the own student who is faced with the requirements of the program.
According to Educationsector.org the requirements to meet AYP vary and depend not only in the grade levels but in the state. According to the source mention above the results for schools all around the nation can vary. For example kids in middle schools and elementary might not need to pass proficiencies like high scholars, but instead their “Average Yearly Progress” (AYP) is based in test or assessment scores on Math, Science, and English from the past two years ( this according to the same website). Also this same website says that AYP is decided within the state and all states are responsible for setting limits that will make them capable of meeting AYP.
ReplyDeleteReading different articles about NCLB I find it very interesting that the purpose of President Bush in 20001, (when he signed NCLB) was to set standards so high all across the nation so that if this were not meet “at least all schools will improve”. No I do not think NCLB is not working, but I do admit it has its pros especially monitoring schools because NCLB sets really high standards. I find syllogism of the president Bush very cliché. Most of our presidents want the best for our nation but sometimes just passing new laws that are not studied appropriately causes disaster.
NCLB was a great way from the government and the president to show its interest toward schools, but since it was not well studied it end up in disaster. According to Education sector.org all states are responsible for setting appropriate standards but this have to include people with disabilities. There is only so much a school can do because not only the population of disable student in their schools, but because all other schools within that state are grated equally. Something that to me in this case “it should not be about being equal… it should be about being fair,” and everyone should put into account all the other factors such as disable students, students who have difficulties learning, and the frame knowledge of each student from different backgrounds.
Yes, Valley reached AYP this year, and not only that but after 3 years of being in the list for “needs improvement” Valle High finally made a whole turnaround. Talking to our school dean Ms.Stepinski she told me that Valley had many tutoring or prepared groups for all proficiencies. She also said that she was happy because she saw such an improvement and that she believed that for the Writing Proficiency only 10% of the takers did not pass. I know it sound horrible that 10 % did not meet the requirements, but in the bright side 90% is a very good number. Not only am I glad Valley did meet the requirements but am also glad for this help groups for our proficiencies.
Lastly some of the most eminent set goals of the Clark County School District that will help other schools are very good attendance of students and applicable scores of either assessments taken in Elementary and Middle High School, or Proficiencies taken in High schools. Both are essential and pivotal not only to the reputation and wellbeing of the school, but also to obtain federal funds for public schools since private schools have founds and do not require to meet AYP.
THIS IS A REMARK ON MY COLLEAGUE MR. SAUL:
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your comment and believed it was very well said. I feel analogous to your personal response to question number two on No Child Left Behind. I second your opinion on mentioning ethnicity being a factor to meet AYP. Also personally agree that ethnicity is a very significant factor and that it is most likely a strategy of the government. I wanted to mention ethnicity being a factor that related to the subject but I fence myself from doing so because I did not know how to mention it with out insulting anybody, nicely done.
Is my believe that AYP should follow other factors such as the population of Especial Education students, students with learning disabilities, as well as Advanced Placement classes taken by students ( which are more likely to show the level of academic competence of the student), instead of trying to generalize a whole group or a whole school and trying or hoping to pass as “an equal” group without seeing their natural needs that fence students from doing better in such imperative assessments
THIS IS A REMARK ON MY COLLEAGUE MS. JORDAN MOORE:
ReplyDeleteMs. Jordan I really like all the facts you provide to support your comment. I became really interested in the one pertaining to your response for question number two. I believe the information to validate your comment on the improvement since NCLB is very interesting and if it comes from a reliable source I hope you could share it with me just for my personal interest (since citation is not require in this blog), and because I could find more facts and info. about yearly results on the AYP across the country .
