Fwd: [LiteracyForAll] Illinois District Rejects NCLB LEP Testing Requirement

[Susan Harman <susanharman@igc.org>]

You can email the sup, Hank Gmitro, at  
http://www.ccsd93.com/education/components/scdirectory/ 
default.php?sectiondetailid=2735&showprofile=11736&showdir=G&email=form
Please write in support of their principled stand.
Susan

Begin forwarded message:
> > > DIST. 93 AGAINST GIVING TESTS TO KIDS STILL LEARNING ENGLISH
> > >
> > > (Chicago) Daily Herald -- February 22, 2008
> > > by Emily Krone
> > >
> > > A DuPage County school district could be the first in Illinois -- and
> > > perhaps the nation -- to refuse to administer mandatory state exams  
> > > to
> > > students who haven't yet mastered English.
> > >
> > > The boycott by Carol Stream Elementary District 93 would be an act of
> > > civil disobedience against the state's decision to force English  
> > > learners
> > > to take the same tests as their fluent peers.
> > >
> > > Nearly 10 percent of the district's 4,300 students were categorized  
> > > as
> > > having limited English skills in 2007.
> > >
> > > The federal No Child Left Behind law requires that all public schools
> > > annually test all students in select grades.
> > >
> > > District 93 officials say they're willing to break the law this  
> > > spring to
> > > shield students from the frustration and humiliation of taking an  
> > > exam
> > > not designed for them.
> > >
> > > "The board believes it's appropriate to do that," District 93
> > > Superintendent Henry Gmitro said. "While there may be consequences  
> > > for
> > > the adults in the organization, we shouldn't ask kids to be tested on
> > > things they haven't been taught."
> > >
> > > Illinois dropped the test that was designed for English learners this
> > > fall, after the U.S. Department of Education made a final ruling  
> > > that the
> > > test wasn't an adequate measure of state learning standards. The old  
> > > test
> > > was written in simpler English.
> > >
> > > As a stopgap measure, English learners will take standard assessments
> > > with some special accommodations, such as extended time and audio
> > > recordings, while Illinois develops a test that will meet federal  
> > > guidelines.
> > >
> > > Politicians and educators throughout Illinois have aggressively  
> > > opposed
> > > the move, predicting it will cause districts to fail and face serious
> > > sanctions under the federal accountability law.
> > >
> > > A group of Chicago parents plans to keep their children home during  
> > > the
> > > March testing, while local school officials have petitioned state
> > > lawmakers for a one-year reprieve for English learners. And, some  
> > > other
> > > superintendents say they also would consider a boycott.
> > >
> > > But District 93 administrators are the first school employees to say
> > > publicly they will not administer the test to some students, Illinois
> > > State Board of Education spokesman Matthew Vanover said.
> > >
> > > Indeed, the district could be the first in the nation to mount this  
> > > type
> > > of challenge, though others have rejected federal money in order to  
> > > opt
> > > out of the high-stakes tests.
> > >
> > > A Wisconsin teacher made national news last year when he protested  
> > > the
> > > emphasis the law places on standardized testing by refusing to  
> > > administer
> > > the exams -- for a single day. Threatened with termination, he  
> > > proctored
> > > the exams the second day.
> > >
> > > "The frustration is widespread, but this action is unique, to the  
> > > best of
> > > my knowledge," said Robert Schaeffer, public education director for  
> > > the
> > > National Center for Fair and Open Testing.
> > >
> > > Schaeffer said his group supports parents, students and educators who
> > > take such stands, but does not push them to do so because of the  
> > > risks.
> > >
> > > Vanover said he couldn't speculate on what penalties the state might  
> > > hand
> > > down.
> > >
> > > "We would encourage them to move forward with the testing and give  
> > > these
> > > students an opportunity to share what they have learned," Vanover  
> > > said.
> > > "And once those students have done that to best of their ability, the
> > > test should end."
> > >
> > > Though the law says the test must be administered, it doesn't  
> > > stipulate
> > > that students must finish the test.
> > >
> > > U.S. Department of Education spokesman Chad Colby said a boycott  
> > > could
> > > jeopardize the district's federal funding. And, he said, it would
> > > undermine the law's intent, which is to hold schools accountable for  
> > > what
> > > students learn.
> > >
> > > District 93 received about $631,000 from federal sources during the
> > > 2005-06 school year, slightly more than 1 percent of its total  
> > > revenue.
> > >
> > > Other suburban school officials said they would consider a boycott as
> > > they continue to weigh their options.
> > >
> > > The Marquardt Elementary District 15 school board in Glendale  
> > > Heights has
> > > authorized Superintendent Loren May to make the final decision on  
> > > whether
> > > to administer the tests.
> > >
> > > "There's no clear pathway on what may or may not happen," May said.  
> > > "It's
> > > about making a decision about what's best for the children."
>
>
> ***********************
> Danny Brassell, Ph.D.
> Stressed?  Find a cool short book to read at:
> www.lazyreaders.com
>
> ________________________________
>
> From: LiteracyForAll@yahoogroups.com on behalf of Yetta Goodman
> Sent: Wed 2/27/2008 2:19 PM
> To: LiteracyForAll@yahoogroups.com; COE celt-l List
> Subject: Re: [LiteracyForAll] memory loss
>
>
>
> I do want to caution all of us about becoming too overly concerned with
> memory loss.
> I don't think there is really good research on the differences of  
> memory
> loss throughout our lives. I know my daughters and my grandchildren  
> have
> and have had memory loss throughout their lives. Even at young ages,
> there is a tendency to forget things especially when we choose to  
> forget
