Educational Crisis

How have you seen the educational crisis in your placements?

I am placed in a bilingual school and with that we have many students who do not pass standardized exams because English in not their native language. I find that these students do not have experience with terms on standardized exams even though they are in a learning environment focused for students to learn both English and Spanish. Students feel discouraged when they are unable to pass exams and I believe they understand the importance of these exams to schools and districts. As much as teachers want students to pass, in many cases they will have to "teach to the test" for this to happen. Then students have the experience necessary to at least try the exam. In the school I am placed in now we often have new students who are immigrating straight from Mexico with their families. This automatically places them lower on the totem pole simply because they have no previous background knowledge for such expectations and exams. I see that my mentor teachers try to catch them up to speed the best they can with what materials and time they can provide.