You are currently browsing comments. If you would like to return to the full story, you can read the full entry here: “State gets its NCLB waiver”.
State gets its NCLB waiver
Written by Todd Engdahl on Feb 9th, 2012. | Copyright © EdNewsColorado.org
As a teacher, I can applaud the federal government for acknowledging NCLB’s “onerous and unrealistic” goal as stated in Broad Changes Ahead as NCLB Waivers Roll Out to achieve 100% students proficiency in reading and math by 2013 and 2014. I am not quite sure we will make this mark in the state of Colorado, or in any state. But I am proud of my state.
Waiving NCLB it does not imply that we are loosening our grip on student achievement. Actually it’s quite the opposite. Our state has adopted the Common Core Standards. With feedback from teachers, unions, and other stakeholders, we are in the process of fine tuning our new principal and teacher evaluation systems. And we have aggressive plans (tied to the Unified Improvement Planning process) to improve low-performing schools.
What I am most proud of is that, as a teacher, I feel that I have been part of the statewide reform throughout each phase. As a teacher leader the Denver New Millennium Initiative, I have testified to the state board, making recommendations for measuring student growth. Policy makers do want to hear from us. With my teacher leader group, we have released a report and provided feedback on the principal and teacher evaluation rubric. After additional testimony on the Senate Bill 191 rules, there is evidence of the language of our recommendation written into the new rules. We teachers are influencing policy. I am proud that teachers have been part of this process here in Colorado.
My concerns as a special education support team would be the funding for our programs. Living in a rural area we fight to get every penny for funding. Our Western slope depends alot on economic growth and because of the scale back on coal, oil, and gas production this has made a be decline in our stute ratio. So being I on the flip side this move makes me concerned.
Hello Mickie,
Thanks for writing about the flip side. I am a teacher in an urban district and I always appreciate learning more form the rural perspective. We too are fighting to get every penny for funding, but can you explain how you see the waiver of NCLB decreasing student ratio?Are you concerned that the regulations being lifted won’t ensure that your students receive adequate support programs? Thanks for chiming in. I’d love to understand your teacher perspective.