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Essay on Teachers' Perception of the Highly Qualified Definition of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLBA)
Schools that have adopted value-added assessment now have some insight into the effectiveness of individual teachers. This is not to say that a student’s progress during a given year is solely due to the teacher. But, like it or not, a teacher’s effectiveness is often reflected by test scores. At issue, of course, is what, specifically, teachers are responsible for teaching, and whether the tests are being used are valid indicators of what is being taught. Hopefully, schools will decide that imparting collections of pre-chewed and pre-digested facts are only a small part of what they are accountable for.
Opponents to this approach argue that teachers don’t have time to work with each child individually and to create unique growth plans. But they have been proven wrong in a growing number of school districts that have altered traditional beliefs about the meaning of testing, teaching, and learning. Outstanding teachers already teach students rather than subjects.
Of course, there is a level of academic achievement that constitutes literacy and that all students should eventually attain. But the age at which they attain that level must not be a primary factor in assessing the effectiveness of schools. At issue is whether each student is making steady progress toward... and beyond that level. IF we are to focus on individual progress, we must first assess whether the traditional grade level approach to setting up a school will support our goals..........
