Klarinet Archive - Posting 000130.txt from 2006/04

From: "Karl Krelove" <karlkrelove@-----.net>
Subj: RE: [kl] Business aspects of music performance & education
Date: Sat, 15 Apr 2006 17:15:55 -0400

> From: Dee Flint [mailto:deeflint01@-----.net]
>
> Also take a look at what some schools are calling a music
> class. Often they
> learn absolutely nothing about music other than to sing in
> harmony. These
> kids get several years of such classes and cannot read music,
> have never
> heard of the circle of fifths, have no idea what a chord is
> and so on. In
> these cases, little is lost if the class is dropped.
>
Which argues strongly for more rigor even in music classes. But NCLB is not
the way to accomplish any of these things. It's based partly on the
principle that if you punish school districts for their weaknesses (by
withholding funding from the ones who are struggling the most and removing
them from local control) they will somehow find a way to correct the errors
of their ways and bring every child up to "grade level." The assumption is
that poor student performance is purely and entirely the result of chronic,
systemic teacher negligence. Another of its underpinnings is that success on
tests whose validity and reliability vary widely from state to state
constitutes the only worthwhile evaluative tool of learning outcomes. In
other words, we'll be restored to our former glory if every child can answer
the specific questions on the tests even though it isn't the same test (or
content coverage) in Pennsylvania as it is in California, Georgia, Florida,
New York, North Dakota or Massachusetts. The Federal government, although it
has taken on the responsibility of defining successful schools, doesn't
control the content being tested, much less that being taught.

Remember that the meaning of No Child Left Behind is ultimately that by 2014
*every* child *will* be performing satisfactorily at his/her grade level
(whatever that means) in math, reading and (soon) science as evidenced by
state-maintained tests regardless of individual student ability or
circumstances. Every child, not some, or most, or the most able - **every**
child.

Karl

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