Changes to No Child Left Behind expected

[cal04]

When Tori Boyles, of Columbia, Mo., takes a test at school, an adult often reads the questions to her because the 9-year-old has learning disabilities that make reading difficult.

That kind of accommodation generally is not allowed for the reading test that public school students take under the federal No Child Left Behind law. Also, skipping the exam is not permitted for Tori, who has spina bifida, a condition often accompanied by learning problems.

"Why isn't there an option to opt out of that?" asks her mother, Becky Boyles. "She just has to stare at this piece of paper. She'll tell you she feels stupid. She feels absolutely stupid."

(snip)
The five-year-old federal law is scheduled to be rewritten this year, and the lawmakers in charge say they will try to change the rules for special-education students and recent immigrants. The aim is to inject more common sense into the law while sticking with its promise to leave no child behind.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070210/ap_on_go_co/education_law_changes

[IndianaGreen]

1. One change: Stop military recruiters from preying on our children

Parents don't even know that these recruiting scum come around our schools looking for fresh canon fodder. The son of a friend of mine, who has a learning disability, has even gotten phone calls at home from military recruiters.

[kimmerspixelated]

2. Exactly.

I've heard that the mil recruitment thing is part of the fine print of the NCLB bill.It turns my stomach.

[uppityperson]

3. Opt in, not Opt out. Schools do fail to provide the forms as they should

For those that do not know, there is a provision in the NCLB act that gives military recruiters the list of all students, with info, in public schools. In order to not have your child's name/info given out, schools are supposed to provide and opt out form. Schools sometimes forget to do this, even our school in our librul town. Teen Peace kids did a thing on campus handing out opt out forms. Since the school said they didn't have any forms, were getting around to getting them made, TP provided some they got online. Opt out should be opt in.

Edited to add links to opt out forms. You can download, have your child sign and turn in. No, it doesn't have to be "official school form".
http://www.counter-recruitment.org/website/index.php?module=documents&JAS_DocumentManager_op=viewDocument&JAS_Document_id=5&MMN_position=21:21
http://www.militaryfreeschools.org/forms.html

[HockeyMom]

5. I found out in 2002

It did exist then too. However, my daughter turned 18th in her Senior year and there was nothing that a parent can do at that point.

My poor daughter went through hell with this even back then. NIX the Military Recruitment PERIOD.

[ulysses]

4. we'll see.

God knows changes need to be made (tearing something up and starting over is a change, right?), but I'm not holding my breath.

[liberal N proud]

6. Maybe it will stop leaving children behind!

Maybe the schools will be allowed to teach and stop preparing them for test 90% of the year.

[Ilsa]

7. My kids' principal thinks the new testing rules

are absurd. I was in an ARD meeting for my son who is autistic. She is also concerned that the special Education kids will be resented by the schools where they are sometimes clustered since the those kids' grades will bring down the overall score for the school, which will also affect compensation. She admitted that they have to teach to the test because everyone else is doing it.

I think it proves that the Administration has problems with critical thinking skills.

[Hekate]

8. "Problems with critical thinking skills" rofl. Anything run by Bush would!

Beyond that, I think NCLB is just one more instance of this administration's efforts to destroy a public good--in this case, public education.

The theocrats flat-out do not believe that government should be funding anything other than religiously based schools (hence their emphasis on home-schooling), and the Neocons don't care because in their world the wealthy can afford the best education for their kids and the rest don't count.

The fact that NCLB has included military recruitment from the beginning is frightening evidence that our children are just cannon fodder to them. Defund public education and especially defund colleges, and then send recruiters out with the message that you can get a really good post-high school education and career training IF you join the military.

I devoutly wish that the entire NCLB unfunded-mandate could be abolished.

Hekate