Nancy Beaty drove 100 miles Friday to give U.S. Rep. Baron Hill a piece of her mind about No Child Left Behind.
Beaty, a Shelby County resident whose 10-year-old daughter Dannielle has cerebral palsy, told the congressman that her daughter is being denied the technology she needs in order to take the standardized tests she is required to pass if she ever hopes to attend college.
According to Beaty, her child is being left behind, thanks in part to a 5-year-old piece of federal legislation which was supposed to do just the opposite.
“It’s a great idea if you don’t know anything about children and education,” Beaty said. “It’s simple.”
Beaty wasn’t alone in a conference room at the Jeffersonville City Hall voicing disdain for No Child Left Behind on Friday.
Michele Ferree, director of special education for New Albany-Floyd County Consolidated School Corp. used a personal anecdote to illustrate that success can’t be measured on test scores alone.
A mechanic who recently fixed her car, she said, wasn’t able to score high marks in high school, but still found success in a highly technical field.
“We’re lumping that mechanic with everyone else and we’re saying that school is a failure because of a gifted mechanic,” said Hill, D-Ind., responding to Ferree’s example.
About 16 people attended the lunchtime meeting, many voicing criticisms that have been commonplace in the five years since the controversial legislation was enacted. The word “ludicrous” was the choice adjective of the day.
“I kind of look at it as the teacher that punishes the whole class,” said Teresa Perkins, assistant superintendent for curriculum at NA-FS schools.
Perkins noted that Indiana already had an accountability system that tracks individual student progress. The federal accountability system compares test scores from year to year in each grade level to determine whether a school is making progress.
State Sen. Connie Sipes, D-New Albany, said the federal method of determining a school’s and an individual student’s success is one of the most “offensive” features of the mandate.
“A lot of times I don’t understand what we’re doing,” said Sipes, a retired elementary-school principal. “As an educator, I don’t understand how we’re comparing third graders last year to third graders this year and we’re judging the school on that.”
Hill — who voted for the measure because he said another bill he supported was inserted into the legislation — expressed a similar concern.
The lawmaker also took particular issue with the erosion of local control he said has occurred.
“My feeling as a member of Congress is scrap NCLB and return (accountability) to the local school corporations,” said Hill, whose congressional district includes Clark and Floyd counties.
Hill took a softer approach in concluding his remarks, stating that the meeting only helped to solidify his own concerns and reasons he would at the very least push for an overhaul.
No date has been set for a vote on reauthorization, but it is expected to come by year’s end.
“Unless there are some major changes made, I’m going to leave this meeting thinking I’m going to vote against,” Hill said.
Signed in January 2002, the No Child Left Behind Act established a series of accountability measures for states, schools and school districts. The act requires all teachers to be “highly qualified” and gives parents a public school choice when benchmarks are not met.
Clark County
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Rep. Baron Hill
Discussion
Parents, educators criticize ‘No Child Left Behind’ to Rep. Hill
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Half of Jeffersonville Fire Department overtime budget already gone
During the closing moments of the meeting Councilman Matt Owen said he was shocked by Mayor Moore’s plans and comments pertaining to two Jeffersonville Parks and Recreation Department matters reported in the News and Tribune during the last week.
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Charlestown resident makes appeal for filtration plant
“I understand that manganese is a secondary contaminant and it’s not something that’s necessarily harmful to health,” Burchett said. “I would much prefer that the water that comes into my home have as little manganese in it as possible, as well as anything else. I just want water.”
Continued ... - News and Tribune briefs for Feb. 7, 2012
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Student sues to wear breast cancer bracelet
An Indiana eighth-grader sued his school district in federal court Monday for the right to wear a bracelet promoting breast cancer awareness with the message “I (heart) Boobies.”
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Elderly man robbed outside Jeffersonville bank
The man returned to his car and sat down to close the car door when Williams grabbed the door and reached inside the vehicle, Hollis said.
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A fair fee? Indiana imposing fees for 4-H participants for the first time
Allen said his hope is the fee being charged by the state and the county will be enough to cover costs and that 4-H members will not be asked to cover any more expenses.
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“They have never had to pay a program fee,” Allen said. - News and Tribune briefs for Feb. 6, 2012
- Feb 5, 2012
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CAPITOL CROSSROADS: Bauer tactics unite, divide outnumbered Dems
Democrats like Rep. Peggy Welch, who was drawn into a more Republican district last year, refused to boycott with Bauer.
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Greater Clark begins Fitness Calendar Challenge
Teresa Stengel, health services coordinator, said if other family members get involved with students, children might be more likely to continue with exercise routines and watching their diets.
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Man struck, killed on I-65
The preliminary investigation shows Jones was struck by a northbound Chevrolet Penske rental van driven by Patrick Shroering, 26, of Mount Washington, Ky.
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