While we are looking at the current trends in education, the No Child Left Behind Act is a major part of education today. As most of us will go into the classroom within the next few years, NCLB is a major piece of legislation that can affect us all. The are many critics and proponents of this act, but disregarding them and looking closely at the results, the question is does the NCLB work? According to the article NCLB: Is it Working? by Alain Jehlen, it is not. This is due to the following:
Koretz says a math test works the same way: No test can cover all the skills from every angle that students should master, so the test is just a small sample. If you focus on teaching kids to correctly answer problems that use a particular question format and only cover a narrow range of skills, students will do better and better-that is, until someone asks them questions in a different way, or measures a different set of skills from the larger curriculum. Koretz carried out an ingenious demonstration of this phenomenon in the 1980s in a school district he had to agree not to name. The stakes on test scores in that district were "laughably low compared with today's," he says, but teachers did feel pressure to get scores up. When the district switched to a new test, Koretz says, "scores dropped like a rock." But over the next four years, they rose steadily. Now comes the clever part: Koretz gave students the old test, the one that no longer carried high stakes so teachers didn't prep students to take it. Their scores plummeted. His conclusion: Four years of rising scores did not reflect real achievement, just teaching to a new test. Research on scores on high-stakes tests in Kentucky and Texas also showed Campbell's Law in action. So to see whether NCLB is really boosting achievement, we can't rely on high-stakes state tests. We need to look at scores on a test for which students don't get prepped."
I found it very interesting that students failed at new tests, and that if in order to achieve, there needs to be four years of failure before students eventually reach the level that was achieved previously. After reading this part of the article, what are some ways that teachers can help their students achieve good scores on the tests? Also, what are some things that teachers need to do in order to make their students better learners? If we are only teaching to the test, then what happens to the material that will not be included? Does that make it any less important, and for that reason should it no longer be taught in school? Lastly, do you personally think that NCLB is working in schools today.
Over the past few years, NCLB has been a topic of controversy in the education field and I've taken several courses here at Chapman that stand by what Alain Jehlen states in the article. As far as suggestions to improve test scores, there are so many ways to teach a wide variety of subjects and it is up to us as teachers to help the students retain that information by making learning fun and interactive. Test scores don't tell the intelligence level of a student because it isn't something that can be put on paper. I know that we college students forget all of the detailed information as soon as our tests are handed in because we think that's all that matters. At the same time, there is always going to be a need for standards that have to be met because without them there would be no average to exceed or fall below. But the criticism that NCLB is receiving is due to the fact that the act assumes that all children of the same age will learn at the same level, which is never the case. I don't think that NCLB is an efficient education plan because standardized testing needs to comply with the learners, not the other way around. While there are some standards that should be met at a given age level, many students will need extra attention from teachers to help them fully retain the information at hand. So let's do it!
ReplyDeleteI was very surprised comparing the two graphs. We are told that NCLB does not work, those of us that took Jim's class know that first hand. But I don't think I have seen a visual that really showed that it doesn't work. I think that as teachers, are job is to teach as much material as we can, but make it in a way that will stick. Activities where a child can become involved in will help them remember. I still remember things that I did in 6th grade, and thinking back to the activity I still remember ther information that went along with it. There is a lot to teach, but that is why combining subjects is important. Subjects over-lap (like science and math, or english and history). There are ways to work on multiple subject areas at a time without the children realizing it. For test scores to go up, we don't need to teach to the test, we need to be proficient teachers and give our students the tools they will need to help them on the test.
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ReplyDeleteWonderful post! This really raises some excellent points about Campbell's Law and the impact of high stakes testing on instruction. Thanks for posting it! I love the comments after it as well. Very thoughtful!
I think that this is such an interesting article- Proof that teaching to the test never works. I myself can testify that even at the college level, memorizing concepts for a specific test never really allows me to demonstrate all that I have learned, no matter how well I perform on an exam. I feel that I learn best when the stress of test taking is eliminated, or at least not emphasized as the most important componenet of the course. Tests that allow me to demonstrate what I have learned, for instance by asking a broad question and allowing me to answer it as I see it, seem to work much better for me.
