Everywhere I go I hear people talking about how awful the EOGs were this year, particularly in the elementary grades:
- How the material they covered was actually way beyond the grade level of the students taking the tests
- How stressful they are for students and teachers
- How much time was spent cramming for the tests at the expense of other subjects and activities
- How many good students did not pass
- How those children who did not pass have lost their confidence in their ability to learn
Although the No Child Left Behind Act requires states to give tests to determine whether or not students have reached “proficiency”, each state can choose their own test. You may remember that in the past, the test was changed to make it more “challenging”. Our legislators need to hear that the test is now way beyond challenging. They need to hear personal stories of how the testing is affecting individual children, and they need to hear a LOT of them.
If you have a horror story please send it to the addresses below. Forward this to others you know who have similar stories. Hopefully, if they hear from enough people our legislators will make sure that changes are made before testing rolls around next year. We may not be able to stop the testing altogether, but this is one thing we can do for our children.
Contact Alice Bordsen at Alice.Bordsen@ncleg.net Contact Tony Foriest at foriestin2@ncleg.net
Update: The No Child Left Behind Act will be coming up for reauthorization, probably in 2010. Let your representatives in Congress know about the detrimental effects NCLB has had on our children. George Miller, from California is the chairperson of the education and labor committee which will lead the reauthorization. To get contact information for your congresspersons go to these links: http://edlabor.house.gov/about/members http://help.senate.gov/Education_index.html Miss Barbara