The Learning Environment in the Lowest-Performing Schools - Essay Example

Ninth-grade students have placed in their English and math classes based on their state standardized score results, regardless of the grades they received in previous classes. As a result, some of the “lower-level” students placed in sheltered or remedial classes were actually the A-students in middle school who failed to take the state standardized exams seriously. These students are next programmed into classes designed for low-skilled students. Unlike designated “high-level” students, “low-level” students are often not provided with the same resources, nor are they placed in classes with a quality standard of performance.

Low-level students have virtually no access to higher-level college-preparatory materials, experienced teachers, and most importantly, rigorous academic training that could lead to greater motivation for success. Thus, by reducing and limiting access to these resources, the groundwork for an informal tracking system is created. My own personal experiences led me to understand that many of the endemic problems of the urban school system arose from the lack of access to higher expectations and a college-bound curriculum.

Most importantly, I began to realize that this problem generated adverse impacts on my students’ overall academic achievement.I encountered this tracking system in my first year of teaching and observed its effect on my students. As a first-year teacher who was not programmed into a Small Learning Community (SLC), I received a set of students whose skills were considered too low to be placed in “regular” English classes. All of my students were designated as either sheltered or English Language Learners (ELL).

As I walked toward my classroom the first day, another teacher remarked, “Don’t set your sights too high. You’ll probably get all the bad ones this year, and it’ll be hard to get them to do any work. The kids here are just the laziest kids I’ve ever taught. Just let me know if you need any help.” Although I thought it a rather strange comment at first, I slowly realized that this individual had only echoed the general academic sentiments of the school.