The first section of this chapter addresses the relevant issues of NCLB standards and how the AYP is not attainable for those schools which are unable to fully facilitate the students and their needs. This issue is obviously still prevalent today, and will surely be a cause of concern when we become teachers (unless they decide to change or completely eliminate NCLB). I for one would not want to focus on testing my students and preparing them for these ridiculous state tests that, as the author insinuated, don’t really tell anything of the potential of the students that they test. This chapter encourages me further to teach my students in a way that allows them to express who they are as people and to research and complete homework and essays on topics of their own liking. My main goal for my future classroom is to be able to get all of my students to have a strong interest in learning English, and giving the students the freedom to choose their own subjects should help them attain this. Taking valuable class time out to study for state tests would lower the effectiveness of my teaching as well as the motivation of my students. These tests severely hinder what can be taught, and the freedom to learn more about subjects that interest the students would be virtually eliminated. I agree with the author that lower-economy schools suffer the most from NCLB standards, but I have to argue that basically all schools pay a price for these standardized tests. I can only hope that when I am a teacher these state tests will no longer exist.
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