Strong letter

["PRISCILLA GUTIERREZ" <pgutpgut@msn.com>]

This was shared by Yetta Goodman on another listserve.  As she points out, 
when people come together they can have a strong voice on behalf of the 
students we serve...

October, 2006

We are writing this letter as teachers of Safford Engineering/Technology
Magnet Middle School, Safford Elementary School and as members of the
Site Council. Our middle school was one of many schools this year that
did not make "Adequate Yearly Progress" (AYP) as currently defined by
"No Child Left Behind" (NCLB). Like many schools, we serve significant
numbers of English Language Learners (ELL's) and Special Education
students (SPED's). We are writing to take issue with the current AYP
standard, which we see as having no basis in sound educational theory or
practice. Currently, this standard asserts that ELL's must pass the
AIMS test in 2 years. Furthermore, the standard penalizes the school
district for allowing SPED students to use the nonstandard
accommodations to which their individual education plans (IEPs) entitle
them, when they are tested.

In contrast, here is what widely accepted educational research and
practice clearly show regarding what these students need to be successful:

* ELL's need 5-7 years to acquire the necessary proficiency in
academic English (Cummins, 1996; Krashen, 1982; Thomas and
Collier, 1997). Without such proficiency, these students are
unable to be successful on measures of academic achievement such
as the AIMS.
* SPED students' abilities and limitations vary widely from student
to student. The only way to determine reasonable academic goals
for each of these students is to consult the individual IEP, which
is grounded in multiple assessment measures and each child's
educational history.

One thing is clear. It is time that federal and state governments stop
using the contrived formulas of the No Child Left Behind Act to further
disempower our students and our schools!

Schools should be held accountable to reasonable standards so that
taxpayers can measure a return on their investment. However, those
standards must be grounded in reasonable academic goals that reflect
sound educational research and practice. Toward that end, we propose
the following standards as measures of these students' success:

* That ELL students demonstrate an ability to pass AIMS (or a
similar measure of academic proficiency) within 6 years, and that
in the interim they demonstrate a 17% annual gain in English
proficiency on the AZELLA (or a similar measure of English
proficiency).

* That school districts not be penalized for allowing SPED students
full access to the nonstandard accommodations called for in their
IEPs, and that all SPED students be assessed according to each
student's academic grade level, not their enrolled grade level.

As educators, we are proud of what we do each and every day to help
children from diverse ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds to succeed.
But the current standards of the NCLB Act are only serving to demoralize
hardworking students and teachers. This can only be addressed by the
creation of a sound public policy that holds students and teachers
accountable to standards that are achievable.

With urgency,

signed by 55 staff and community members: teachers , Site Council
members,Assistant Principals, Principal, parents, Instructional
Coaches,Sp. Ed. Teachers, counselors, nurse,

Community Representative

Citations

Cummins, J. 1996. Negotiating Identities: Education for Empowerment
in a Diverse Society. California Association for Bilingual Education.
Los Angeles.

Krashen, S. 1982. Principles and Practice in Second Language
Acquisition. Pergamon Press. New York.

Thomas, W.P. and V.P Collier. 1997. School Effectiveness for Language
Minority Students. National "Clearinghouse for Bilingual Education.
Washington, D.C.





Priscilla Gutierrez
Outreach Specialist
New Mexico School for the Deaf

....change is inevitable, growth is optional...