However I have to disagree to your response to the 3rd question because seems vague and you provide little or not evidence. My colleague Ms. Moore says that she wonders what is going to happen after students graduate because since the government is so busy with NCLB, as a consequence students are being lack or denied from learning skill that are imperative after High school. I have to disagree. I personally received and invitation from a $90,000 government founded program known as “Student Talent Search,” (ETS) It is true American economy is not doing as well as we wish and there are budget cuts, and yes the government really focus on NCLB, but programs like this still exist and HAVE LITTLE OR NOT REQUIREMENTS. Programs like this provide everything you said; advice and one on one help to go to college plus information. They teach from how to write a check to actually getting you in college. You can learn about your strengths, leadership, all sort info. on colleges such as writing a resume, taking the SAT, SAT II, ACT (they pay for them on most cases including the $60 fee of acceptance to UNLV or other university out of state),and community problems . The programs are there just not everyone knows about them, the money, and determination is there people just do not know and this programs. Which are fun too, because members received awards, movie tickets, bowling and basketball passes, but most important we WENT ON A COLLEGE TRIP to 3 prestigious colleges. Thank you for your comment and I hope you could comment back.
THIS IS A REMARK ON MY COLLEAGUE MS.MELISSA MORELLI:
ReplyDeletePersonally agree and second your believe that the system of education in America is not the most adequate especially when it concerns to passing a student to the next grade or level. I once had a teacher who told me; “If a student has a failing grade but comes to school every day and tries its best even if is always an “F” … I am force to pass him and so are other teachers.” That really makes me wonder if is true and I hope one of the supervisors from this blog could answer that. Nevertheless seems like it is. Melissa and I have probably seem many after school programs to help failing student or students with especial needs, but what happens if this student needs more time in the grade not in the class ( which most likely can be retaken,) or in that level in other to learn at its own pace . Passing the student to the next level or grade is like NCLB, you set high aims and wait for a result based in something like an experiment that could have both reactions(positive and negative.)
I also agree in some part to what Ms. Morelli responded on how students do not perform as well or to their full ability in AYP test. However I believed that most students dislike the test because like my colleague Ms. Morelli mention before; most of them do not know or care about the test , but if the students were to know more information and how AYP test scores help bring federal funds for the school and how serious the matter is. Am sure the number of students passing this test will increase. I suggest that teachers encourage students to do well, to explain the benefits for the schools and for them themselves, and to help students with tactics so students could be better prepared and less nervous because many people can pass the test they are just not “good test takers” and require help, students could help they just need to be provided with the right information or guided with the adequate guidance.
THIS IS A REMARK ON MY COLLEAGUE MS.RAFAELA BLANCO (LAST COMMENT):
ReplyDeleteYou know what Ms. Rafaela, you are right. Most of us students are here discussing and attacking NCLB because that is what we are here for just debate, but you seem to be right in the sense that “what other program could benefit our education system and what to suggest.” Debating is not only finding the problem and debating, but debating is also about finding a solution or maybe at least a feedback. Probably the vast majority of us focus in the down side of NCLB, and if so what can we do about it. As AP students we should come with suggestions on a new type of program, and no am not saying it will go although way through the senate or that it will be made law pretty soon. What am saying is that our responses are good, or responses are proof of the America we believe in.
Probably most of us have heard everyone whining about taxes, about gas, about product prices, but mostly the way our government is run. I never heard anyone say or be thankful for the actions of their government and I never heard anyone saying “I DO THIS TO HELP MY COUNTRY.” Sounds funny but Mr. Kennedy will probably say “ASK NOT WHAT YOUR COUNTRY CAN DO FOR YOU … BUT WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR YOUR COUNTRY.” Then why don’t we?! We can all do so much better if everyone will do something for their country everyday…like stop whining and start suggesting, like stop whining and start voting…like stop going around the problem and help people no matter who they are.
THIS IS A REMARK ON MY COLLEAGUE “MS.LITTLE STAR”:
ReplyDeleteHi Shelby, I have a question maybe you could help, if not am assuming Professors will.
Mainly the vast majority of us students focuses on the “downfall” or negative instead of the affirmative (if there is much). TO YOUR HONEST OPINION, why do you think the government has not ratified NCLB completely? What is easier scratch something in such imperative law and make corrections, or just simply come up with a whole new law or plan that will cover the magnitude of this issue? You know I wonder if all us agree that NCLB has so many “downfalls,” than why this has not been ratified after almost eight year of its execution.
