Re: AYP celebrations

[aburke5054@aol.com]

Wayne ...NCLB is about improving schools for all kids.  This requires 
neither the creation of perfect children nor the creation of perfect 
schools.  Madeline Will testified in support of NCLB as the parent of a 
child with special needs and as an officer of a national organization 
that advocates for children with special needs.  She said that NCLB is 
one of the best things to happen for children with disabilities in a 
long time  - precisely because it requires schools to hold high 
expectations for such children and to hold high expectations for what 
it can and will do for these children.

Yes, the standards, the tests, the AYP - the whole bit - is a pain in 
the neck.  But if you think that NCLB is solely the product of a 
business conspiracy or if you insist on playing how many angels can 
dance on the head of a pin games about "human perfection,"  that is 
you, not NCLB.  I doubt that you would want public education to hold 
itself to lower expectations for your child, so why the rush to push 
that for other people's children?   Because they're "different"?

Art

-----Original Message-----
From: Wayne Williams <waywilldo@hotmail.com>
To: arn-l@interversity.org
Sent: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 11:21 am
Subject: Re: [arn-l] AYP celebrations


Art,
No matter how growth is described in NCLB the goal is unachievable 
because it requires human perfection and that 97% of the total student 
population be include in high stakes tests.  Saying that (all) students 
will be proficient by 2014 is like saying there will be no children 
born with physical disabilities by 2014.  Why set goals that are doomed 
to failure.  Why not look for realistic, non-politically motivated, US 
business controlled, and properly mandated directions to improve 
education.  The real problem with NCLB is that it is still tied to 
flawed assumptions by individuals who don't have a working background 
in education of diverse populations.  Most of the methodology of 
high-stakes-test creates an unobtainable notion that by hedging all our 
energies on one measurement of success we assume that that shows what 
we are doing wrong.  If that were true then we could all go to Vegas 
and become millionaires.
Wayne Williams> To: arn-l@interversity.org> Subject: Re: [arn-l] AYP 
celebrations> Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2008 22:14:49 -0500> From: 
aburke5054@aol.com> > NCLB requires a schedule of increasing 
achievement to reach the goal of > all children proficient by 2014. 
That could turn out to be "8-10% > growth PER YEAR," or not.> > Art> > 
-----Original Message-----> From: MONICALUCIDO@comcast.net> To: 
arn-l@interversity.org> Sent: Mon, 21 Jan 2008 6:23 pm> Subject: Re: 
[arn-l] AYP celebrations> > Well, you're wrong. On the ANNUAL 
MEASURABLE OBJECTIVES FOR ELA, the > requirement> from this year 
throuygh 2014 is approximately 8-10% growth PER YEAR of > the number> 
of students that should land in the proficient range. Of course, > 
according to> the all important standardized test.> > Joe Lucido> 
EPATA> -------------- Original message ----------------------> From: 
aburke5054@aol.com> > Nowhere in NCLB is there a requirement for 10 
percent annual> > improvement.> >> > The whole purpose of NCLB is to 
make sure that schools focus on all> > children. Standards, tests, and 
AYP are surely imperfect, but they > can> > be an important mechanism 
for advancing the educational equity that > is> > the heart of NCLB. We 
should expect far better out of public > education> > than the "game of 
looking good rather than being good." We should> > expect and demand 
better today, the day we celebrate Martin Luther> > King's birthday, 
and every day. For people who cling to the > delusion> > that AYP is a 
tool to destroy public education, there is simply no > hope.> >> > Art> 
>> > -----Original Message-----> > From: Nancy Patterson 
<patterna@gvsu.edu>> > To: arn-l@interversity.org> > Sent: Mon, 21 Jan 
2008 12:24 pm> > Subject: Re: [arn-l] AYP celebrations> >> > The really 
inane thing about being on the dreaded AYP "list" is that> > now even 
so> > called top schools are failing to make annual yearly progress 
because> > they can't> > improve the required 10 percent each year. 
Someone in the Bush> > administration> > forgot how to do math. It 
