Sure. Dumb down American schools to blunt the magnificent liberating and
democratizing teaching of the Gabbards and Horns and create a nation of
wage-slaves. That's got to be it, all right. Next up: Enrich the testing
companies.
Art
-----Original Message-----
From: gbracey1@verizon.net
To: arn-l@interversity.org
Sent: Thu, 15 Mar 2007 6:27 AM
Subject: Re: [arn-l] "Zero Percent Chance" to Reach NCLB Target
No, the offspring of the BRT are already in private schools. NCLB is to
stupefy the proletariat.
----- Original Message ----- From: <aburke5054@aol.com>
To: <arn-l@interversity.org>
Sent: Thursday, March 15, 2007 2:28 AM
Subject: Re: [arn-l] "Zero Percent Chance" to Reach NCLB Target
> Don't tell me, the goal of 100 percent proficiency is to bamboozle >
> Americans into thinking that the public schools are failing, which will
> > send them into a frenzy of paying for private schools for the
> offspring of > the Busniness Roundtable. How could I not have seen that?
> Art
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: gbracey1@verizon.net
> To: arn-l@interversity.org
> Sent: Wed, 14 Mar 2007 10:54 AM
> Subject: Re: [arn-l] "Zero Percent Chance" to Reach NCLB Target
>
> Sometimes I think there's only one person who doesn't get it.
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: <aburke5054@aol.com>
> To: <arn-l@interversity.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, March 14, 2007 10:54 AM
> Subject: Re: [arn-l] "Zero Percent Chance" to Reach NCLB Target
>
> > It's amazing how many people still don't get it. The goal of 100
> > percent > > > proficiency is not simply a rhetorical flourish or an
> > inspirational > > appeal > to a generalized American can-doism. The
> > goal of 100 percent > > proficiency > is supposed to spur states to
> > improve their schools. Many > > people seem > unable to see the forest
> > of school improvement for the > > trees of students' > test scores.
> >
> > Art
> >
> > -----Original Message----- > > From: bobschaeffer@earthlink.net
> > To: arn-l@interversity.org; arn2-strategy@yahoogroups.com
> > Sent: Wed, 14 Mar 2007 4:56 AM
> > Subject: [arn-l] "Zero Percent Chance" to Reach NCLB Target
> >
> > "NO CHILD" TARGET IS CALLED OUT OF REACH
> >
> > GOAL OF 100% PROFICIENCY DEBATED AS CONGRESS WEIGHS RENEWAL
> > Washington Post -- March 14, 2007 -- Page One
> > by Amit R. Paley
> >
> > No Child Left Behind, the landmark federal education law, sets a lofty
> > > > > standard: that all students tested in reading and math will
> > reach grade > > > level by 2014. Even when the law was enacted five
> > years ago, almost no > > one > believed that standard was realistic.
> >
> > But now, as Congress begins to debate renewing the law, lawmakers and
> > > > > education officials are confronting the reality of the
> > approaching > > > deadline and the difficult political choice between
> > sticking with the > > > vision of universal proficiency or backing
> > away from it.
> >
> > "There is a zero percent chance that we will ever reach a 100 percent
> > > > > target," said Robert L. Linn, co-director of the National Center
> > for > > > Research on Evaluation, Standards and Student Testing at
> > UCLA. "But > > > because the title of the law is so rhetorically
> > brilliant, politicians > > are > afraid to change this completely
> > unrealistic standard. They don't > > want to > be accused of leaving
> > some children behind."
> >
> > The debate over the perfection standard encapsulates the key arguments
> > > > for > and against No Child Left Behind.
> >
> > Critics, including some teachers unions and many testing experts, view
> > > > the > law as a forced march toward an impossible education
> > nirvana. They > > are > lobbying Congress to reduce the 100 percent
> > target and delay the > > 2014 > deadline. They are also pushing for
> > the elimination of > > sanctions -- which > can cost millions of
> > dollars and result in school > > takeovers -- that school > systems
> > face for failing to make yearly > > progress toward the goal.
> >
> > But critics face an uphill challenge because of the rhetorical power
> > of > > > the argument for a universal proficiency target and a
> > deadline. > > Anything > less, advocates say, will hurt children,
> > especially society's > > most > vulnerable: poor and minority
> > students.
> >
> > "We need to stay the course," U.S. Deputy Education Secretary Raymond
> > > > > Simon said. "The mission is doable, and we don't need to back
> > off that > > > right now."
> >
> > President Bush is pushing this year for reauthorization of one of his
> > > > top > domestic programs. In a joint House-Senate hearing
> > yesterday, > > senior > Democrats and Republicans said they would work
> > toward renewal > > of the law. > But in interviews in the days before
> > the hearing, some key > > lawmakers said > that universal proficiency
> > is all but impossible to > > meet.
