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Re: Spellings to Announce NCLB "Differentiated Accountability" Pilot States
Um, what the article actually says is, um:
"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."
The article does not, in fact, say that testing in Indiana will serve
a diagnostic purpose. It says Indiana will engage in more testing,
something which educators have been arguing AGAINST.
Ideally, we'd have confidence that our curricula were well-designed
and that our kids could ace the state tests without any additional
preparation for it. However, as it stands, we spend September through
March getting kids ready to take tests.
So are we assessing our schools or are we assessing our test
preparation efforts? Are the curricula and the test preparation
efforts the same thing?
If they are the same thing, that's troubling. If you can only assess
that which can be measured, then you're likely to teach only that
which can be assessed. But as Einstein once said, "Not everything
that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted
counts."
Peter C.
On Jul 1, 2008, at 7:30 AM, aburke5054@aol.com wrote:
The article says that the additional testiing in Indiana will serve
a diagnostic purpose, which is, um, something that educators have
been arguing for all along.
What is more interesting is that the article says that "states ...
have come up with plans to more closely tailor solutions to
individual schools' problems and focus resources on schools in the
worst shape." Again, this is, um, something that the states have
been begging to do. I guess you're so worried about, um, testing,
that you, um, missed that part.
Art
-----Original Message-----
From: Bob Schaeffer <bobschaeffer@earthlink.net>
To: ARN Main List <arn-l@interversity.org>; arn2-strategy <arn2-
strategy@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Tue, 1 Jul 2008 5:25 am
Subject: [arn-l] Spellings to Announce NCLB "Differentiated
Accountability" Pilot States
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/
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