“If they punish us long enough we’ll start doing what we’re supposed to do, right?”
Good ol’ Dr. Losey. He was an AWESOME professor. I took a class on assessment in schools this summer and have been meaning to blog some thoughts about No Child Left Behind. My professor is a music pastor, grandfather, principal, and professor. What an amazing guy! He would come in and sing to us with his guitar…very fun. I am most thankful for the day we discussed No Child Left Behind. The above quote was from him regarding NCLB. He really helped me to understand it in a deeper way. We all left that session darn angry, but it helped me to find a peace that at least now I’m informed and can aim to change what I have the most impact on…my own classroom. I can be an “assessment warrior” and “protect students from bad assessment” in my classroom at least.
So here are some facts I learned about NCLB. May I first note that I admire President Bush and am in no way bashing him. No president has been perfect.
1. NCLB is NOT a federal law. It is a way of regulating money. If a state doesn’t want federal assistance, they don’t need to follow it. Idaho is one that has chosen this and California is thinking about it.
-This means that “failing” schools lose money while “winning” schools get more money. Seems backward, eh?
2. NCLB is the national accountability plan. Each state has one also. It is possible to fail according to the nation but not the state and vice versa.
3. The nation follows an achievement model…100% proficiency by 2014 is the goal. They set benchmarks for schools, such as 65% passing by 2006. However, say a school starts out with 40 % passing in 2002 and gets to 48% passing in 2006. That is a HUGE gain statistically. However, another school starts at 72% passing and gets to 73% passing in 2006. They would be a “good school” because they reached the benchmark. The first school would be a “bad school” because they didn’t reach the benchmark. HELLO….the second school made no improvement!!!
4. Indiana follows and improvement model. Schools need to make a 2% gain each year, called annual yearly progress or AYP. The school is then labeled based on performance…exemplary, commendable, progressing, watch, failing/probation. I went to a school that made HUGE gains one year and then made little the next….that happens. Think of weight loss…you lose a lot at first and then it evens out. So one year they were exemplary, but then the next they were not.
5. Special Needs students are held to the same standard. There are stories of kids in wheelchairs who can’t even talk or move having to take the test. Indiana has an alternative assessment called ISTAR, but NCLB doesn’t count it, so students still “fail.”
6. Some tests are designed to rank kids, called norm-referenced tests. SAT is an example. The questions are set up so 50% get it right and 50% get it wrong. This can be helpful in some situations. However, it is statistically impossible for 100% proficiency on norm-referenced tests since they are designed to rank kids. (i.e. “Bob scored higher than 90% of the norm group, so he is in the 90th percentile). Some states unfortunately still use norm-referenced tests and are setting themselves up for failure according to NCLB.
7. The biggest predictor of test success is parent income. A colleague of my professor studied the schools in Indiana, their % of free and reduced lunch, and their test scores. As income level went down, so did test scores.
In sum, the goal of education needs to reflect the needs of society. As of right now, it seems like something needs to be done about poverty before schools are going to improve. I did a thesis four years ago in undergrad, and my research said the exact same thing. There are some BAD schools out there with BAD teachers. But there are many more truly wonderful schools full of teachers who care and are intentional about teaching. It’s a shame that we are expected to fix society’s problems while trying to teach.
So, that’s all I have to say for now. I love what I do but now know more clearly what I’m up against. I cannot change the world, but I can change my class. And I can vote. I encourage readers to get up to date on NCLB because it will affect your kids. I start school Monday and am excited but of course nervous. You never know how kids will mix with each other. I have 31 4th graders! I’m used to 24 3rd graders. I’ll let ya’ll know how it goes!
-Steph