I second your idea of this being out of hand and being an enormous issue over time. Seems like the more time with have with NCLB the more complains we get from students. What my personal opinion is “we should find what is best not for all, but for most,” after all students will always have something to complain about, right? Is all about finding a solution that could better fit most students including pivotal factors excluded by the government such as the ones you mention before; Advanced Placement classes and level of academic intelligence ( which could not be discriminatory because all ethnicities have smart people). Thank you Shelby and I will be waiting for a response.
1. For schools to meet AYP,they must show improvements in graguation rate and attendance. They must also improve standardized test scores.
ReplyDelete2. I think NCLB is great way of monitoring schools,but not a good way of monitoring individual students. It is too general to adequately track a student's progress. I say this because more advanced students have learned what is on the standardized tests a lot earlier,but forgot it and dont do so well on it. Also,students who dont do so well in school bomb the test because they were never any good in school in the first place. So in the end,the standards get lower until the children who were going to get left behind finally pass the test and other students still have to stress to try and remember the stuff that will be on the test.
What I do like about No Child Left Behind is that it improves schools' attendance and graduation rate. It also improves test scores. The way it does it isn't exactly foolproof but it works. It helps schools reach AYP and gets rid of excuses failing students love to lean on. The only downside of it is that it adds to the workloads of teachers and passing students to help out the students who will eventually just drop out.
3. Of course Valley met AYP. We were also recognized as the district's first "turnaround high achieving" campus.
4. Clark County is letting schools who miss the test score targets but reduce the number of nonproficient students by at least 10 percent meet AYP. This is part of the state's "safe harbor" provision.
This is regarding Elayne's response.
ReplyDeleteYes, I completely believe the tests are a waste of time. I mean, it hasn't done anything to help me or others I know, so I think they should get rid of it a.s.a.p. Yes, it's good to recap, but there's other ways to do that in the classroom. Maybe they should have activities once in a while just to remind us what we have already learned in the past. Basing someone's knowledge off a test score is just scary to me.
Also, the tests are very boring;I know it's not supposed to be fun, but when students get bored, their mind wanders off. They can't concentrate, and they might end up failing. How is it helping me in any way?The only change it makes in my life is that I don't have to take it again for the next year;that's it. And of course they can make a plan that can actually help us, that's part of their job. Obviously, they're not doing what they're supposed to be doing if students are not improving. I really don't think that the goal of this whole thing will be reached. Every student has to be proficient by 2014, that's just a bunch of b.s. They know that it will not be reached, in my opinion;it's just an unrealistic goal.
This comment is in regards to Elayne’s comment:
ReplyDeleteI would have to say I was in the same position that you are on, but I realized what the real NCLB’s goal is. The program seems to help, but in reality it’s doing the opposite. It’s making us anxious and slow as we realize that the “standardized tests” are coming and we are not ready. It’s not that difficult to see that ALL of us don’t learn the same way and, definitely, not at the same pace. Still, the NCLB treats everyone “equally” based on knowledge rather than effort. I agree that it is a good thing to see that they want us to move at the same pace, but they are not doing anything to aid those that struggle to keep up with the rest.
The question you brought up (Can they really achieve it?) it’s simply up to them. In my opinion, I don’t think they can because they haven’t done anything that really shows their interest in our education, which is the future of this country. Elayne is absolutely right about the need for change within the program and the way it functions. Ultimately, it is up to those who have the “power” that can really make an impact on the way the NCLB works and consequently OUR FUTURE!
This comment is in regards to Elyane’s comment:
ReplyDeleteI am glad that we are on the same page. Although, when you said, “I do think that this conferences should count as an opinion of students about the no child left behind program.” I believe you are totally wrong. This conference is full of STUDENTS voicing their VIEWS on certain subjects. When we talked about the No Child Left Behind, everyone at the conference disliked what it was. We discussed the different sides on this issue. This was an easy bill to pass though, because everyone was on the same said. So for you to say that it should count as an opinion of the students is extremely wrong. The advisors didn’t make us think the way we did – we thought on our own.
Next, when you said, “Who is more suited to be right than the own student who is faced with the requirements of the program.” This is exactly true. Going back to Nevada Girl State, every person there discussing about No Child Left Behind was a 2010 STUDENT. I agree that we- the students – are more suited as you say.
