From: Richard Ruiz <ruizr@EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU>
Date: Tue Mar 13, 2007 11:27:35 AM US/Pacific
To: ELLADVOC@asu.edu
Subject: Re: NCTE Calls on Congress to Revamp NCLB
Reply-To: Richard Ruiz <ruizr@EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU>
Jim and all:
Yesterday I happened to watch CSPAN's coverage of a hearing by the
House
Appropriations Subcommittee on NCLB; Spellings was in the hot seat. I
saw very
little of it, but what I saw was great. David Obey (Obey-wan Kanobi
some of us
called him when I was in Madison) reamed her out for a good long time,
especially about Reading First. She was quite defensive, invoking
"scientifically-based methods" several times. When he asked her about
a reading
program developed by MIT that had been essentially shut out by her
department,
she had nothing to say. He spent a considerable amount of time
interrupting
her, saying that Reading First appeared to him to be a program that was
benefiting a few publishers, but not the kids. It was something. I
know that
CSPAN re-broadcasts many of these meetings, so i encourage people to
see it. It
might also be nice to have a transcript. /rr/
Richard Ruiz
Department of Language, Reading and Culture and
Department of Teaching and Teacher Education
University of Arizona
Tucson, AZ 85721
ruizr@email.arizona.edu
520-626-8700, 520-621-7820
520-621-1853 (FAX)
Quoting James Crawford <jwcrawford@COMPUSERVE.COM>:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 13, 2007
Contact: Mark Schultz
Phone: 800-369-6283, ext. 3630
THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF TEACHERS OF ENGLISH CALLS ON CONGRESS TO
REVAMP
THE NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT
The 50,000 members of the National Council of Teachers of English
(NCTE)
affirm the principles of educational equity that shape No Child Left
Behind
(NCLB). NCTE members are dedicated to closing the achievement gap
through
accountability, flexibility, and high quality instruction. Although
the
implementation of NCLB legislation has not always led to the desired
ends, we
believe that full funding and changes in the law could yield more
positive
results. Therefore, NCTE recommends that the following changes be
made in NCLB
through the 2007 reauthorization process.
1. Multiple assessments are needed for an accurate portrait of the
academic
achievement of all students. No single test can provide an accurate
portrait of
students and schools. Smarter, more nuanced assessments can provide
better
information on achievement without increasing the testing burden and
wasting
valuable instructional time. Accordingly, NCTE recommends that
multiple
assessments be used to determine student and school progress and that
assessment data be made available to teachers in a timely fashion so
they can
use it to shape instruction.
2. Teacher quality is an important factor in enhancing learning.
NCTE
recommends increasing federal funding for capacity building in
schools and
districts. Title II funds need to be set aside for the on-going
professional
development of educators, not merely for class size reduction (the
focus of
most current spending).
3. High-need students should have the best prepared and most
experienced
teachers. Unfortunately, the least prepared and least experienced
teachers are
disproportionately assigned to schools with the greatest need for
expert
literacy instruction. NCTE, therefore, recommends that federal
programs be
designed to support highly prepared, experienced teachers in schools
with the
greatest number of high-need students. In addition, providers of
supplementary
services should also be highly prepared teachers.
4. Reading First, as the report of the Office of Inspector General
in the
U.S. Department of Education shows, has been riddled with ethical and
legal
violations which excluded many researchers from the grants evaluation
process.
To improve the reliability of grant review, NCTE urges that an
objective peer
review system be adopted that empowers independent panels of scholars
representing multiple perspectives to make recommendations on the
basis of
observable data.
Re-examining the definition of “scientifically based reading
research” under NCLB will improve the coherence and impact of
the bill.
NCTE recommends a definition that aligns with that of the National
Research
Council, emphasizing peer review and multiple methodologies.
Finally, as
required by law, rigorous research on the impacts of Reading First
should be
conducted.
5. NCTE supports the adoption of growth models to track increased
achievement and provide longitudinal data based on the performance of
individual students and subgroups. Instead of the existing Adequate
Yearly
Progress measure that compares different groups of students to chart
achievement, growth models (currently in use in several states) track
growth of
the same students over time, a more accurate indicator of academic
success. In
particular, growth models provide a more valid means of measuring
success for
English Language Learners (ELLs) and at-risk students, who need
extended time
to achieve and maintain proficiency in literacy.
See NCTE’s entire NCLB Recommendations document at
http://www.ncte.org/about/over/positions/category/gov/126451.htm.
###
_The National Council of Teachers of English, with 50,000
individual and
institutional members worldwide, is dedicated to improving the
teaching and
learning of English and the language arts at all levels of education.
For more
information, please visit www.ncte.org._
_ _