Re: NCLB Commission hearing in Connecticut

[George Sheridan <learn@jps.net>]

This press release from the NCLB Commission seems to reveal their point of 
view pretty clearly: Testing is a good thing for children and schools, or 
it will be with a little tweaking. The major issue is how to implement NCLB 
requirements for student testing and reporting results in an accurate and 
timely manner. Although they say they will hear arguments on both sides of 
the Connecticut lawsuit, the list of witnesses appears heavily weighted in 
favor of test-based high-stakes "accountability."

It seems pretty safe to predict that the Commission's final report will 
serve to bolster the law in its current form.

At 12:35 PM 5/4/2006 -0400, Monty Neill wrote:
> This commission is holding hearings. 30 minutes has been allotted at the 
> end for comments from audience - 2 minutes - you have to sign up when you 
> arrive, first come first served I guess.
>
> This commission has said it is working within the framework of NCLB, but 
> if you want to go or to submit written testimony, you can certainly 
> critique the framework.
>
> <SNIP>
>
> Tommy G. Thompson, Co-Chairman
>
> Roy E. Barnes, Co-Chairman
> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
> THURSDAY, MAY 4, 2006
>
> Contact: Jennifer W. Adams
> Phone: 202/736-3858(O) or 202/285-4268(C)
>
> MEDIA ADVISORY FOR:
>
> TUESDAY, MAY 9, 2006 @ 9:30 AM EST
>
> Commission to Hold Second Hearing in Connecticut
> Testing: Making it Work for Children and Schools
> Hearing on Effectively Measuring Student
> Performance and Achievement
>
> Washington, DC---Former Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson 
> and former Georgia Governor Roy Barnes will co-chair the second in a 
> series of hearings on the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).  This hearing 
> will help inform the Commission?s recommendations on how NCLB can assist 
> in making testing work for children and schools.  The hearing will take 
> place on Tuesday, May 9, 2006 at 9:30 AM EST and will be held at Saint 
> Joseph College in West Hartford, Connecticut.
>
> The Commission on No Child Left Behind is an independent, bipartisan 
> effort to improve the No Child Left Behind Act and ensure it is a more 
> useful force in closing the achievement gap that separates disadvantaged 
> children and their peers.  The Commission will uncover the successes of 
> NCLB, as well as provisions which need to be changed or eliminated.  The 
> Commission, after a year of hearings, analysis and research, will report 
> to Congress and the Administration in early 2007 with its recommendations.
>
> WHAT: Hearing on Effectively Measuring Student Performance and Achievement
>
> WHO:  Commission on No Child Left Behind
> WITNESSES:
> ? Dr. Betty Sternberg, Commissioner, Connecticut State Department of Education
> ? Mr. James Peyser, Chairman, Massachusetts State Board of Education
> ? Mr. Joel Klein, Chancellor, New York City Department of Education
> ? Mr. William Taylor, Chair, Citizens? Commission on Civil Rights, and 
> Counsel to the NAACP in CT vs. Spellings
> ? Ms. Aimee Guidera, Director, Data Quality Campaign, National Center for 
> Education Accountability
> ? Dr. Stuart Kahl , President, Measured Progress
>
> WHEN: Tuesday, May 9, 2006 @ 9:30 AM EST
>
> WHERE: The Carol Autorino Center for the Arts and Humanities, Hoffman 
> Auditorium,
> 1678 Asylum Ave., West Hartford, CT 06117
>
> **THE HEARING WILL BE LIVE ON THE INTERNET AT: 
> <http://www.nclbcommission.org/>www.nclbcommission.org **
>
> BACKGROUND:
> NCLB requires states to implement annual assessments, aligned with state 
> standards, in reading and mathematics for grades 3 through 8 and at least 
> once in grades 10 through 12 (seven different grade levels).  Beginning in 
> the 2007-8 school year, states must also assess students in science once 
> in each of three grade spans: 3-5, 6-9, and 10-12.  These requirements 
> build on the 1994 authorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education 
> Act (ESEA) which required states to put in place standards and tests in 
> reading and mathematics at the three grade spans that will be used for 
> science assessments.
>
> Results of required assessments must be reported for all subgroups of 
> students including major racial/ethnic groups, low-income students as well 
