JCMS KCA Results

Been a while since I posted something "wordy." And as usual, my thoughts are based on my job.

First off, having a job may take up all my weekdays. I am at school from 7:30 to 5:00 usually, which means driving makes it from 7 to 5:30. That's a long day. 10.5 hours. Then when I get home, I am still thinking about it all the time. I feel bad, every time we go somewhere, I have stuff to say, but it is always about teaching. Sorry if I bore you or get repetitive. It is my life. *sigh*

So, state testing ended yesterday. I have 44 students, 42 of which finished. So that kinda stinks. If less then 95% o the school students test, you are automatically a school in improvement.

Kansas middle schools had to have 60.1% of thier 7th grade mathematics students score proficient or above (48% or above) to meet AYP. JCMS had about 72%. So that we made fine. But, the problem comes that each subgroup has to pass also. Subgroups are predetermined groupings of students based on race, SES status, and SPED. 30 students or more in any category (except 40 for SPED) and you have a subgroup. At JCMS, the white subgroup passed, the SPED subgroup passed (so far, not all scores are in), the Low SES subgroup (free and reduced lunch) passed, but our last subgroup, the Blacks, did not. Only 49.6% has passed. Way low.

So here is my problem with NCLB. It puts the blame for JCMS not meeting AYP on our Black kids. Not fair. Talk about discrimination. I hate the fact that throughout the whole year I was told to watch the "Black" students. Try to make sure they are learning. Adapt your activities and learning styles to the "Black" students. And now...Its the "Black" students fault we didn't make it. They didn't do good enough. I hate that. We are putting the blame for the school's problems on the fact that a group of students who can't change their ethnicity do poorly on state tests. I don't know how to fix the problem (obviously or we would have had them pass). But I do know I don't like it.