Re: CT takes step toward imposing grad test

[aburke5054@aol.com]

The article says that achievement gaps in CT are among the most 
"severe" in the nation, which is what NAACP said in arguing in federal 
court that CT should enforce the "letter and spirit" of NCLB.  But we 
all know that schools are powerless to do anything about the gaps, 
right

Art

-----Original Message-----
From: Monty Neill <monty@fairtest.org>
To: ndsgroup@yahoogroups.com; ARN-state@yahoogroups.com; ARN-L 
<arn-l@interversity.org>; arn2-strategy <arn2-strategy@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Thu, 6 Dec 2007 3:18 pm
Subject: [arn-l] CT takes step toward imposing grad test


Connecticut has taken a step to impose passing state standardized tests 
a
graduation requirement.
courant.com/news/custom/topnews/hcu-boestandards-1205,0,7723274.story?col
l=hc_tab01_layout


Courant.com
Board Approves Stricter Standards For High Schools
By ARIELLE LEVIN BECKER

Courant Staff Writer

5:41 PM EST, December 5, 2007

 The state board of education today endorsed a high-school redesign 
proposal
that would require students to pass end-of-course exams, complete an 
independent
study, and take at least 24 credits in specific courses to earn a 
diploma.

The changes are still years from becoming reality, but the board's 
approval
clears the way for a yearlong effort to solicit public comment and 
adapt the
proposals accordingly. That is expected to lead to a final proposal by 
December
2008, which would then be submitted to the legislature.

Any changes are expected to be implemented in the 2011-2012 school year.

"This is a work in progress," Education Commissioner Mark K. McQuillan 
said.
"This is work that is designed to capture public input and to take 
people's best
ideas and make it stronger."

The board's vote Wednesday also directed McQuillan to seek funding from 
the
state legislature to study the costs of the proposals.

The proposals, recommended by a committee that included teachers, 
school
officials, and business and higher education leaders, could mean 
significant
changes for public education in Connecticut, and a significant cost.

They're designed to address concerns about stagnating test scores, 
achievement
gaps that rank among the most severe in the nation, a growing number of 
state
students who graduate high school unprepared for college or the 
workforce, and
worries that a lack of skilled workers will hurt the state's economy.

Under the proposals, high school students would need at least 24 
credits to
graduate, up from the current 20. While students now can choose among 
courses in
various subjects, with only a half-credit course in civics and American
government required, the redesign would require many specific courses, 
such as
algebra II, international studies, and biology.

One of the requirements, U.S. history, received a slight tweak 
Wednesday, at
least in name. An earlier proposal called for students to take one 
credit of
U.S. history, 1860 to the present, with the intention of teaching 
pre-Civil War
U.S. history in middle school, officials said. But word of the 
requirement
generated concern from people worried that students would not learn 
about the
Constitution, prompting board members to change the requirement name to 
"U.S.
history."

The new requirements would also include two years of world languages - 
none are
currently required - and three years of lab sciences, changes that 
would mean
hiring more teachers and building more lab space in many schools. 
Requiring
end-of-course exams would put Connecticut on a growing list of states 
to require
such tests. For classes that require exams, the state would provide a 
model
curriculum, which districts could use at their discretion. Some type of 
safety
net would exist for students who are unable to pass the exams.

Officials have stressed that the proposals are merely a draft, and will 
likely
be shaped over the coming year as various groups weigh in. A "listening 
tour"
that begins this month is intended to bring the proposals to the public 
and to
seek input. McQuillan said he is particularly interested in written 
responses.

"This is a huge change and a significant new direction for 
Connecticut," he
said.

The board voted unanimously to endorse the proposal, but some members 
raised
specific concerns in a discussion beforehand. Board member Donald J. 
Coolican
questioned whether having a safety net for students who cannot pass the
end-of-course exams would undermine the exams.

James C. Blake, a student board member, questioned why the changes 
should affect
all schools, not just low-achieving ones.

McQuillan said the idea that only a small portion of students are 
struggling is
not true. And Allan B. Taylor, the board chairman, noted that 
Connecticut's test
scores, once the top in the nation, have stagnated.

"What's going on is we're staying steady, talking about how we're at 
the top,
while people who haven't been at the top are moving and getting ahead 
of us," he
said.

Copyright © 2007, The Hartford Courant

Monty Neill, Ed.D.
Executive Director
FairTest
342 Broadway
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-864-4810 x 101;  fax 617-497-2224
monty@fairtest.org
http://www.fairtest.org
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