Sunday, May 10, 2009

Duncan hears special-education concerns on tour's first stop


U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan smiles as he listens to parents and teachers during discussion at Eagle School in Martinsburg, W.Va. Tuesday, May 5, 2009.(AP Photo/Alex Brandon) (Alex Brandon - AP)


U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan met with parents, teachers and students Tuesday in West Virginia, where he launched his nationwide "listening and learning" tour to gather feedback on No Child Left Behind. Duncan heard from a special-education teacher who said her students often are frustrated by state tests that damage their self-esteem. "To have a child taking a test that it is literally impossible for them to pass and having that humiliation, and holding schools accountable for that, that doesn't make sense," Duncan said. The Washington Post/The Associated Press , The Herald Mail (Hagerstown, Md.)

1 comment:

Amanda D. said...

Ms. Angela,

I teach eighth grade special education in Washington State. Like the special education teacher said in your blog, it is frustrating that we give high stakes tests to students every year that they cannot pass. Many of my collegues consider me to be cruel, assuming that students with a learning disability in reading cannot pass the 8th grade reading Washington Assessment of Student Learning. It is true that all students can learn, but the pace and the depth of what a student can learn varies from person to person.

Amanda Duarte

Promethean Planet

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