"My Access"

I was very impressed by the My Access program we have been examining in class. I believe Andrew mentioned this in class, and I could not agree more, that I wish WE had a program like this when we were in school. I have personally taught creative and persuasive essay writing in the classroom, tried to educate students on proper thesis composition and research skills and have found it to be... frustrating.

Don't get me wrong, it is an incredible feeling to know that you are banging your head against a wall day after day during the course of teaching a thesis writing instructional unit, and then one day see a light bulb go on with one or more students who finally just "gets it". However, with a program like this, because it is so multi-faceted and interdisciplinary, I feel that more students will learn at a faster pace. And they should, because if you think about it, young men and women are writing more often these days then they ever have before... they just haven't been doing it in what we would think of as the "traditional" sense.

Students are using Text Messaging and Instant Messaging 24/7 these days and are very in tune with the necessity to properly communicate there ideas or feelings. I believe that what My Access has done, and is capable of doing even better in the future, is help students to translate that ability into composing coherent, WELL-PLANNED, and organized educational papers. To that end, they have incorporated the ability of the program to recognize and interpret "text-speak", give the students instant feedback about how they can convert that into professional vocabulary and, most important, show them how there is a time and a place to use certain vocabulary as opposed to another, while keeping the same essence of what they are trying to communicate.

Are there any other ideas that can help improve My Access that will take greater advantage of the ways students are already communicating today? I'd be interested to hear thoughts on the issue.

http://www.vantagelearning.com/docs/articles/myaccess.ut.american.teacher.20071101.pdf

NCLB... cont.

My original intention when signing on today was to post about "My Access", but that will have to be next post because one of the comments from my previous post on high school graduation rates and how they apply to NCLB asked a GREAT question. The question was, "How would I change [NCLB]... if I were a legislator?"

I thought it was a great question because it greatly bothers me when people (not unlike myself, in this instance) are quick to point out what is wrong with an issue or policy, and who is to blame, but does not and/or can not offer a proposed remedy. I could write a book here, but I will try and be brief.

In short, I don't know if there is a "good" answer here, and I am pretty sure there is no 1 "right" answer (and if there is, I don't have it). However, that being said, I know what can be better. If I were a legislator, I would propose an amendment to the law requiring more stringent, AND nationally uniform, standards for teacher certification. I would then couple those standards with a greater emphasis being placed on teacher, and specialist, evaluations of student progress to determine AYP for districts.

"Hire people you trust, but then TRUST the people you hire!"

Again, I could say more, but this is a brief synopsis. Additionally, I am attaching here a link to an article that further clarifies some of the discrepancies nationwide between how schools can calculate their graduation rates.

http://www.centerforpubliceducation.org/site/c.kjJXJ5MPIwE/b.1809841/k.CB45/The_straight_story_on_high_school_graduation_rates.htm

NCLB

One of the topics of conversation that has really interested me amongst our class has been about No Child Left Behind. I have always believed I was fairly familiar with the law and understood it's ramifications not only on education as a whole in the country, but on me specifically in the classroom. NCLB is really an intriguing study. It is one of those rare issues that, to me it seems, the more I know about it, the less I like it.

And here is another example... http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2008/04/04012008.html

This article demonstrates to me that, once again, supporters of the Law are looking externally for ways to enforce and improve it, rather than internally. One of the major arguments against NCLB, in the past, have been that part of the criteria for judging a school having met AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) and therefore not being considered a "school in need of improvement" has been graduation rates. This has been further complicated by the fact that not all states (not even all districts in the SAME state) calculate graduation rates the same way. It's a bit complicated, but let me give you a couple of "for instances"...

If a student transfers into your school with 2 months left in his/her senior year and graduates, that student is counted as a "graduate" from your school in some districts. In others, it would not. Similarly, in some districts, if a student transfers out of your school 2 weeks into their freshman year, but drop out as a junior at another school, the student would count AGAINST your graduation rate.

So NCLB is pushing for uniform graduation rates... Is that the answer, or should the criteria for AYP not include stringent graduation rate policies? Or, should NCLB be looking more closely at ways they can ENCOURAGE students to stay in school, rather than just at how they will judge schools if a student doesn't stay?

Phonics for Adult Education

I had been planning to post this even before Professor Luongo referenced her article on the blog about Phonics instruction for older learners. I came across this article while I was on the road last Thursday, but couldn't find the time until I got back into town to post it. This article, in addition to giving assessment and implementation strategies for the Adult Education of non and beginning level readers, sites Phonemic Awareness as the #1 deficiency and says the use of Phonics instruction is crucial, even in Adult reading learners.

http://www.nifl.gov/partnershipforreading/publications/adult_ed_02.pdf

Let me know what you think. I know this happens a good deal in education, opposing viewpoints on the same topic, but I find this personally not only interesting, but important. If I chose a Master's Degree as a reading Specialist, I would like to be able to say I know the answer to a question like this.