> >
> > "The idea of 100 percent is, in any legislation, not achievable," said
> > > > > Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), chairman of the Senate
> > education > > > committee. "There isn't a member of Congress or a
> > parent or a student > > that > doesn't understand that."
> >
> > Kennedy added that the law's universal proficiency standard served to
> > > > > inspire students and teachers. But "it's too early in the
> > process to > > > predict whether we'll consider changes" to the 2014
> > deadline, he said.
> >
> > Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), a former U.S. education secretary and
> > > > > supporter of the law, said Americans don't want politicians to
> > lower > > > standards.
> >
> > "Are we going to rewrite the Declaration of Independence and say only
> > 85 > > > percent of men are created equal?" Alexander asked. "Most of
> > our > > politics > in America is about the disappointment of not
> > meeting the > > high goals we > set for ourselves."
> >
> > Foes and supporters alike praise the law for drawing attention to > >
> > student > achievement gaps. The law requires testing for all students
> > in > > reading and > math from grades 3 through 8 and once in high
> > school; it > > also requires > reporting of scores for groups of
> > students including > > racial and ethnic > minorities, those from
> > low-income families, those > > with limited English > skills and those
> > with disabilities who receive > > special education.
> >
> > But testing experts say there are vast academic differences among > >
> > children > of the same racial or socioeconomic background. Countries >
> > > with far less > racial diversity than the United States still find
> > wide > > variations in > student performance. Even in relatively
> > homogenous > > Singapore, for example, > a world leader in science and
> > math tests, a > > quarter of the students tested > are not proficient
> > in math, and 49 > > percent fall short in science.
> >
> > "Most people are afraid that once you acknowledge this variation, then
> > > > you > have to tolerate major inequities between black and white >
> > > students," said > Daniel Koretz, a Harvard University education > >
> > professor. "That's not > necessarily true, but that's why the
> > political > > world does not really > address the issue."
> >
> > Although no major school system is known to have reached 100 percent >
> > > > proficiency, Education Department officials pointed to individual
> > > > schools > across the country that have reached the standard as
> > evidence > > that it is > possible. In Virginia, schools have achieved
> > universal > > proficiency on > reading and math tests 45 times since
> > 2002, officials > > said.
> >
> > The only school they cited in the Washington region as having met that
> > > > > mark was the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and
> > Technology in > > > Fairfax County, a regional school with selective
> > admissions. Principal > > > Evan M. Glazer said his school, which has
> > an elite reputation, was > > hardly > a representative example. On
> > whether the nation can replicate > > that > success, Glazer said: "I
> > don't think it's very realistic."
> >
> > Fairfax County School Superintendent Jack D. Dale said it was "absurd"
> > > > to > expect total proficiency, especially when federal officials
> > require > > > immigrant children who have been in U.S. schools for
> > little more than > > a > year to meet the standard. His
> > 164,000-student system, the largest > > in the > Washington region, is
> > sparring with the Education Department > > over the > immigrant
> > testing rule.
> >
> > Dale and other critics of the law have called for No Child Left Behind
> > > > to > measure the growth of students from year to year instead of >
> > > expecting them > to meet fixed benchmarks. But Dale said he
> > understood > > why federal > officials and lawmakers take a different
> > view.
> >
> > "How can you publicly state it's okay to have some children not meet >
> > > > standards?" Dale said. "Politically, you're committing suicide if
> > you > > say > it."
> >
> > Some experts predict that states will weaken their definition of > > >
> > proficiency to make it appear that all students are on track. The law
> > > > > requires students to meet "challenging academic standards" but
> > allows > > each > state to define proficiency on its own terms and
> > design its own > > tests.
> >
> > Rep. Peter Hoekstra (R-Mich.), who voted against the law in 2001 and >
> > > > remains a leading critic, derided the universal proficiency
> > standard. > > > "It's just like a communist country saying that they
> > used to have 100 > > > percent participation in elections," Hoekstra
> > said. "You knew it wasn't > > > true, but a bureaucrat could come up
> > with that answer. And that's what > > > will happen here."
> >
> > Rep. Howard P. "Buck" McKeon (R-Calif.), ranking Republican on the
> > House > > > education committee, said the 2014 deadline forces
> > educators to pay > > > attention to each student. He said he is open
> > to slight changes in the > > law > to exempt certain students with
> > disabilities from the proficiency > > > requirement. But he said he
> > won't back down from the law's core ideal, > > > citing his own six
> > children and 28 grandchildren. "Which one of them > > would > I like
> > to leave behind?" McKeon asked.
> >
> > http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/13/AR2007031301781_2.html
> >
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