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Discussion

I have been teaching for 13 years, and I have seen some changes in our school because of NCLB. We have always been preparing our students for the TAKS test or testing of some sort, so that's nothing new. We have definitely added RTI programs and our school has gotten very big on "continuous improvement" for struggling and failing students. We use data-driven decision-making to identify areas of weaknesses, especially from previous TAKS tests, and tutor students during their electives and after school as TAKS approaches. Most of my colleagues aren't necessarily supportive of NCLB. Most like the "idea" of the law being proactive and helping struggling students instead of simply placing them in SPED or a 504 label, but hate that the teachers must do more to differentiate their instruction. After all, we are PUBLIC school teachers--we teach to the masses, and most of us have A LOT of curriculum to teach. The question NCLB seems to constantly ask teachers is "What else? What else are YOU doing to help your students?" Not "What is the parent doing?" or even "What is the student doing to ensure their success?" It's always "What is the teacher doing to ensure the student's progress?" It can be overwhelming for teachers who have 100-150 students (maybe more) to be constantly accommodating, modifying, and supplementing their lessons plans, especially when the student doesn't want to put forth any effort themselves. Another negative impact of NCLB is the disregard for gifted students. Teachers are spending so much of their time trying to get the lower percentile of their students up to speed, that we lose the upper percentile to shear boredom. They aren't being challenged and receiving the education THEY deserve!

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