Interview on the new "Every Student Succeeds Act"

    I was able to take some time an interview a teacher on some of the policy changes that took place with the No Child Left Behind Act. I was familiar with the NCLB policy, but was not aware that a new one had taken its place. It turns out that NCLB was basically absorbed and replaced by the Every Student Succeeds Act that was signed in by President Obama. With this program, and with NCLB, students starting in grade 3 are still required to be tested in math and language arts. Within the testing, administrations and teachers are still analyzing data in subgroups to determine the overall student progress, but how it is reported has changed. Both programs also called for highly qualified teachers. Some of the way teachers are measured and the requirements have changed slightly, but teachers are still held to the same high expectations throughout the duration of their career.

    The major thing that has changed is AYP, or Adequate Yearly Progress.  This program made it so schools had to state wither they made AYP or not. The problem with this model is it didn't show the actual progress being made, only that they reached a specific guideline. The biggest issue with this is that demographics and other factors play a huge role. This evaluation didn't show that students may have come in 2 yrs below grade level and increased over a full grade level in a short period of time, it compares them to students who were already at grade level and may have made only minimal progress in their achievements. But because one school met the guideline of being at grade level and one didn't the school that made the most progress but didn't achieve the end goal was considered behind and not achieving. This is why the change is so important, because it changes the way schools are evaluated. They are no longer pass or fail, but judged on their individual progress and achievement.

   This new ESS act also changed the hands of power. No longer does the Federal government mandate direction and levels of achievement for the schools, it is now up to the individual states to determine what success is defined as. Utah had developed and has in place its own testing system and has and continues to change the way scores are reported and how that determines whether or not a school is at risk. AYP is now a definite thing of the past, and many school are breathing a bit easier. The old program set unrealistic expectation, and the new law is allowing for individual progress to be determined and reported rather than a universal guideline. The new state-regulated testing not only reports proficiency scores, but student and teacher growth scores as well which are the true defining factor. It has changed from "are your scores proficient enough" to "are your students growing enough and what can you do as a teacher to help each student grow int their won way." Student growth individualizes the teaching practices and makes that individualization much more beneficial and effective. I love the new changes, and I think they have made and will continue to make a huge difference in teacher's abilities to create successful learning environments for their students.

Engaged Learning 

    Engaged learning is such an important part of classroom life. Engaged learning makes learning fun, and centers the student in the learning process. Rather than just being instructed and taught, engaged learners interact with their environment in different ways, engage in self discovery, and have a say in what they are learning. The more I study and learn, the more impressed I am at how excited and involved students become when the learning is created to fit them, an not only the material that needs to be shared.
    I recently got to help with a really fun math lesson in my 2nd grade service learning classroom. The students were learning about money and the values of different coins. During the lesson, the students made cubs with different coins or dollars printed on each side. They broke into groups an took turns rolling the dice as a group, and then recording it on an information sheet. Then together they would tally up the amount and write the total amount on a card. When they had completed the first assignment, they took their card to the teacher, and each member of the team would collect the same amount they recorded in play money. With this play money, they could then go and make pretend purchases from a little store that was set up.
     There was so much I loved about this lesson, and so much engaged learning going on. Not only were students collaborating with one another as a team, they got to work with the class, the teacher, and practice real life skills of paying for items with money. The activity was hands on in multiple ways, from building the cubes, playing the game and then getting to count out their money and go shopping. I think this is such an important aspect of learning. I believe the more senses involved in an activity, the more engaged the students become. Sitting at a desk and only using your ears and eyes can become very boring very quickly for young children, but letting them use hands on materials, and interactive play really helps keep them focused and engaged in what they are learning.
      The students had a great time and were learning how to add and recognize coins in  combinations that easily made a dollar. I also really liked how this activity gave the students instant feedback and allowed them to make choices as they learned. The students chose what they wanted to buy, who was on their team, etc. They felt they had a say, and because of it they were opened up and worked better with peers that they felt comfortable with. Most of all, I think this lesson was fun! It's a lesson that took a concept that can be difficult for kids to catch on to, and made it creative and memorable. I can't wait to have my own classroom and find new ways to engage my students in their learning!