California fails to win waivers from restrictive No Child Left Behind education law

[Starry Messenger]

http://www.mercurynews.com/education/ci_22255903/california-fails-win-waivers-from-restrictive-no-child

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Signaling that California again is marching to its own drum -- perhaps trailing the parade -- the federal government has denied the state's request for a waiver from a key U.S. education law, thus assuring that schools will have to keep striving to meet what's generally accepted as unachievable goals, then be punished for missing them.

Like other states, California had been hoping to win a reprieve from the restrictive provisions of the No Child Left Behind law. Among other terms, the law punishes schools and districts if not enough of their students reach proficiency in English and math.

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The sticking point for the Golden State was whether it was willing to evaluate teachers based in part on how well their students do on standardized tests.

California, pressed by politically strong teachers unions, has resisted.

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[Smarmie Doofus]

1. Only an era as brain-dead as George W's could have produced such mindless legislation:

>>>The law has required that a certain percentage of students test proficient in English and math. That percentage has increased annually; by 2014, every student -- including the learning-disabled, poor and English learners -- must reach proficiency.>>>>

Did Bush even know that these categories *exist*? Much less the complexities involved in educating them?

( Does Obama? Does Duncan?)

What about profoundly retarded, multiply handicapped, non-verbal kids? Will their schools be closed if they don't achieve 100% proficiency?

I wonder which Democrats voted with the GOP to enact this idiocy.

I'm guessing: the same DEMs who were persuaded by "WMDs. WMDs !!!!!" and helped launch that other never-ending W-era holocaust.

Thanks, triangulators. Your collaboration keeps our corrupt system operating at peak efficiency.

Merry Christmas.

[Starry Messenger]

2. Merry Christmas indeed.

Did you see the part where they might grant waivers to individual districts that decide to play ball? Fucking miserable. It's a braindead law created by right-wing heartless slugs. It's makes the word "Kafkaesque" a cliche'.

I was glad to see Torlakson *and* Brown pushing back. Torlakson is great, Brown can sometimes be inconsistant on education, to say the least...

[duffyduff]

3. The problem is RTTT is ten times worse than NCLB n/t

[knitter4democracy]

4. The point is to close the schools.

Everyone in every school is to get to 100% proficiency in all areas--and then get better the next year. After 3 years of no progress, even if you're at 100%, that starts the process to close a school.

[Igel]

5. It had two fathers.

Ted Kennedy was the other one.

Not usually considered a DINO, but I guess there's a frame of reference in which he can be seen as a right-winger.

[proud2BlibKansan]

7. No one gets everything right

NCLB was one of Teddy's mistakes. Doesn't tarnish his legacy though. We can still admire his body of work.

[LWolf]

6. Good for CA.

What's the point in getting a waiver from one bad policy/law by adopting others just as bad and worse?