Money and the Mandate

Last month the children at my school took the Illinois State Achievement Test. Now everyone in the school waits to here the fate of our school. Unfortunately we did not make AYP again last year. The whole focus has been raising the test scores. The No Child Left Behind legislation has shifted the direction of education. As educators we are supposed to make instruction engaging and student centered. How is this truly possible when the instruction is not standards based as it should be but the under lying driving force is actually the TEST. We have been told as a staff our jobs and the fate of our school depends on the test results. This kind of pressure is not motivating it is paralyzing. Teachers are always worried about how will they cover the enough of the material by testing. We spend countless professional development opportunities analyzing student data, choosing the bubble kids and learning strategies to raise test scores.
The major problem with NLCB has never in my opinion been the idea that all students should receive a high quality education from highly qualified teachers. The problem is little money was given to effectively implement programs and teacher training to meet the NLCB requirements. I have taught at schools who have failed to make AYP. The years our school failed to make AYP we lost funding. The administration made sure the teachers were aware the inability to retain staff and purchase instructional material was a result of not making AYP. I have taught at schools who have failed to make AYP. The years our school failed to make AYP we lost funding. The administration made sure the teachers were aware the inability to retain staff and purchase instructional material was a result of not making AYP. Throughout the year we were reminded that our job security was in direct relationship to raising students test scores. The tendency to teach to the test was undeniable. The year we made AYP were more relaxed and taught more to the Illinois standards. The constant threat of school closures and reconstitution are powerful motivators to help students achieve by focusing on the specific items similar to those seen on high stakes test. Working under constant threats and impending doom cause teachers to stress which in turn in my opinion reduces the instructors ability provide quality engaging learning experiences. The benchmarks set by NLCB are great goals for all educators. The ability to design and implement enriching educational experiences is often overshadowed by making AYP the focus instead of the students. Until the funding for No Child Left Behind initiative is equable with the needs of struggling schools it will never come to fruition. Help schools struggling instead of punishing them. Support and encourage teachers and staff who failed to help their students achieve instead of reducing the funding and cutting positions. Mount Vernon is administering low stakes assessments. The learning first tests are given in the fall and spring of each year to each student in the third through eighth grades. These tests are to asses where the students need more instruction in line with state standards. However after all the staff development dedicated to analyzing the student data it still comes back to how to tailor instruction for the ISAT. One day I hope we can teach pass the test.