This is in regards to Jocelyn’s comment.
ReplyDeleteWhen you said, “It is something that really has not shown much improvement and it really isn't a way of determining how students are really performing in class.” I completely agree with you. The No Child Left Behind, as a program, has not progressed (well from what I have heard.) A great way to see how the students are doing in an actual classroom is to look at their grades. You can normally see who is working extra hard vs. who just gets by. If you finished your freshman year with straight C’s and then ended your junior year with mostly A’s and a few B’s, then you can clearly see that that you progressed.
Next, when you said, “Has it really improved our students' potential and desire to continue doing their best in class to be able to reflect it in the future?” This question got me thinking. I believe that it MAY have helped students to do their best in the classroom. Mrs. VanSoolen was a teacher that required you to study for the proficiencies, and also utilized classroom time to help us pass. So in that sense I can see how it motivates you to do in the classroom. As for students reflecting back on it in the future I believe no. Ten years from now when I look back on my high school career, I’m not going to say that the proficiencies “made me a better person.” I may say that I remember having to do summer blogging because it is an issue, but that’s about it.
This is in regards to Jasmyn's comment"
ReplyDeleteWhen you asked "why must you pass the tests to graduate?" you do specify that it is to be equipped with the knowledge kids will need to succeed in the real world. But tell me this wouldn't people succeed in the real world without having to know alot of math, and science. Yes reading is a requirement you need but all the other ones you don't really need to know past the basics. You can have a successful career without knowing geometry or advanced algebra. People will be able to work just fine even if they didn't know any Science. I say we should choose what we want to be when we graduate and take tests that might resemble what we will be doing. If you are going to be an accountant, why do you need to know Chemistry??
When i mentioned that while at Nevada Boys State we didn't like the program for "all the other reasons". I meant for the reasons about the attendance being taken into consideration. The only problem we really had were about the proficiencies because we believed it doesn't really imply that you learned something, okay you passed big deal. There should be alternatives to the test. So basically to answer the question, we didn't really care that they monitor the attendance because that is a necessity.
This comment is directed towards Mario's response:
ReplyDeleteI completely agree by when you said that standardized tests seem to worry teachers more than students. I know when I was "studying" for the proficiencies I didn't really care. I see them as pointless and a way of taking time away from our studies. I don't completely agree when you say its a good way of keeping track on where people are in certain ares, because frankly people forget. I passed the proficiencies the first time but i bet if I had to take them again I wouldn't really remember most of it. They should making the proficiencies kind of a high school entrance level exam, to see where you are at when you come out of middle school.
I completely agree that they are a "waste of time". They really should include more recent stuff, I bet if some adults took the tests they wouldn't even know whats on them. They need to update the test or basically just get rid of it. School district should just let you pass based on credit requirements and certain core classes. If you pass with a certain level then automatic graduation, if you barely pass then they should give you kind of a level test to see if you at least knew the material.
This comment is directed towards Erica's response:
ReplyDeleteI agree with your statement that standardized testing are "nothing but an addition to the stress that students face.... not a depiciton of each student's progress." If they really wanted to monitor student's progression they will not give everyone a one-size-fits-all exam. They would actually try to test our knowledge based on our passed classes and the levels of academics we are taking. I believe that it is just a way to see who does better at testing and who struggles, as you so kindly pointed out.
I one hundred percent completely agree that NCLB should "accomadate student grade point averages." Grades are a reflection of what kids have been learning throughout the year. If someone is exceeding all year why should they take a test, they should be entitled to rest since they have shown they've known the material year long. Grades should be more important than testing, I know that in other countries if you do good all year you don't even have to take final exams because you have proven to the teacher that you know the material. The same concept should be applied here, if you have good grades on classes that reflect the prerequisites of the standardized testing then why should you take such tests. It is pointless, they should give the test to people that should prove that they know the material.
