This is my first diary on Dailykos, so be kind. I am composing this diary today because I am unable to reach the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi and Representative George Miller by email. I have a document, which I wrote, that has been adopted by my teachers' union. We are an association of over 1,000 teachers, and we want our voices heard regarding the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind law that Ms. Pelosi and Mr. Miller are pushing right now in the House.
I have seen many changes in education since I began 20 years ago, but I have never seen it worse then when NCLB became law in 2002. I will let the Declaration of 2007 speak for itself. Too many children, especially those from low income families are being left behind, and our teachers are very demoralized. I am leaving out our association's name. I am sure that you could easily put in any city's name, and their teachers would be in agreement. Thanks.
_________ Elementary Education Association
Declaration 2007
We, the educators of __________ School District, have seen many changes to our curriculum and procedures since the inception of the No Child Left Behind Law of 2002. Soon this law will be up for reauthorization in Congress. In this declaration, we are resolved to make our views known about how the children of ________ would be educated to produce smart, responsible, happy, and creative citizens of the future. We declare that:
•Our students would be taught to think critically and problem solve. Rote memorization and teaching to the test would be used in moderation.
•Our curriculum would not be narrowed to reading and math instruction. It would be widened to include focused time in non-tested subjects such as history, health, art, music, drama, and the study of other cultures.
•Our educators, keeping in mind that all students learn differently, would have the flexibility to use other resources to create appropriate instructional programs besides those in the adopted textbooks.
•Field trips would be abundant at each grade level to enrich the experiences of our students who would otherwise not be able to visit these sites.
•Class sizes would be maintained at a lower level, as research supports, so each student could receive equal and adequate attention from the classroom teacher.
•Multiple measures of assessment would be adopted as "best practice", beyond the California State Tests and the California English Language Development Test, when analyzing data that would place a student in a learning group.
•Growth models of assessment would be utilized to identify the instructional level of our students rather than the cohort model that is used to establish the Annual Yearly Progress of our schools.
•English language learners would be assessed at their English level rather than at their grade level. Current levels are ranked: Beginning, Early Intermediate, Intermediate, Early Advanced, and Advanced.
•Special education students would be tested at their identified ability level based on their own Individual Education Plan.
•Students would be tested for the knowledge they have gained in end-of-the-year tests, so teaching of the state standards would not have to be completed six or more weeks before instruction ends.
•Intervention programs would address the needs of all children, not only those that are borderline proficient according to the California State Tests.
•The __________ School District would provide the necessary resources, interventions, and training for all employees to provide the best education for all the students of our schools.
Adopted by the ---------- Elementary Education Association on September 17, 2007