Race to the Top Education

[Clodfobble]

Those with difficulties (ie Jim) get their own words.
Every other child gets the standard spellings.
...

We had children on Level 11, and some of those on the top table for Literacy (Caitlyn for example) were still on Level 2. Whereas Jamie - in a special class for Literacy, was on Level 8.

This is what's missing in our system. If "Jim" has trouble spelling, he does not get his own words, or get specialist tutoring unless his parents push hard for legal recognition of a learning disability (which they mostly won't, because their little angel is perfect, don't you know, and the school sure as hell isn't going to pay for a specialist if they don't legally have to.) The teacher is simply told that if Jim doesn't pass the standardized test with the other students, she will be held accountable, and eventually fired. So the teacher spends all of her time desperately trying to drag Jim and two or three other kids up to everyone else's level, and is forced to neglect everyone who can already pass the test, whether they are at level 8, 11, or anywhere in between.