I think this standard wants me to recognize not only how to act professionally when

teaching, but how to also adjust my teaching methods in order to both satisfy school policies and

constantly improve students’ education and knowledge. While it is important to address student’s

individual needs, it must be done without compromising any set school policies and procedures.

By understanding legal issues and policies, such as No Child Left Behind, I will better be able to

educate my students while adhering to set standards. Every student is different, meaning that I

must learn how to teach in order to tailor to each individuals needs. If I learn how to do this, then

I can plan instructional activities that vary in order to address all students’ differences.

The artifact I chose for this standard is an essay analyzing specific federal mandate of the

No Child Left Behind Act, addressing issues surrounding the education and assessment of

students with disabilities. In this essay, I address how “the goals and standards set through

NCLB are ideal, yet they are not realistically attainable.” Changes have been made over the

years on how to classify students with disabilities, primarily with learning disabilities. These

changes have directly affected the assessment of students with disabilities, skewing national data

such as NAEP scores and individual school’s AYP results. I now better understand that as a

teacher, I can create alternate assessments in order to appropriately test students with disabilities

and their education rather than strictly ‘teaching to the test’.

Through my research done on both No Child Left Behind and the Individuals with

Disabilities Education Act, I was exposed to a number of different perspectives on how NCLB

has affected disadvantaged students, including both students with disabilities and limited English

proficiency students. As a prospective teacher, I now realize that I must consider each individual

students’ personal needs within my classroom. Even if a specific child is not classified as

requiring special education services, each student still deserves an equal opportunity for
education, thus I must provide them with a variety of teaching methods in order to best educate

them. Although NCLB is undergoing reauthorization currently, I have realized that I do not want

to ‘teach to the test’. Students do not learn that way. If a student enters the 3rd grade at a 1st grade

reading level, I would be very satisfied to help that student achieve a 2nd grade reading level by

the end of the year.

By completing research on students with disabilities and how they are educated and

assessed according to set state standards, I feel more prepared to teach and learn in a diverse

society. I now understand how to address students with different needs. Additionally, if I am

every unsure of how to specifically educate and assess an individual student, the school district

will surely assist me with the curriculum since it is the responsibility of each district. I look

forward to using this knowledge in my future and am confident that my future experiences will

furthermore build upon these understandings as well.