Priscilla,
ReplyDeleteWow I just have to say wow I agree with your comment. Its very self explain with detail and yes I agree on the part where you mention that NCLB “was a great way from the government and Mr. Ex President to show interest in school” in sudden fact they were like too pressured and hurried to pass NCLB. They left some very important stuff out and it converted into a total mess. For me NCLB is useless with their hopeful wish of making school’s to improved I mean come on not all school systems are the same and not all communities have the same amount of cash needed.. Money also has become a big issue due how the economy is right now, its very difficult to maintain money in the bank , with a lot of teacher’s losing their jobs and getting the actual stuff students need to learn the supplies such as textbooks. You and I had a teacher talking about this last year I had to mention that. Its sad because how does the government want their students to improve if there so much lacking going on? Money is a big problem in this area.
I like how you mentioned about disabled students, I have two brother’s with autism. Yes, the government should take in fact about being fair giving the same amount of education to kids with a disability. But I have to admit my brothers teacher’s I’m glad with their hard work they are putting to help my brother’s have an education where they can learn, have a more stable environment to feel comfortable to be surrounded other student’s. I believe it depends on what type of teacher we get if the teacher pushes us hard to learn and to succeed then school’s can improved. That’s how Valley has been recognize with the hard work they put to help student’s passed the proficiencies I have to say that school is on a roll and I am glad to attend that school.
Cesar,
ReplyDeleteI know it seem that this system is trying to categorize us and figure out who’s the best in every situation. I find it very obscure for them to just group student’s. That does seem like discrimination come on every person has a different level on where they stand and that takes if the student does want to learn. I do not share what the government and NCLB have in mind, I feel they want to take stuff too fast and they set up goals that seem unrealistic to me. I’m glad they want to help us to succeed but the way they want to set up things how is that even going to help us?
Yes and about the size of the classroom, I remember I was in that same class it was very hard to keep in touch because the teacher couldn’t handle the class and the behavior. But yeah this upcoming year if the class is about 50 students how is the teacher going to keep up if the student understands the concept? Hopefully, our teacher’s proves us wrong and can show us that they can keep up but it’s going to be hard but let’s wait and see probably it’s not going to be bad after all I am crossing my finger’s. And my last concern about the level in those test’s I know I do not understand why can’t they put stuff we learned in High School. I believe these tests should only be about what we learn in the recent year’s.
This is in regards to Stacey's comment.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree with you more. As a student, I see the tests as a useless source of stress and worry. We have all these other subjects and tests to worry about, so we can get into college and lead a good life. We don't need anymore distractions to turn us away from the lessons of the classroom. Also, like you said, some students don't do well on it even though they get good grades and all. I think that's because they just can't seem to concentrate because it's not interesting enough. And most teachers make such a big deal out of it, which scares off many students.
Yes, all students have a different way of learning, and of course the teachers can't all provide that. I think if they at least tried to mix up some activities that will fit most students, they will be able to learn alot more. It might also help them with the test because the test is made to include every student in a sense. It's very true what you said about the students passing the test with the subject they're strong in, but I don't think they pass their weak subjects. That's what causes the school to not make AYP. If they kept track of students' improvement according to their accomplishments during the whole year, we wouldn't have these problems.
This Is a comment to LEE
ReplyDeleteLee I could not agree with you more. Your opinion on how schools get money is based on test scores because it really should be equal. Your right about students trying and some still can't meet those goals and even if they try their hardest they have a system which pretty much says your not good enough. Education needs to be equal because the kids are the future.
Your also very right about how competition brews up from friend to friend about which school is better. I always here my friends talking about how ghetto another school is. I've heard I can't believe you go to Valley. Those kids are bad. They get that judgement of us just because our school doesen't look the nicest.
1) To meet AYP schools have to past standardized tests in reading, writing and math. Also, schools have to have a 90% attendance rate for the first 100 days of the school year. They must also have 50% graduation rate.
ReplyDelete2) In my opinion the No Child Left behind act is okay but i dont really think it works to well. It's great that every student gets their attention and that they try to help them. But i don't think that the school district understands that every student is not the same. Everybody learns in their own way and at their own pace. That's where I think the system is a little flawed. For example, in one of my english classes and he couldn't read and he was struggling. He should be put in a class to help him get caught up. All this class was doing to him was making him push farther away from the others because we were moving fast.
