Re: Strong letter

[ABurke5054@aol.com]

There are continuing issues around the assessment of students with special  
needs.  However, this letter reflects profound misunderstanding (or  perhaps 
willful distortion) of what the AYP rules are supposed to  accomplish.  NCLB 
requires states to provide additional help and resources  to schools that do not 
make AYP.  A school that serves large numbers of  students with special needs 
should be pressing its state to provide the extra  help and resources that are 
needed.  Simply arguing for lowered  standards or stretched deadlines is not 
in the best interests of  parents and kids. 
 
Art
 
In a message dated 11/1/2006 5:53:23 PM Pacific Standard Time,  
pgutpgut@msn.com writes:

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.