Special ed teachers left behind act

No time to write a post today, because I have about a dozen places to be all at the same time. (I need one of those replicators that Calvin invented in "Calvin and Hobbes.") But I did take a few moments to comment on a post regarding the "No Child Left Behind Act" over at All Opinions Are Not Equal. It's an interesting discussion, go check it out.

Anyway, for my post here, I'm copying an excerpt from my comments over there. It's regarding how the "No Child Left Behind Act" affects special ed teachers.

As a special ed teacher I know put it, "When they can cure learning disabilities, then these kids will be proficient." She teaches some kids that can't even speak, yet they are expected to sit down and take these tests and test at grade level or higher, or the school won't get federal funds and the teacher is threatened with termination. And this is one of those teachers who is not only great at what she does, she also goes out of her way to make sure these kids have what they need. She has a disproportionate number of kids at or below the poverty level, abused, neglected and being observed by social services. When the kids have no food in the fridge, she gets them groceries; when they have no winter coat, she brings in the outgrown coats of her own kids. And she's constantly under the gun to make her students, many of whom will never be able to function without assistance, pass these test on a proficient level. This is the result of the "No Child Left Behind Act."

What do you think about this act and its effect on public education?