Certificate of Completion/Attendance

[Taydn]

I just recently recieved this in my email and was pretty appalled at what I read. Furthermore after a brief investigation I now am completly against the NCLB act (No Child Left Behind) that President Bush has implemented and I was wondering how some of you might feel about it.

Also Considering some of you are high school students you have probably been offered this and had no idea what it could do to your future. So Please Read This Carefully and let me know what you think and how you feel.

Subject: Hi-School - Certificate of Completion

The "Certificate of Completion or Attendance" that is being offered
in lieu of high school diplomas, is a part of Bush's "No Child Left Behind".
This is how it works:


It is for students who are unable to pass both the Language Arts and
Math
portions of the 10th grade ISTEP. Students must take the same 10th grade
test over in the 11th and 12th grades until they pass both portions. If they are unable to pass the 10th grade test by the 12th grade then they have two options:

1. Drop out and go to a GED program or,
2. accept a "Certificate of Completion" - it is NOT a diploma. Once a
student accepts it, they cannot ever get a diploma or a GED. A
certificate of completion means that a student can never (as long as
they
live):

1. go to the armed services
2. go to college
3. go to trade school
4. go to journeyman's school
5. go to beauty school
6. go to culinary arts school
7. get a federal loan in their lifetime

This is the portion of NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND (2001) that Bush slipped in
during the 2004 revision of the NCLB bill. It has not been publicized.
At a
high school in Indiana, in 2005, there were 87 seniors in the graduation
class. Five got diplomas and 82 got "Certificates of Completion".

This is being referred to as the "Paper Plantation". It is better
for students to drop out and get into a GED program so they may seek
other
forms of education, later in life, if they desire to do so. All 50
states
have "Certificates of Completion or Attendance".


Please pass this information along to EVERYONE you know who has
school age children. Clergy, please preach it from the pulpits. Our
people MUST know this information. Thank you & stay blessed.


"No one can make you feel inferior unless you allow them."

[ayyo]

I haven't checked the validity of that, but I seriously doubt that they won't let people into armed services for any reason besides being gay.

[Kamui4356]

Originally Posted by ayyo

I haven't checked the validity of that, but I seriously doubt that they won't let people into armed services for any reason besides being gay.

Actually, the military has had rather high standards since it was reorganized after veitnam. They've been lowered a bit lately though.

Anyway, the no child left behind act's name seems to have been inspired by the various ministries in Orwell's 1984, in that it actually does the exact opposite of its name. Schools that don't meet the standards it sets are denied federal funding, and if they don't improve, they can get taken over by the state or private contractors. However, without that funding, they have no chance of meeting that standard, so the kids in those schools, typically inner city schools, get screwed. The system seems set up to ensure the districts most in need of federal funding don't get any. Because of that, schools have taken to forging test scores to keep it.

The educational system in this country needs a complete overhaul. Let's not forget the recent study that showed just how bad young americans are at geography...

[raikage]

I'm thinking it's just a email spam chain letter.

UPDATE: Looks like it is, though graduation/certificate requirements seem to be controlled at the state rather than the federal level.

[Kamui4356]

Originally Posted by raikage

I'm thinking it's just a email spam chain letter.

UPDATE: Looks like it is, though graduation/certificate requirements seem to be controlled at the state rather than the federal level.

It seems it's a local program of the Indiana state school system, and quite exaggerated. It seems designed for special education stsudents based on the reference to the iep. Also, students who accept one can go back to high school and earn a diploma. Thanks, I didn't want to comment on the specifics of that certificate until I learned more about it, and your link saved me the need to do much research. Though, if that part about the high school with 82 out of 87 seniors getting one is true, it would seem the program is being abused. Not that it should come a suprise...

Of course, that still doesn't make the no child left behind program worthwhile, nor our education system any better.