ReplyDeleteI think that this article, in some ways, is making the same point. When teachers are teaching concepts, solely so a student can answer a high stakes test question, the student is at a disadvantage because they are not recieivng all of the knowledge regarding that topic.
Wow this article brings up some very good points. I think we are teaching students to become good test takers. But that means we are lacking on education as a whole. I think as teachers we need to give our students a well rounded education and show them many different ways to learn. I was shocked how the students failed the test that they took four years prior and passed. This just shows their is something wrong with NCLB and we need to come up with a different plan.
ReplyDeleteIt is obvious that over the years the NCLB question, "Does it work?," has risen. I agree with the article when it articulates that as a result of the program educators are having more dificulties teaching material that will benefit the cognitive development of students. As a result of NCLB many educators are forced to teach their students how to be better test takers rather than how to grasp concepts that they will need to be sucessfull in the real world. Of course, there are teachers who go out of their way to insure the learning of their students, but it saddens me to see that even then it is so hard for these teachers to go out of their way to do this as a result of the restrictions implemented by this program! I just hope that with the new administration the NCLB question can be looked into for the benefit of our students.
ReplyDelete(I wasnt able to post my comment at first since I forgot to sign into my blog for the class so I had to use my AIM. I am now signed in so I am posting this again incase...SORRY!!!) It is obvious that over the years the NCLB question, "Does it work?," has risen. I agree with the article when it articulates that as a result of the program educators are having more dificulties teaching material that will benefit the cognitive development of students. As a result of NCLB many educators are forced to teach their students how to be better test takers rather than how to grasp concepts that they will need to be sucessfull in the real world. Of course, there are teachers who go out of their way to insure the learning of their students, but it saddens me to see that even then it is so hard for these teachers to go out of their way to do this as a result of the restrictions implemented by this program! I just hope that with the new administration the NCLB question can be looked into for the benefit of our students.
ReplyDeleteNCLB has caused a lot of tension among schools to perform well on state-mandated testing. I feel like all NCLB has done to schools is create structured, mechanic curriculum in which students only learn what is necessary to do well on their tests (which is interesting, because a lot of schools still aren't performing as well as they should be). Reading this article was refreshing, because it discussed all of the things I feel about NCLB. In my opinion, NCLB doesn't work. Teachers need to think outside the box when teaching material covered on the test. They need to remember to teach students the material that will be covered on the test, not teaching to the test. Students need to be encouraged to be critical thinkers, and should have a solid grasp on the basics and foundations of every subject so that their knowledge may be applied to any test they take. I thought that "Campbell Study" was really interesting and eye-opening; all teachers should know about that. Just because certain material isn't covered on the test does not mean it should be left out of the curriculum entirely. This information is very important for expanding students' minds and knowledge, and subjects intertwine and strengthen each other. If students are educated in a variety of subjects, they will be able to apply their knowledge of certain concepts to other ones, thus reflecting more wholesome learning.
ReplyDeleteit is sad to see teaches teach to the test only. NCLB has created an educational atmosphere that revolves around test taking and doing well on only tests and that is not good. we are only teaching our students how to take tests and to pass them. we need to get away from this kind of teaching and focus on teaching the child not the test. tests should only be given to view progress not to be used as lesson plan guides and motivators. we are only harming the child because we are not teaching them the essential skills that they need for their future. we are only equipping them with skills on how to pass a test. We are raising and teaching our future generation. a child can not go into the world only knowing how to pass tests, this will get the child no where. teaching is more then this and we need to begin teaching to the subject and working on expanding the child's ming and having them think deeper on the subject. we need to integrate our lesson plans with other subjects and include art, music, drama and p.e in our classrooms. this is a great article thank you for making us aware of this issue.
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