> or when the memory comes at a time when we are multitasking other
> things. For how many years have I not been able to find my keys, my
> purse, my glasses, etc. etc. We may be more aware of our forgetting as
> we get older because of the stereotype of aging. Also, I think that
> there is evidence that memory loss is
> not loss but difficulty in access. So if we get into another contextual
> setting or are in conversation with others we conjure up the name, the
> label. As soon
> as the label or name return we can reconstruct the whole context. So
> context becomes an issue in these memory issues as well. I happy to
> think that perhaps memory
> loss is related to having filled up our brains with so many
> conceptualizations and contexts, etc. etc.
>
> I worry that many of us pick up on medical statements and assign them  
> to
> ourselves without the kinds of understandings we use in other  
> intellectual
> discussions. And if we overly worry about such things there is a
> tendency for fulfilling a prophecy. For example.... am I really ADHD
> because I have the symptoms that a group of psychologists or medical
> practitioners have decided are symptomatic for ADHA or ADD or  
> whatever???
> I think we need to keep this perspective in mind as we consider issues
> of memory loss and other aging issues.
>
> When it becomes very pronounced there may be more serious problems but
> we need not to overstate the case.
>
> Ken Goodman wrote:
> > It helps to live in a supportive , active, intellectually stimulating
> > community which is what we have here in Academy VIllage in Tucson.  
> > Care
> > to join us. Right now there are houses of various sizes for sale.
> > Ken Goodman
> >
> > Sandra Wilde wrote:
> >
> > > We of course don't get to choose how we age. I think the most  
> > > important
> > > thing we can do to not be a burden is to do what we can to create the
> > > financial resources for ourselves if we should need extended care.  
> > > In my
> > > case, that's what I'm saving my home equity for, and it was my mom's
> > > home equity that enabled her to afford care. There are wonderful care
> > > facilities, and they'll continue to grow as our generation ages.
> > >
> > > Richard J Meyer wrote:
> > >
> > >
> > > > The thread of this discussion brings up moms and dads that
> > > > have passed away (it has for me...) and those that are not
> > > > doing that well now. I don't know how many other people
> > > > feel this way, and I would not have traded one second of
> > > > mom's life for anything, but I just do not want to put my
> > > > own kids thru this kind of hell. Yeah, we're heroic in our
> > > > deeds and efforts, but i don't want my kids to have to
> > > > deal with that. This isn't leading to assisted suicide or
> > > > anything, it's just something that makes me sad when I see
> > > > our medical alternatives and physical realities of aging.
> > > > I keep looking to Ken and Yetta Goodman as the best ways
> > > > to age: sharp minds, wonderful senses of humor, and still
> > > > very present. Reminiscent of Louise Rosenblatt. I hope I
> > > > can age that way.
> > > >
> > > > On Tue, 26 Feb 2008 08:46:38 EST
> > > > paularead@aol.com <mailto:paularead%40aol.com>   
> > > > <mailto:paularead%40aol.com>
> > <mailto:paularead%40aol.com> wrote:
> > > > > My mom passed 18 months ago. When I visited with her
> > > > > the last months, I
> > > > > started praying with her and was surprised that she
> > > > > picked up the prayers and
> > > > > focused on saying them with me. After a week of
> > > > > starting each day praying the
> > > > > rosary together, she would recognize people who
> > > > > currently cared for her and
> > > > > asked them for particular things she wanted and related
> > > > > to them to her children
> > > > > in her talk, and always reminded me to bring coffee when
> > > > > I came back... that
> > > > > the coffee served there was like dishwater. She even
> > > > > joked for a bit,
> > > > > asking about my sisters and brothers and her
> > > > > grandchildren . then she would
> > > > > mentally leave again. Those hours were like having my
> > > > > mom back...and made the
> > > > > rest a little more bearable. I think the memory of the
> > > > > prays she said daily
> > > > > through most of her life seemed to bring back the
> > > > > memories of what she prayed
> > > > > for and focused her for a bit.
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > **************Ideas to please picky eaters. Watch video
> > > > > on AOL Living.
> > > > (http://living.aol.com/video/how-to-please-your-picky-eater/rachel- 
> > > > campos-duffy/  
> > > > <http://living.aol.com/video/how-to-please-your-picky-eater/rachel- 
> > > > campos-duffy/>
> > <http://living.aol.com/video/how-to-please-your-picky-eater/rachel- 
> > campos-duffy/  
> > <http://living.aol.com/video/how-to-please-your-picky-eater/rachel- 
> > campos-duffy/> >
> >
> > > > <http://living.aol.com/video/how-to-please-your-picky-eater/rachel- 
> > > > campos-duffy/  
> > > > <http://living.aol.com/video/how-to-please-your-picky-eater/rachel- 
> > > > campos-duffy/>
> > <http://living.aol.com/video/how-to-please-your-picky-eater/rachel- 
> > campos-duffy/  
> > <http://living.aol.com/video/how-to-please-your-picky-eater/rachel- 
> > campos-duffy/> >>
> > > > > 2050827?NCID=aolcmp00300000002598)
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> > > >
> > > > Richard J. Meyer
> > > > Professor
> > > > Director, High Desert Writing Project
> > > > Department of Language, Literacy & Sociocultural Studies
> > > > 140 Hokona Hall
> > > > MSC05 3040
> > > > University of New Mexico
> > > > Albuquerque NM 87131
> > > > 505 277 6376
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Yahoo! Groups Links
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
> --
> Yetta M. Goodman
> Regents Professor Emerita
> University of Arizona, College of Education
> Language Reading and Culture - Room 532
> Tucson, AZ 85721
> Home Address
> 7914 S. Galileo Lane
> Tucson, AZ 85747-9609
>
>
>
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
>
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