Student Rights

End Of Course? Pass A Test!

If you are the parent of a school-aged child or have been paying attention to the debate over school reform, you have probably heard the cry “Teaching to the test.” The concept, under which some people believe that teachers have begun to devote their instruction time solely to teaching materials covered by state mandated standardized tests has caused a huge divide among those hoping to reform our current education system. While nearly everyone agrees that our education system needs adjusting, not everyone can agree on which reform to implement. One such reform that deserves consideration is end of course exams.

End of course exams are just that: test that occur at the end of a given class. The concept applies primarily to math, science and English, but is viable for nearly every subject. In theory, students would take a test that covers the material taught during the class. A passing grade must be achieved in order for the student to move on to the next level.

This test would be in addition to the standard tests that are already administered at regularly intervals during a child school career. Proponents believe that end of course testing would force teacher to cover all material in a given curriculum, not simply the material that will be covered on the next standardized test. This would lead to better-educated students.

There is a down side as well. Opponents believe that our students already have enough to worry about â€“ especially our high school students who must also prepare for SAT’s or ACT’s. Placing the additional stress of end of course classes might simply be too much.

Like all education reform issues, this one deserves careful consideration. It may be possible to implement a system under which our students are held more accountable for their class material without placing additional stress on them.

Filed Under: Student Rights Tagged With: Education, Standardized test, Student

Rewarding Good Behavior Isn’t Just For Students

Teacher merit pay is a payment concept of teachers that is not based on tenure. Under this payment schedule, teachers are awarded for performance, not for how many years they have remained in the teaching profession. Proponents of this idea believe that rewarding teachers who continue their professional development or who perform above standard is the best way to create a teaching field that looks first to the students. Like any education reform, teacher merit pay has its opponents as well. They believe that a pay scale based on performance would be difficult if not impossible to implement.

In theory, any school district hoping to implement a merit pay system must develop a play for accurately assessing performance and determining when and how to reward a teacher. Ideas include utilizing standardized test results and classroom performance. The problem arises when districts attempts to quantify these results.

Standardized testing is often thought of as a poor measure of a particular teachers performance. A variety of factors including funding, skill sets, parental or volunteer assistance and the “fairness” of standardized tests make relying solely on these results difficult. Classroom performance is equally difficult to measure: what countable or accountable items should be measured and how to measure them is problematic.

Perhaps a better solution for those looking to implement a merit system is a more inclusive system. Evaluations should include lesson plans, peer evaluations, parent evaluations, student behavior, measurable student successes and comparison with other districts or states. This all inclusive evaluation plans may be more viable, if it is more time consuming.

Teacher merit pay does have its upside, in spite of the difficulty of implementing it. If teachers believe that their own financial success is tied directly to their performance, not that of the district, they will be more likely to go that extra mile and begin to educate the whole child.

Filed Under: Student Rights Tagged With: Education, Merit pay, Teacher

It’s Elementary My Dear

One of the areas that local school administrations have some degree of flexibility with is the area of elementary education. This flexibility encompasses what grades are covered in elementary school and to some extent what classes and content are taught to the students. Individual states or school boards can make changes as they see fit to work within the confines of their budget and their student base.

While primary or elementary school is traditionally for first, second, third, fourth and fifth grades, there is a lot of flexibility built in her. Schools can choose to cover more grades, or in some cases less grades, as they need. Popular choices include keeping sixth graders with the elementary system. Others include sixth, seventh and eight grades, eliminating the need to build and fund a separate middle school. Districts that find themselves particularly full sometimes send fifth graders to the middle school.

Currently, there are over 3.5 million students per grade in the U.S. Elementary students participate in basic education classes including math, reading, English, some science and some cultural studies. Children typically remain in one classroom throughout the day with the exception of extra classes such as PE, art and music. The classes and the content taught within in them are traditionally defined by the local school administration. With the passage of NCLB, the state has taken some of this control away from the local school boards, giving them more strident guidelines.

It is interesting to note that our teachers are trained to develop curricula, teach and to identify learning problems in their students. Elementary schools is meant to serve as a basis upon which the rest of the student’s education can be based. It creates a solid foundation for our students. It is unlikely that this structure will change as it has proven to be relatively effective

Filed Under: Student Rights Tagged With: Board of education, Elementary school, Middle school

Making The Grade

We go to school to make the grade – right? But did you ever stop to consider where our grading system comes from and how it translates in the real world? Getting a A on a history test may seem like a big deal to a ninth grader, but when you consider the larger implications of our grading system, you may come to realize just what our grades actually mean.

In the United States, we rely on a grading index based on five grades. Traditionally, we use the letters A, B, C, D and F to represent our students- achievements. Using this system A denotes a student who is achieving the highest potential marks while the F represents students who are failing. In the Midwest, most notably Michigan, the F is replaced with an E. It is interesting to note that the E is also used in Canada, although they use it to denote a “conditional” grade instead of a failing grade.

In primary and secondary schools throughout the United States, there is no “conditional” grade. Some school systems allow teachers to grade students with an I, denoting incomplete, although this grading concept is more traditionally used in the college setting.

The United States does also use a further denotation, that of + and -. When the grade is translated to a numerical value, where C = 2.0, B = 3.0 and A = 4.0, student whose numerical value falls within the correct range is awarded a + or a -. Strangely only in America can a student receive an A+. In theory, it is impossible to score higher than a 4.0. making an A+ impossibility. These grades are only awarded to students who have achieved additional points in one form or another.