> as those with disabilities and limited English proficiency.  These results 
> form the basis of NCLB?s accountability measures for schools including: 
> being identified for improvement, restructuring and other corrective 
> actions and interventions such as public school choice and supplemental 
> education services (free tutoring).
>
> NCLB IN CONNECTICUT:
> In 2005, the State of Connecticut sued the U.S. Department of Education 
> over the cost of the testing provisions of NCLB, claiming that the state?s 
> share of federal dollars appropriated for state assessments was 
> insufficient to fund additional tests of grades 3, 5 and 7 that were of 
> the same caliber the state was currently using.  The state further argued 
> that their current tests in grades 4, 6, 8 and 10 in combination with the 
> use of formative (low stakes) assessments delivered every four to six 
> weeks are sufficient.
>
> The Connecticut branch of the NAACP has joined the suit?CT vs. 
> Spellings?as a defendant in intervention on the side of the U.S. 
> Department of Education.  The NAACP has argued that the state?s suit, 
> which raises objections to testing and other requirements in NCLB, hurts 
> minority and economically disadvantaged school children and wastes state 
> resources that could be better used to improve struggling schools.
>
> Connecticut?s performance on the National Assessment of Educational 
> Progress (NAEP) is consistently stronger than most other states.  However, 
> according to the most recent NAEP results, Connecticut currently has the 
> largest gap in achievement between poor and non-poor children in the nation.
>
> THE HEARING:
> Commissioners will hear from leaders of state and major urban school 
> systems and other national experts regarding their views on the success 
> and challenges of the implementation of the annual assessment requirements 
> of NCLB and whether they have made an impact on improving student 
> performance and closing achievement gaps between various subgroups. 
> Commissioners will also hear both sides of the Connecticut debate 
> regarding the need for annual testing in grades 3 through 8.  Witnesses 
> will also address state and testing industry capacity to effectively 
> implement NCLB requirements for student testing and accurately reporting 
> results in a timely manor, including the strength of State education data 
> systems.  This is critical given the importance of test results as the 
> basis for determining the law?s various accountability measures for 
> schools and districts as well as interventions such as free tutoring and 
> public school choice.
>
> DETAILS FOR SUBMISSION OF WRITTEN COMMENTS:
> Any persons or organizations wishing to submit written comments for the 
> hearing record may do so by sending such comments electronically to 
> <mailto:nclbfeedback@aspeninstitute.org>nclbfeedback@aspeninstitute.org 
> please include ?Hearing Testimony? in the subject line. Written comments 
> can also be sent through the U.S. Mail to:  The Commission on No Child 
> Left Behind, One Dupont Circle, Suite 700, Washington, D.C.  20036.  ALL 
> WRITTEN COMMENTS MUST BE RECEIVED BY COB May 16, 2006.  Written comments 
> mailed to the Commission must be accompanied by an electronic version on 
> computer disk.  Those submitting comments must clearly identify themselves 
> with a valid mailing address and clearly indicating any affiliations the 
> comments represent.
>
> Submissions will be included in the record of the hearing at the 
> discretion of the Commission.  The Commission will not alter the content 
> of your submission, but does reserve the right to format it 
> accordingly.  Submissions must be no longer than 10 pages in length, 
> including any attachments.
>
> The Commission on No Child Left Behind is funded by the Bill & Melinda 
> Gates Foundation, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, the Joyce 
> Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Carnegie 
> Corporation of New York, and the Spencer Foundation. This document is 
> published to communicate the results of the Commission?s work. The 
> findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in the Commission?s 
> documents are entirely those of the author(s) and should not be attributed 
> in any manner to the donors.
>
>
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George Sheridan
Northside School
Cool, California 95614