This “special feature” was submitted by a concerned citizen, a citizen who works in the school system and is really not happy with what they see.  This is mainly in reference to the sad state of affairs that is the California school system, now not to knock the state but I know that aside from Arnold, California has some bad press.  I think just last year California topped the list as states with most ridiculous legal climate, they refer to it as the “Sue you state”, way to go Cali!  Here is another notch for your belt.  See for yourself;

Because of this program's mandates and other time constraints, there is no

time in our daily schedule for science and social studies. Our students get

a half an hour of P.E., art, and music a week while our grade level teachers

are at meetings. The rest of the week constitutes entirely of

Houghton-Mifflin ELA program and math. I teach in a demographic where 98

percent of my students live below the poverty line and 94 percent of the

students at my school receive free or reduced lunch. Over ninety percent of

the students are second language English learners and we are not permitted

to teach any ELD (English Language Development) Programs because it would

conflict with the assurances for our Reading First grant.

Although the law is called No Child Left Behind, I feel we are really

hurting the children more than we are helping them. The students in my

school cannot be competitive with students from schools in areas with higher

socioeconomic status because of their lack of education in science and

social studies, not to mention ELD.

Currently, my school and district are focused entirely on test scores. When

I mentioned to my principal that the students are kids and I believe it's

important to make learning fun so they will want to continue with their

education in the future, I was told that "fun doesn't make students

successful. These test scores show they are not successful and we need them

to be successful." The message I got was: Test scores are all that matter.

To me, this system is so hard to be a part of because, cliché as it sounds,

I really do believe that the children are our future. These kids are living,

breathing human beings with thoughts, ideas, and experiences that influence

their academic performance. It's hard for kids to focus and do well on tests

when they are thinking about their father in jail or wondering when their

electricity will get turned back on. They are not test scores, and honestly,

how much of what they are tested on will directly serve them in life? I know

plenty of successful individuals who can't tell you the difference between

subject, object, and possessive pronouns but use them correctly every day.

I'm not saying tests are bad, but that tests aren't everything.

My principal told me that I "care too much about my students" because I am

not having them sent to other schools or Special Day Classes because their

low scores will negatively affect our AYP and API. I have tried to get these

students the assistance and psychological testing they need to diagnose them

with learning disabilities but have been repeatedly denied. Yet I am being

blamed for their low test scores.

As you can see, I feel the education system in California is in severe need

of change. In my opinion, if we as a country want to produce citizens that

are prepared to contribute positively to our country as be competitive

globally, we need to approach this issue from a different perspective.