Also, the No Child Left Behind Act has some ridiculous goals to reach. Even though they believe it's helping it's doing more harm than good. Have you seen that goal for 100% proficiency by 2014. Whoa that is ridiculous and their expectation are way to high for everyone.
3) Valley met AYP this year. Valley High School was a turnaround school because for three years they didn't meet it.
4) Clark County School district helps because they always encourage us to do good on the test. They always encourage us to be present on test days and especially at Valley we get the "you are the best".
This is a comment to JOSE BOTELLO.
ReplyDeleteI kinda agree with your first opinion in your answer to number 2 but the second part of that answer I dont' really agree with. I don't agree with having the schools monitor their own performance. That's not really gonna solve anything. It's good how they base it on a whole to see how everyone's doing accord to their standards. I don't think they should set their standards to high because not every student is the same.
I agree with you when you say that the districts goal are unrealistic. That 100% goal by 2014 is really a long shot. If they are going to do that they are gonna have to crackdown on attendance, extracurricular activities and just placing students in classes that are suitable for them. The extracurricular activities will be hard because of all the budget cuts going on.
This comment is to Elayne Calderon.
ReplyDeleteI feel the exact same way that you do Elayne. The school district does need to recognize that kids don't always move as fast as others. Also. some students struggle in other subjects more than others. That question you ask can they really achieve it? They might be able to if teachers and students are willing to put in the time after school also to get help. Because i see it all the time where we have activities where teachers are willing to help and no one goes. So that's not the teachers fault.
Yes and what your saying is an opportuinity needs to be given and that's true but like i said teachers try. It's just some students refuse to give a little time to learn. So it just can't be the teachers it's also the students to. What really needs to happen is kids need to be put in appropriate classes where they can strive to be the best that they can be.
In response to Priscilla's remark on my response. (Wow that’s a mouthful.)
ReplyDeleteHonestly in my opinion No Child Left Behind hasn't been ratified or better yet completely over hauled because in these last 8 years we've had some many other things going on as well. Two wars, Natural disasters, feuds with other nations , Presidential campaigns, dying popes, dying pop stars, Jon and Kate plus eight etc. Okay maybe I’m being a bit sarcastic towards the end but what I’m trying to get across is that there have been so many other things that have some how taken priority over the educational system. So much so that we haven’t had the attention span or the foresight to fix what we now know is a monumental waste of time and effort.
We have placed the future of out children on the proverbial back burner in order to deal with things that really aren’t matters of consequence. DO you know how long I had to wait to hear about the AYP result on the nightly news? 12 minutes. 12 minutes of having to hear about Michael Jackson STILL being dead, the marriage issues of stupid TV personalities and a man whose lost cat found it’s way home. Some how in our society we have placed more importance on that useless drivel then our failing education system. Which when AYP and NCLB was mentioned, it was only a thirty second segment, very “Oh, By the way we failed again. *shrugs* Eh, what do you expect?” It’s very hard to reform a system which the public can focus on for more then thirty seconds.
jakeypoo said "Valley High School was a turnaround school because for three years they didn't meet it."
ReplyDeleteNow is this true about Valley?!?!?
This comment is to answer Ms. Brant & Mr. Magness comment:
ReplyDeleteYou asked if it was true that Valley didn’t make AYP for 3 years. Looking into the article more carefully it said: The designation (of the turnaround high achieving) is reserved for schools that have spent at least three years on the “needs improvement” list before demonstrating high achievement. Fewer than 10 campuses statewide have received the designation. So yes, Valley was on the needs improvement list for at least three years. At least we made it this year; great job guys!
Reading the comments, especially to this blog has been interesting. As I was going over the article I started reading the comments from adults. Adults like parents, mentors, teachers, and critics. This people are really thinking to the extreme. I think that everyone should look over these. One person suggested that they fire all of the teachers but a hand full and have internet schools. They said that they don’t want their tax dollars being spend on busing and such for schools. These people are to the EXTREME and it was entertaining reading their comments. You should take a look!