The American grading system is unique and an important element of our education system

Filed Under: Student Rights Tagged With: Canada, grades, Michigan, United States

The Creative Types Aren’t Necessarily Lazy

: Image by Roslan Tangah (aka Rasso) via Flickr

Maybe the expression “clay for an A” rings a bell with you. It’s an old way of saying that a lot of art students would really rather not do anything but that making or drawing something is a good way to relieve their boredom, while making people in positions of authority think the student is working just enough not to pay any attention to them. In essence, the arts have been regarded by a lot of academicians as nothing more than an escape. The student comes in high, makes something that looks neat, and gets an easy A. If that’s how you think, you need to open your mind to some other possibilities.

Now, it’s not to say that there are not tons of slackers out there (and in the schools closest to you) who want nothing more than to be left alone to their altered states and complete disregard for anything with rules or guidelines. However, there is a need for the arts and humanities beyond letting students relax between English, math and history. Consider the fact that getting students to think creatively is a fundamental component of helping them adapt to the situations they will face as adults. Remember that the world is about more than just connecting facts and processing equations.

A student may not be the best at diagramming a sentence. But if he or she is able to intuitively understand when a sentence reads well or can make it flow more effectively and still express its point, that’s an important thought process. Whether it comes to negotiating with someone over a price (or the terms of a deal) or the creation of a new written work or invention, the creative mindset must be encouraged in every student who is willing to embrace it. In helping our students to see and work creatively, sites like onlinembarankings.com may have ample opportunities for them.

Filed Under: Student Rights Tagged With: Arts, Education, Student, Thought

The Benefits and Drawbacks of the No Child Left Behind Act

: Image via Wikipedia

The No Child Left Behind act was introduced under the leadership of President George W. Bush, Jr. in 2002. Its intention was to ensure that overall education standards were improved by requiring teachers to adhere to federally mandated curriculum requirements. However, it has been adamantly protested by students, parents and teachers alike since its initial inception.

Many teachers unions dislike the program’s requirements because they feel that standardized test scores have not improved to show evidence of its success. Since the program is based on goal setting and high expectations which are measured through the administration of standardized tests, it would seem that examination of the nation’s scores on such tests would be a sound indicator of if the No Child Left Behind Act is doing what it was meant to do.

However, many children are bewildered by the complicated rules that some standardized tests can pose, leading their parents to argue that standardized tests are not the best way to measure knowledge level or comprehension.

In fact, some universities are now moving towards not requiring standardized test scores as part of the normal admissions process.

Other opponents of the No Child Left Behind Act feel that the emphasis on higher standards has worsened the already pervasive national teacher shortage.

However, the Act does measure educational progress by ethnicity, and some supporters feel that this helps to close the achievement gap between white students and those who are minorities. Additionally, the Act chooses to focus on students who often need extra support, such as those from low-income families, or students who are disabled.

Finally, parents are provided with a periodic detailed explanation of their child’s performance. This helps to indicate any potential areas of strengths and weaknesses, allowing parents to seek special tutoring or assistance in these areas as needed.

Filed Under: Student Rights Tagged With: Education, George W. Bush, No Child Left Behind Act, Standardized test

Hope for the Average Student

When the “No Child Left Behind” law passed it was a major turning point in the way that education was approached. Under the law, there was to be no student “left behind.” This meant that if a student was struggling, a teacher needed to step up and provide the necessary arrangements to get them the help that they needed to achieve their goals and graduate from school. It was believed that with the passing of this law children would have more hope for the future and hope to continue their education after high school.

While this law might have helped inspire children and high school students all across the country it didn’t really inspire them like lawmakers had hoped it would. Luckily for students all over the United States another form of education has popped up and offered every student no matter what their test scores are, the opportunity to a higher education.

Online colleges have made it possible for those students who do not perform well on tests to be able to achieve their goals and dreams of having a college education. Learn more at earnmydegree.com. The average online school has a less strict admissions requirement than those of the brick and mortar schools. This means that students who found it difficult in high school to take tests or just struggled in various subjects now have the possibility of earning a college degree.

While the various lawmakers tried to inspire a nation to learn it wasn’t until the invention of something modern and technologically advanced did the inspiration really come in. Now no matter how much a student is struggling in school they are able to look ahead and realize that a college degree is within their grasp. With online colleges there is no reason a child should feel left behind as their friends go off to college. Now they can too!

Filed Under: Student Rights Tagged With: No Child Left Behind Act, Student, United States

Favorable Results from the No Child Left Behind Act

The No Child Left Behind Act was a sweeping educational reform act passed in 2001 under President George W. Bush. While the act has come under criticism for several reasons, fans of the act say several favorable trends have come about directly as result of the act.
The No Child Left Behind Act instituted requirements that each student and school must live up to. The results are gaged through standardized testing. The testing varies from state to state though because each state develops and oversees the programs related to No Child Left Behind.
One of the advantages according to fans of the act is increased test scores. Data shows that test scores improved after the act was passed. This, proponents say, shows that No Child Left Behind is working and improving the quality of American education.
Another positive to come out of the No Child Left Behind Act is that the system is an improvement over the old system where schools had to live up to local standards.
A big advantage according to the No Child Left Behind Act’s backers is the increased sense of accountability. Schools and teachers must be accountable for the grades their students receive on the yearly tests. If a school or classroom as a whole performs poorly the school and teacher risk punishment up to and including firing.

Yet another advantage pointed to by those in favor of the act is an increased attention to minority populations. These populations must perform as well on the standardized testing as other groups so more efforts are made to make sure they’re up to speed.

The No Child Left Behind Act is a controversial act that has both negatives and positives. Fans of the act say that the act has improved education through increased accountability and say that improved test scores show that the No Child Left Behind Act works.

Filed Under: Student Rights Tagged With: No Child Left Behind Act