Re: FairTest reaction to Sec Spellings announcement of nclb 'differentiated accountability' pilot program

[aburke5054@aol.com]

I thought it was called the Forum on Educational Accountability?

In any event, suppose instead of identifying schools as "failing" 
(which in fact NCLB does not do), we reframe to identify them as 
"educationally indebted" and require states to step in to improve them? 
 Wait, that's what NCLB requires now.  It's all Gloria Lasden-Billing's 
fault.

Art

-----Original Message-----
From: Monty Neill <monty@fairtest.org>
To: care@yahoogroups.com; ndsgroup@yahoogroups.com; 
ARN-state@yahoogroups.com; ARN-L <arn-l@interversity.org>; 
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Sent: Tue, 18 Mar 2008 12:45 pm
Subject: [arn-l] FairTest reaction to Sec Spellings announcement of 
nclb 'differentiated accountability' pilot program

Sec Spellings has announced a pilot NCLB "differentiated accountability
plan" for up to 10 states. Spellings talk today is at
http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2008/03/03182008.html and that 
contains
a link to the memo outlining the policy.


Here is FairTest's react to this announcement:


FairTest

National Center for Fair & Open Testing

<>for further information contact:

Dr. Monty Neill   (617) 864-4810

Robert Schaeffer  (239) 395-6773



for immediate release, Tuesday, March 18, 2008

SEC. SPELLINGS "DIFFERENTIATED ACCOUNTABILITY" PLAN

IS "FUTILE EFFORT TO RESCUE A COLLAPSING LAW,"

SCHEME IS EQUIVALENT TO "REARRANGING DECK CHAIRS ON TITANIC"

REACTION OF NATIONAL CENTER FOR FAIR & OPEN TESTING



     Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings' plan to allow ten 
states to
pilot "Differentiated Accountability" approaches to comply with federal 
"No
Child Left Behind" mandates is a futile effort to rescue a collapsing 
law.
Though it correctly recognizes that NCLB identifies far too many 
schools as
failing, the proposal is the political equivalent of rearranging deck 
chairs
on the Titanic, not changing its misguided course. It will not slow the
ever-growing demand for complete overhaul.

    At its core, "No Child" is unworkable. It makes impossible demands
such as expecting all children to attain proficiency by 2014, relies 
too
heavily on educationally destructive standardized tests which narrow
curriculum while encouraging "drill-and-kill" test prep, and imposes
counterproductive punishments.

    Simply imposing a state-by-state patchwork of new rules onto the
top-down federal bureaucracy created by "No Child Left Behind" will not 
lead
to improved education for the communities that most need it.  Far more
fundamental changes, focusing on identifying the real causes of weak
academic performance and building schools' capacity to address them, 
are
required.

     FairTest initiated the Joint Organizational Statement on NCLB, a 
set
of principles for overhauling the federal law, which has been signed by 
143
national education, civil rights, religious, parent, disability, civic 
and
labor groups. FairTest also facilitates the Forum on Educational 
Assessment,
which works to implement the Joint Statement.


- - 3 0 - -



The Joint Statement and other materials concerning NCLB, including 
FairTest's
six-year "Report Card" on the law's impact, are online at:
http://www.fairtest.org




Monty Neill, Ed.D.

Deputy Director

FairTest

342 Broadway

Cambridge, MA 02139

617-864-4810 x 101;  fax 617-497-2224

monty@fairtest.org

http://www.fairtest.org

Donate: https://secure.entango.com/servlet/donate/MnrXjT8MQqk

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