Keep up the pressure to overhaul NCLB! Visit Congresspeople in August

[Peter Farruggio <pfarr@cal.berkeley.edu>]

> From: "Monty Neill" <monty@fairtest.org>
>
>
> Keep up the Pressure to Overhaul NCLB!
>
>
> Your calls and letters urging a comprehensive overhaul of the 
> federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)/No Child Left 
> Behind (NCLB) are having a major impact!
>
> So far, we've blocked efforts to push through an inadequate bill. 
> But supporters of the current law are still working to stop 
> fundamental reform. We have the month of August, while Congress is 
> on recess, to puncture the rhetoric of those who claim NCLB is the 
> only way to do "accountability." This is no time to let up the 
> pressure we've worked so hard to build.
>
> Members of Congress are at home in August -- talk to them about NCLB 
> reform now!
>
> Tell your Representatives and Senators to rely on the Joint 
> Organizational Statement on NCLB and the legislative recommendations 
> of the Forum on Educational Accountability to guide their votes on 
> reauthorization of NLCB.
>
> Find your Representative's contact information at www.house.gov and 
> your Senators' at www.senate.gov.  Focus your message on these key 
> changes needed in the law:
>
> Assess academic progress using multiple sources of evidence across 
> all core subjects to encourage a rich, varied and equitable 
> curriculum for all students. Every child deserves a nourishing 
> education, not the empty calories of test prep drill-and-kill in two 
> subjects, which is becoming standard fare, particularly in 
> classrooms serving poor and minority communities.
>
>
>
> Create a balanced accountability system based on more than just test 
> scores. Hold schools and districts accountable for making systemic 
> changes that support school improvement, such as high-quality 
> professional development and strong parental involvement. Provide 
> additional, targeted assistance to enable low-performing schools to 
> educate all children well. Provide significant financial support to 
> help states and districts develop multiple measures and balanced 
> accountability systems.
>
>
>
> End arbitrary "Adequate Yearly Progress" (AYP) requirements, which 
> most testing experts agree set students and schools up for 
> failure.  Expect Title I schools to post learning gains based on 
> rates of student improvement attained by effective schools serving 
> similar children. Allow growth measures that track the progress of 
> the same students from year to year.
>
>
>
> Reduce the amount of mandated testing. Scrap the requirement to test 
> every child every year in grades three through eight. Allow sampling 
> procedures for accountability purposes.
>
>
>
> Support research, development and dissemination of high-quality 
> assessments for English language learners and students with 
> disabilities, including tools to be used by and professional 
> development for teachers.
>
>
>
> Act Now - and Spread the Word!
>
>
>
> For a copy of the Joint Statement and the reports and 
> recommendations of the Forum on Educational Accountability, go to 
> http://www.edaccountability.org.
>
>
>
> Monty Neill, Ed.D.
> Co-Executive Director
> FairTest
> 342 Broadway
> Cambridge, MA 02139
> 617-864-4810    fax 617-497-2224
> monty@fairtest.org
> http://www.fairtest.org
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