This response is in regards to Saul’s comment:
ReplyDeleteYou asked if people would succeed in the real word without having to know alot of math and science. I think you could survive in the real world with basic knowledge. School always wants you to have the best life possible. Going to college is an obvious choice after high school. College is designed to help you find what you are passionate about an help you run with it. Taking a variety of classes will open your eyes on what exactly is out there. So if you are going to be an accountant, and you take chemistry I see no harm in that. There is no SURE THING that you are going to be an accountant; you only aspire to be that. What if your aspirations change?
Also looking into the article, it said, “"It's made us really look at every single child," Moulton said,”I'm grateful for that." I think that this is misleading to people. I don’t think they are looking at you or me. As you said in a previous answer of yours, you believe they shouldn’t break us up into groups- as in race. Well as Moulton states she looks at everyone, shouldn’t she be saying she looks at every ethnic group, and their progress? I just thought that was interesting and you may want to see that.
This response is in regards to Jasmyns comment:
ReplyDeleteI do believe also that you could survive in the real wold with basic knowledge. But in my opinion you can have basic knowledge without science. I know many adults that know absolutely nothing about certain materials and they do good out there, in the REAL world. So if there is living proof of people being able to work without such prior knowledge, I dont believe such classes should be requiered by a curriculum unless that is going to be your specialty.
Yes Moulton states that she looks at everyone, but I just believe in my personal opinion that race shouldnt have anything to do with it. In my eyes we are all Americans so why should your studies be categorized by your race. I dont see people in France being like okay the white frenchmen did better than the asian frenchman, or people in mexico being like the black mexicann works harder than the lite skinned one. Everyone is American so they shouldnt categorize people into racial ethnic groups. Its a way of keeping racism alive in the country. But thats just in my opinion Jasmyn.
This comment is in regards to Melissa´s response:
ReplyDeleteI agree by your opinion that the program isn´t really monitoring the students. I have seen people being moved up when they can´t read and then they are way behind in high school because there was never really any progress with their learning. But the government doesn´t seen to be monitoring that, they just let them pass right through without seeing the future trouble they will have.
I also agree that students hate the standardized tests, I know cause I don´t really like them either. Frankly I don´t even se the point of them, they don´t really tests a students skills. You are right by when something isn´t for a grade, there really isnt much care for it. That is exactly what happens with the proficiencies. There should be better solutions because I do think all these programs are actually making kids want to get out of school quicker, which could result in more drop outs.
This comment is in regards to Elias´s response:
ReplyDeleteI do think that standardized tests should be different for each individual student, because if you really want to measure progression on every individual you will not present a "one size fits all" type of examination.
I do believe that if the tests are too hard then the honor students are bound to be the only ones that will pass them. But if the tests are too easy you will not see the progress of all the other high level students. There should be different tests per individual, that will be the fairest way to monitor.
This is a response to Saul's response:
ReplyDeleteI agree on what you said about monitoring absences and graduation rates, but I think that they give more priority to this areas when you are on your senior year. This past year, almost 3 weeks before the year ended, we heard principal Montoya saying almost daily "Students, you must come to school everyday in oirder to graduate", I took this comment as if it was refering only to seniors, I might be wrong but who knows.
Also, or your response you mentioned that to you it seems like an ethnic race, I dissagree with that, if you want to excel from everybody else you will do your best to impress. One your last statement I completely agree with it, it is a better way in my opinion to categorized students by their skills and academic level not by ethnicity.
This is in response to Gina's comment:
ReplyDeleteI liked what you said at the beginig of your sentence."The NCLB ACT is without a doubt disastrous." To me this is very true maybe the government thought that this would be an easy way of tracking a larger amount of students with less effort, it actually is, but they are not actually motivating them. Classes keep geting bigger in size, and they will continue to do so,
some of us heard from teachers that money was being an issue at school and that some of the newest teachers were going to be fired making some classes bigger.
To me this is bad since larger classes are an easier way to distract students, reflecting this on their grades. As you said the NCLB act must change or modify their type of monitoring students w/ standardized tests to more instructional classrooms.
