Return-Path: <nifl-fobasics@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id h9JFkBV26254; Sun, 19 Oct 2003 11:46:11 -0400 (EDT) Date: Sun, 19 Oct 2003 11:46:11 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <93.3494ad88.2cc40abb@aol.com> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-fobasics@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-fobasics@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-fobasics@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: FPeter5224@aol.com To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-fobasics@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-FOBASICS:822] Re: Youth in ABE X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas X-Mailer: AOL 5.0 for Windows sub 138 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Status: O Content-Length: 1516 Lines: 26 Louisiana has a Pre-GED option which allows students to work towards a GED and take vocational courses as a skills concentration. The program is for students 17 and older who have not passed the 8th grade exit test and/or do not have enough carnegie units. The question of youth in ABE is a curious one when you look at the advent of "high stakes testing." Shouldn't we now have a decrease in the need for youth in ABE? Shouldn't students exposed to the "more rigorous" curriculum not be so far behind? I suggest that these students are the victims of this approach to public education. If a student can't pass a "high stakes" test in elementary (in Louisiana we have 4th, 8th and then the high school exit), what educational intervention is applied? Barbara, we may have to look at the ABE youth and determine if these youngsters came from a special education program or were stopped at the 8th (or other grade) and not able to continue due to state exit grade requirements. It seems that there is some thought that teachers in lower grades teach for the test in isolating skills rather than attempting to get students to understand basic concepts. Students who fall behind, many times are left there because the pressure is on to work with those who have the greatest potential of passing to increase the state's very public performance scores for each school. Youth in ABE may be a major unanticipated consequence of high stakes testing. Rose Peterson New Orleans Public Schools
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