"When NCLB was passed, I was excited. At last my students would be able to have the same textbooks as the general ed students; at last they would not be stuck in a portable way out in La La Land; at last they would be part of the school, the curriculum, and the field trips. At last they would be acknowledged as human beings in our society without the label of behavior disorder, special ed, or learning disabled.

"Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong.

"Now they have to take grade-level tests in which they have no idea what the words say, because, you see, they read on first- to third-grade levels. But they try. They still don't get textbooks with general ed; they are still in the portable in La La Land; and they are still reminded of their labels.

"As a program, we get absolutely no funding for our special materials and supplies for our special needs kids because the money goes to administration to train general ed teachers to understand how to include special needs students.

"Then we had to go on corrective action for three years, one year probation. There was no room for creativity, no special assistance, and no in-service training to assist the special ed teacher in how to implement and design a program to assist special needs students. They had to be taught at grade level with outdated, used, torn textbooks. Wow, have we gone backwards. Now, tell me how has No Child Left Behind helped the special needs students? (Hint: It hasn't.)"

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