No Child Left Behind, Standards, Language Policy

<b> Forum for elementary education ESL/EFL teachers </b>

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Maureen Burke
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue Sep 09, 2003 8:11 pm
Location: Springfield School District

No Child Left Behind, Standards, Language Policy

Post by Maureen Burke » Thu Sep 11, 2003 1:24 pm

Hi,
My name is Maureen Burke and need help from fellow ELL teachers regarding No Child Left Behind, Standards, curriculum and their impact on classroom practice especially for ELLs. Does anyone know of any studies, authors, or research about this particular area?
Many thanks,
Maureen

AgathiP04
Posts: 6
Joined: Sat Sep 13, 2003 12:32 am
Location: United States

Research

Post by AgathiP04 » Sat Sep 13, 2003 12:41 am

Maureen,
I have not come across any research in this particular area yet. I feel it will be hard to find any research because NCLB is so new and lengthy, many administrators and teachers are still trying to interpret it themselves. However, I think you will be able to find some articles about NCLB and the ELL portion of it, but more casual articles. I hope this helps!

A.L.

dduck
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Joined: Thu Jan 16, 2003 11:11 pm
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Post by dduck » Sun Sep 14, 2003 7:38 pm

Would someone care to give an overview of this topic, for the ignorant among us?

Iain

AgathiP04
Posts: 6
Joined: Sat Sep 13, 2003 12:32 am
Location: United States

NCLB

Post by AgathiP04 » Sun Sep 14, 2003 11:41 pm

Iain,
NCLB is the brainchild of President Bush. It is an obstacle for ESL and LEP students due to several factors, of which I will name a few. First of all is the "Third Grad Guarantee" which guarantees that by the end of third grade all students should be able to read (not sure what the consequence is, again it is a lengthy document which is interpreted in many ways). Another factor is annual standardized assessments which ESL students are required to take. I am nowhere near being completely familiar with this law, but in one of my TESL classes, a professor had a booklet summarizing which parts of NCLB affect ESL students. I hope this helps!

A.L.

dduck
Posts: 265
Joined: Thu Jan 16, 2003 11:11 pm
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Post by dduck » Mon Sep 15, 2003 3:39 pm

Should you be allowed to use brain and President Bush in the same sentence? ONLY KIDDING!

Thanks for the info A.L. I makes me wonder what would happen if a student didn't meet the grade. Would they be put back a year, or would the school be fined?

Iain

AgathiP04
Posts: 6
Joined: Sat Sep 13, 2003 12:32 am
Location: United States

NCLB

Post by AgathiP04 » Mon Sep 15, 2003 7:51 pm

DDuck,
I believe the consequence is loss of funding. For example, if a school does not meet the requirements stated in NCLB within three years (I believe, don't take my word for it, read the act, again it has many interpretations) there is a loss of funding and parents have the option to send their children to a better performing school in the district. If you think about it, loss of funding will not solve the problems, sometimes the core of the problem is socioeconomics, which would require more funding. Hmm...reconsidering that brain and Bush sentence...

A.L.

dduck
Posts: 265
Joined: Thu Jan 16, 2003 11:11 pm
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Post by dduck » Tue Sep 16, 2003 6:15 pm

I've heard of similar problems from schools that teach immigrants in central London. Often these schools are doing a fantastic job: coping with pupils from different educational backgrounds, different languages, and different cultures. It's a huge challenge! As you say, these special schools need more resources and funds to deal with these exceptional conditions. However, there still remains the question: how does one measure the performance of schools, in general.

Perhaps, we should measure improvement rather than results?
Iain

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