Spellings to Announce NCLB "Differentiated Accountability" Pilot States

[Bob Schaeffer <bobschaeffer@earthlink.net>]

Note that Indiana's "reform" plan is based on, um, even more testing!

SIX STATES TO DESIGN OWN PLANS FOR FIXING SCHOOLS
Associated Press -- July 1, 2008
by Nancy Zuckerbrod

Six states are getting the OK to write their own prescriptions for 
ailing schools under the Bush administration's signature education law.

It's a softening from how No Child Left Behind currently works — with 
schools having to take certain steps at specific times for missing math 
and reading testing goals. Critics have complained that the approach is 
too rigid and treats schools the same regardless of whether they miss 
the mark by a little or a lot.

The states getting more freedom under a pilot program are Florida, 
Georgia, Indiana, Illinois, Maryland and Ohio. Education Secretary 
Margaret Spellings plans to make the announcement during a speech 
Tuesday in Austin, Texas.

The states that won approval have come up with plans to more closely 
tailor solutions to individual schools' problems and focus resources on 
schools in the worst shape.

"We expect to see a closer fit between the causes of school 
underperformance and a focused attention at repairing those sources of 
failure," said Margaret Raymond, director of an education think tank at 
Stanford University and the chair of a panel that reviewed the state 
proposals.

Examples of changes the states plan to make include requiring schools to 
offer tutoring earlier than is currently called for and a greater 
reliance, in Indiana for example, on testing throughout the year to 
catch academic weak spots.

Maryland is placing more emphasis on training principals. It's common 
under the law for failing schools to replace their principals. "We think 
principal leadership is key. It's not just changing a principal, it's 
ensuring principals have the necessary skill sets," said Maryland 
schools superintendent Nancy Grasmick.

In Georgia, schools will be able to become charter schools, which are 
public but operate with broad independence, earlier than is currently 
called for, said the state's superintendent of schools, Kathy Cox.

Some critics worry the changes, specifically the focus on the 
worst-performing schools, will take the pressure off schools that are 
generally doing well but having trouble with one group of students — 
such as a minority group or kids with disabilities.

"I don't think it's taking the pressure off. I think it's allowing 
focus," Cox said.

Spellings has said up to 10 states will be allowed to try to participate 
in the pilot program. The Education Department plans to review 
additional state proposals this fall.

The six states that won approval were among 17 that sought it.

The states that didn't win approval were Alaska, Arkansas, Louisiana, 
New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South 
Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

Spellings said in an interview that the efforts by the states that won 
approval to try new approaches will be closely watched and will shape 
any future rewrite of the six-year-old No Child law.

"We're trying to set the table for a strong and sensible 
reauthorization," Spellings said. "We're going to learn some things."

http://www.ed.gov/