Local educators share concerns, ideas about NCLB

PALMER -- There's a problem with the federal No Child Left Behind Act, said local teachers and principals at a NCLB discussion last week. But the problem isn't whether or not the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District schools will make Adequate Yearly Progress this year, the problem is that a law put in place with the idea to protect students is actually doing the opposite.

"It unintentionally pits parents against special education and limited English proficiency students," said George Stuart, a fourth-grade teacher at Tanaina Elementary School at an NCLB discussion Wednesday at Colony Inn in Palmer. "It causes discrimination against these students."

Tanaina has an extensive special education program, and a large number of Russian students who have limited English skills. Through NCLB, students must pass a series of tests given to all students in order for the school to meet AYP. Students are separated into subgroups for testing, and all subgroups must take and pass the same exams. Subgroups with fewer than 20 students are not used in determining AYP, in an attempt to avoid singling out students who are not passing the exams. But the principals and teachers said students who are easily picked out, such as students with disabilities and LEP students, could be discriminated against as a whole if their subgroup does not make AYP -- even when the subgroup contains more than 20 students.

Parents are beginning to label their child's school as "failing," and some comments have been made in a negative context toward special education and LEP, or limited English proficiency, students during parent-teacher organization meetings at Tanaina, Stuart said.

The worry of discrimination is not limited to Tanaina.

"Parents of special-education students are worried if schools are really going to want their child," said Lucy Hope, a district-wide special education teacher.

"Since the Kennedy administration, the idea of education legislation has been to defeat the stigma (of special education)," said Mark Okeson, vice-principal at Wasilla High School. "No Child Left Behind exacerbates and exploits the stigma."

Contact Jen Ransom at jen.ransom@frontiersman.com.