The New York Times recently published an article titled "Schools Plan to Pay Cash For Marks," a program where students would be paid monetarily for their grades and attendance. To be honest, I am amazed that this incentive program is being implemented in the fall of this year. Schools are now going to pay students to do well? This is an extrinsic motivator that will only temporarily to get students to learn the content. But here is the bigger question: What are we ultimately teaching students? By paying students for making high grades on standardized tests, they are only going to work hard to get the cash. After they have the cash, the "learned material" goes right out the window. We might as well teach to the test. I don't believe that this program will have any significant impact. The underlying motive underneath this program is to help schools meet AYP. If the schools didn't have to meet AYP, the administration wouldn't be so desperate for ways to increase student achievement, hence this hair-brained scheme of monetarily rewarding students wouldn't even be discussed. In two years when this program is up for re-evaluation, I think there are going to be quite a few disappointed administrators in the small value this program actually has.

Source:
Medina, Jennifer. (2007, June 19). Schools plan to pay cash for marks. The New York Times. Retrieved June 25, 2007, from http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/19/nyregion/19schools.html?ex=1183003200&en=8767cf69c1aa10e8&ei=5024&partner=BLACKBOARD.

This is a humorous comic because it is so true for some people. I remember in elementary school when I would try this same "technique" to complete my homework. If the truth be known, I still try this little trick, even as a senior in college. I found this comic funny and I thought I would share it with all of you.

“The reason for all the caveats is that it is impossible to reach the conclusion that if scores go up, it is because of N.C.L.B.,” he said. “There are so many other factors that could lead to rising scores, including state efforts to raise achievement, and also, some of these gains may be artificial. So my worry is that people who come at it and don’t read the caveats will come away with an exaggerated impression.” --Robert L. Linn, Professor Emeritus at the University of Colorado

The above is a quote taken from an article in the today's New York Times that reports on a recent study that finds that the achievement gap is closing and student gains are on the rise. The study, conducted by the Center on Education Policy, compared test data from all 50 states and found that general achievement in math and reading has risen since 2002.

I agree with the quote above. I think one of the biggest mistakes that people (including teachers, administrators, and the community) make when talking about NCLB is that they forget about the vast number of other factors that come in to play. If the test scores are on the rise, it is a very bold claim to credit NCLB as the single reason for these improvements. Rather, we need to remember that schools take on their own initiatives and adopt new programs because they feel it is necessary or beneficial. While NCLB may be a big proponent in getting schools to implement these programs, it is important to remember that there are other motivators besides potential loss of federal funding.

Source:
Dillon, Sam (2007, June 6). New study finds gains since no child left behind. The New York Times, Retrieved June 6, 2007, from http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/06/education/06report.htmlex=
1181793600&en=1ccc9886c6d043bf&ei=5024&partner=BLACKBOARD.

Today I spent an hour at the Muncie Fairgrounds participating in the Living Lightly Fair. This free event for elementary-aged students was designed to inform students of sustainable sources of energy. I volunteered an hour of my time to conduct sessions where students learned about solar energy and built a solar powered car. This lesson is a revision of a lesson that I taught this past March to a class of second graders (view post about this experience).

The dynamics of these children was very different from those of the second grade class. In this event, the children ranged in age from five to twelve years old. It was difficult to teach them about solar energy in such a way that they were all interested and engaged in learning about solar power. I also had difficulty keeping students moving at the same pace. Older students completed the assembly of their car long before those of younger ages. I was surprised to see how easily the older students were able to look at the model car and assemble theirs by analyzing the structure of the model.

I thoroughly enjoyed teaching this activity to students. The atmosphere was more relaxed than in a regular classroom. The students also seemed to enjoy the activity more. They had chosen to participate instead of being coerced. The goal I (and all teachers) want to attain is gaining students' attention and interest in learning without making them feel forced into completing some task that they perceive as pointless.