Going Public: NCLB and Literacy Practices in Teacher Education
By: Dorothy C. Suskind
I enjoyed how this article by, Dorothy C. Suskind approached literacy as an on-going process shaped by our experiences and what we most relate to. When teaching literacy to children, it is important to always remember, when children are engaged and interested in the text they are reading, they will be more prone to retain the information. I believe as teachers it is our job to instill the very foundation that learning new things can give you power, and with power you have choice. Choice in everyday decisions, and a choice in the literature you decide to read.
As this article sheds light on the gaps of NCLB, we see how requirements like Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) have raised the bar for districts, administrators, and teachers, to become more conscious of every rule or lesson they implement. I disagree with teaching to the test, however when your district is forced to meet requirements or is on probation for not meeting these requirements; teachers find themselves in this on-going battle of authenticity and teaching to the test. As the article reinforces, “that there is no research that links increased testing with increased reading achievement, (p. 451)”, I question why other ideas have not been brainstormed to reach the same outcome of assessing literacy development. As research and opinions continue to be debated about what process children go through when learning to read, my opinion rests that there is no one formula. Every child is individual, and although we can have preferences on which reading program may better serve our students, it will continue to change year after year.
I believe standardized testing is an unfair way to assess children. I think it puts an unnecessary amount of pressure on teachers and takes the fun out of learning. While teachers are worried whether they are covering all of the material, they are missing out on the ‘teachable’ moments where children learn from and transfer their knowledge the most. I believe knowing your students is of the best indicator to implement a balance of literacy programs and authentic activities which allow your students to create and most of all explore!
Jenna, I could not agree with you more. A teacher should never teach to the test. Students do not benefit from the material that a teacher covers when it is only taught for the students to take a test. Students need to have meaningful assignments that they will carry over with them into their everyday lives and remember when they leave the classroom. A quote comes to my mind by Albert Einstein he says, "Education is what is left after you've forgotten everything you have learned". If students are constantly just retaining information to take a test chances are they will forget what they have learned by the end of the year. A teacher's job is to make sure that the material stays with the student for a lifetime.
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