"Corky Scott" wrote

Bush is a great believer in accountability in schools. How does he
assess accountability? By making schools give their students
standardized tests and telling them that if their students don't show
improvement, the school will loose funding. It's very important for
the schools that their students show improvement in these tests so the
inevitable result of "No child left behind" is rote memorization of
facts...

Corky Scott

Not quite. The thrust of no child left behind, is that the ones that can't
read, or do math, or Write, get the help they need to function in society.
It also puts severely handicapped students normal classes, where they are
sure to do poorly, IMHO, unless the teacher gives them all kind of "special"
consideration, achievement wise.

That is a big failing, I think. The kid that can not read does not need to
try, and do poorly, at memorizing facts. They need to stay in reading and
writing class, all day long, if need be. Same goes with the kid that comes
to us from another country. Learn the language FIRST, then start on the
rest.

I have a kid from Mexico that speaks almost no English, yet I am trying to
teach him a technical trade like carpentry. Experts admit that technical
English is the last thing to be mastered. I don't understand this
situation.
--
Jim in NC


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