This is regarding David Lopez's response:
ReplyDeleteI don't agree on your comment about the NCLB act as being good. If this was completly true we wouldn't have astonishng numbers of dropout students, or students failing 3-4 even 5 classes out of 6. I think that the reason you are saying this is because you are a very applied student and it is an easy thing to you. But for others is the complete opposite thing.
I think the same as you said, parents should be more involved in monitoring their sons/daughters.
This might be a factor that affects students doing bad in school. I believe that if your own parents don't care or don't motivate you in school then why put effort if they won't be proud of you or won't even care about it?
This comment is regarding Mekdelawitx15:
ReplyDeleteI conquer with your ideas of encouraging students and having extracurricular activities to help them improve their test scores. I think we all could use the funds and either different staff or more staff to help students individually.
It is set to believe, as I do, that if you think you are, you know you are, you will be that, that you want to be. So if many others are encouraging you, and you know others believe in you, then it can happen.
This is towards Saul:
ReplyDeleteI think the requirements that you set are a little too much, but it is important to set high goals, so i agree with that. Attendance is very crucial not only on test days, but everyday in school. Attendance does affect graduation rate.
Another thing I completely agree with you is that they should not categorize an ethnic group section for standardize tests. If they want to monitor things like that, they should do that by classes, or by the course difficulty.
This goes in regards to Elias:
ReplyDeleteThe whole different standards for each student is a good idea, but it will definitely take longer. That will show each students progress more accurately, but again, it is too time consuming.
We could get a staff specifically for tests results and counseling, but I do not know how that will play off in the end.
1. The requirements to me the AYP are as followed : the students need to pass standardized tests, the schools score has to be better than the year before in order to make AYP. The schools need at least 77 percent of students in all subgroups must demonstrate proficiency in English, and 75 percent of students in all subgroups must demonstrate proficiency in math.
ReplyDelete2. I think that No Child Left Behind is a good way of monitoring and accessing schools because it actually has allowed and helped to look at every student. With doing this they are allowed to check if the students are making any progress. It also allows them to check if they are falling behind. I think NCLB has its some good and some bad.
One thing I don’t like about the standardized tests is that they are very confusing. The test are usually not related to anything we learned or things we have learned a long time ago. The test should measure how much we have grown in knowledge each year not necessarily in how the district is testing us.
3. Yes, Valley H.S. made AYP for the 2008-2009 school year and it was specially recognized as the district’s first-ever “turnaround high achieving” campus.
4. CCSD is trying to help out the schools that are more in need. If they see that a school needs help, they will fund them. But as a consequence if the school is not showing any progress they will either try to transfer their students to better schools or remove staff.
Stacey,
ReplyDeleteI agree with how you stated that the No Child Left Behind is a waste of time. Its true
how the test that they give us do stress us out and its just another test that we need to worry about besides the ones that we need to take in our class. An I know plenty of people that are very smart when it comes to class work or homework but when it come
to taking tests they are horrible at it. I am not a genius but I do better on class work than
I do on test.
Just like you said everybody has a different way of learning whether its kinesthetic, oral or visual. I think that teacher should find a way so that they are teaching in al of those different ways. When it comes to the test that the district requires us to pass some students wont pass.
Mario,
ReplyDeleteI like that fact that you stated that the No Child Left Behind program is not a “good” program. Like you said, students don’t care about the test if it was up to the students
to decide they wouldn’t not have to tests. You are right, if they really do want us to
pass the test and do well on them the they should put current stuff that we learned in
high school, not in middle school.
I don’t really think that standardized tests are a good way to figure out if we are in the right place because of the fact that some of us didn’t get taught some of the things. The standardized test are an ok thing to check up on our progress, but not the best. I honestly don’t know what is, but hopefully we can find something better than that.
This comment is to Jordan M.
ReplyDeleteI agree with her statement about what happens to students after they pass the test. Do they even put as much emphasis on their potential future opportunities? A lot of people like to live in the present, but I like to think about what happen in the future. My life in the long run you know? So even if students pass the test, what or how will that impact them in college? Passing these tests is one of the first steps, but I also think they should focus on the many steps after that.