doesn't take a genius to figure out that a> > 10 percent> > gain each 
year is impossible. In some schools the only reason why > they> > 
didn't> > make AYP is because of the special ed students. Under NCLB, 
all but> > the> > severely impaired have to take the tests, even if 
they can't read.> > And,> > non-english speaking students have to take 
the tests, too, even if > they> > can't> > read the tests.> >> > What 
has happened in some schools is that special education and at > risk> > 
students> > have been shoved out--sent to alternative schools or simply 
kicked > out.> > In> > other schools, kids who aren't likely to pass 
the test are retained > the> > year> > before a significant test is 
taken. Then they skip a grade, into> > another grade> > where a 
significant test is not given. It becomes a game of looking> > good 
rather> > than being good.> >> > Nancy> >> > Nancy Patterson, PhD> > 
Literacy Studies Program Chair> > College of Education> > Grand Valley 
State University> > 920 Eberhard Center> > 301 W. Fulton> > Grand 
Rapids, Michigan 49504> > 616-331-6226> > patterna@gvsu.edu> > 
http://faculty.gvsu.edu/patterna> >> > >>> "Tauna Rogers" 
<taunar@plateautel.net> 1/21/2008 11:25 AM >>>> > Diane,> >> > My .02 
is that you are right on the money. Celebrating making AYP> > serves 
to> > legitimize a mechanism designed to discredit and ultimately 
destroy> > public> > education, although I can easily understand how 
relieved the schools> > must be> > to get off the dreaded list. Keep up 
the good fight. They may mean > well> > but> > celebrating making AYP 
sends exactly the wrong message. Stick to your> > guns,> > you're doing 
the right thing!> >> > Tauna> >> > ----- Original Message -----> > 
From: "Diane Aoki" <dkeikoa@hawaii.rr.com>> > To: 
<arn-l@interversity.org>> > Sent: Monday, January 21, 2008 2:28 AM> > 
Subject: [arn-l] AYP celebrations> >> >> > > Please help me out on 
this. I had a recent outburst at a union> > meeting> > > about> > > 
plans to honor schools that made AYP after being in restructuring.> > 
This is> > > how I feel: Making AYP is the result of many factors that 
have> > nothing to> > > do> > > with the teachers at that school and 
the quality of their teaching.> > These> > > factors could be: whether 
or not that school is large enough to be> > > required> > > to count 
the subgroups; whether or not that school focused their > time> > and> 
> > resources on the test at the expense of other subjects - "teaching> 
> to the> > > test;" the schools may have focused on the "bubble kids," 
at the> > expense> > > of> > > the others who are too low or too high 
to make a difference on the> > test.> > > Those are my main points - 
are there others?> > >> > > My reasons for being upset are: The NCLB 
reform program of which > AYP> > is an> > > integral aspect is not 
meant to improve public education, but to> > destroy> > > it,> > > so 
we need to be critical of it. By celebrating AYP, we are saying> > 
that> > > NCLB> > > is working. By celebrating AYP, we are sending a 
message out to the> > other> > > schools, if they can do it, you can 
too. But the way it is set up> > (100%> > > proficiency by 2014), we 
will either all fail, or all be Stepford> > schools,> > > shaped into 
such by private companies who got lucrative contracts > to> > do> > > 
this. By celebrating AYP, we are being divisive, setting the AYP> > 
schools> > > in> > > opposition to the non-AYP schools, a heirarchy 
based on test scores> > that> > > don't necessarily mean better 
schools. By not recognizing the truth> > of it,> > > we are blurring 
our vision, which should be focused on, what IS a> > quality> > > 
school, how CAN we take back our profession, how can WE be the> > 
determiners> > > of what a good school is and celebrate that.> > >> > > 
In the room of about 11 people, only 3 seemed to get what I was> > 
saying.> > > And> > > these were union leaders. They said things like, 
"we need to be more> > > positive," "it gives us hope," "it's all we 
have."> > >> > > Please help me out. I need to know if I am off my 
rocker or on the> > money.> > > Is> > > what I am saying so off base? 
Or is it just one of those things > that> > are> > > hard to be honest 
about, so people would rather cling to the > illusion.> > >> > >> > > 
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