Evaluation of a New Curriculum Initiative Essay

Evaluation of a New Curriculum Initiative - Essay Example ng, is limited in that it can only assess certain types of knowledge.   For example, you can't test students' reasoning skills very far with giving them multiple choice items on a standardized test other than to know that they gave you the right answer. That doesn't help you very much.   But with a performance assessment of some type, such as an essay question or other assessment where students must create a product or a report of some type (where instructors don't have to "teach to the test"), a lot can be gained about what we call a student's "deep understanding" of the material.   So that is one reason why I think No Child Left Behind is a bad policy; it focuses on high-stakes testing and has left children behind when they really need it, in my opinion.   Unfortunately, standardized test scores are what drive AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) and keep schools open.   AYP is reached depending on test scores' improvement from last year, from what I understand.   If schools are not making AYP they can be put on Academic Watch Status (AWS), or Academic Early Watch Status (AEWS).   If these schools do not make AYP for a certain number of years, the schools can be restructured or even closed depending upon the number of years your school has or has not made AYP.   So testing is important in this regard.   Currently, the school which is being studied for this curriculum case study, made AYP this past school year but is on Academic Watch Status, for example, so they have to be careful.   Apparently, they have missed making AYP in one of their past years and have to make sure they make it in the future.   2. Socioeconomic and/or Political Factors [405]? Education reform (which turned into NCLB) was a campaign point for Governor Bush in 2000. This law mandates 100% achievement;... Curriculum should follow a philosophy of diversity. Celebrating diversity, according to Ornstein and Hunkins (2008), is very important (pp. 194). My philosophy of diversity encapsulates three key concepts which will serve to make my classroom a welcoming environment for all students to learn and to express themselves accordingly. These concepts which will make my classroom a successful learning environment for diverse learners are the following: promoting inclusivity; celebrating diversity; and, as the teacher, using caretaker language to make students feel comfortable. It is a keystone of my philosophy of diversity that the classroom be a place of inclusiveness—whether my students be Black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, or of mixed race(s) or races not named here, and be of whatever socioeconomic status, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or cultural affiliation—that my students feel that they are equals in my classroom regardle ss of my particular cultural lens. An inclusive philosophy dictates that each student should have the same opportunity to learn the target subject. This includes being cognizant of striving against favoritism, especially based on gender or race. Students who are from lower levels socioeconomically should be given a fair chance to succeed by providing them with the tools they need to succeed in an environment which has typically favored the dominant culture’s hegemonic social strata. A level playing field is key. Stategies include having class materials available such as extra paper and pens. I want students of various national origins and religions to feel comfortable enough to express themselves within the dynamic of their own backgrounds.