Time to Pay Attention

'No Child' Target Is Called Out of Reach
Goal of 100% Proficiency Debated as Congress Weighs Renewal
By Amit R. Paley
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, March 14, 2007; A01

No Child Left Behind, the landmark federal education law, sets a lofty standard: that all students tested in reading and math will reach grade level by 2014. Even when the law was enacted five years ago, almost no one believed that standard was realistic.

But now, as Congress begins to debate renewing the law, lawmakers and education officials are confronting the reality of the approaching deadline and the difficult political choice between sticking with the vision of universal proficiency or backing away from it.

"There is a zero percent chance that we will ever reach a 100 percent target," said Robert L. Linn, co-director of the National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards and Student Testing at UCLA. "But because the title of the law is so rhetorically brilliant, politicians are afraid to change this completely unrealistic standard. They don't want to be accused of leaving some children behind."

The debate over the perfection standard encapsulates the key arguments for and against No Child Left Behind.

Critics, including some teachers unions and many testing experts, view the law as a forced march toward an impossible education nirvana. They are lobbying Congress to reduce the 100 percent target and delay the 2014 deadline. They are also pushing for the elimination of sanctions -- which can cost millions of dollars and result in school takeovers -- that school systems face for failing to make yearly progress toward the goal.

But critics face an uphill challenge because of the rhetorical power of the argument for a universal proficiency target and a deadline. Anything less, advocates say, will hurt children, especially society's most vulnerable: poor and minority students.

"We need to stay the course," U.S. Deputy Education Secretary Raymond Simon said. "The mission is doable, and we don't need to back off that right now."

President Bush is pushing this year for reauthorization of one of his top domestic programs. In a joint House-Senate hearing yesterday, senior Democrats and Republicans said they would work toward renewal of the law. But in interviews in the days before the hearing, some key lawmakers said that universal proficiency is all but impossible to meet.

"The idea of 100 percent is, in any legislation, not achievable," said Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), chairman of the Senate education committee. "There isn't a member of Congress or a parent or a student that doesn't understand that."

Kennedy added that the law's universal proficiency standard served to inspire students and teachers. But "it's too early in the process to predict whether we'll consider changes" to the 2014 deadline, he said.

Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), a former U.S. education secretary and supporter of the law, said Americans don't want politicians to lower standards.

"Are we going to rewrite the Declaration of Independence and say only 85 percent of men are created equal?" Alexander asked. "Most of our politics in America is about the disappointment of not meeting the high goals we set for ourselves."

Foes and supporters alike praise the law for drawing attention to student achievement gaps. The law requires testing for all students in reading and math from grades 3 through 8 and once in high school; it also requires reporting of scores for groups of students including racial and ethnic minorities, those from low-income families, those with limited English skills and those with disabilities who receive special education.

But testing experts say there are vast academic differences among children of the same racial or socioeconomic background. Countries with far less racial diversity than the United States still find wide variations in student performance. Even in relatively homogenous Singapore, for example, a world leader in science and math tests, a quarter of the students tested are not proficient in math, and 49 percent fall short in science.

"Most people are afraid that once you acknowledge this variation, then you have to tolerate major inequities between black and white students," said Daniel Koretz, a Harvard University education professor. "That's not necessarily true, but that's why the political world does not really address the issue."

Although no major school system is known to have reached 100 percent proficiency, Education Department officials pointed to individual schools across the country that have reached the standard as evidence that it is possible. In Virginia, schools have achieved universal proficiency on reading and math tests 45 times since 2002, officials said.

The only school they cited in the Washington region as having met that mark was the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Fairfax County, a regional school with selective admissions. Principal Evan M. Glazer said his school, which has an elite reputation, was hardly a representative example. On whether the nation can replicate that success, Glazer said: "I don't think it's very realistic."

Fairfax County School Superintendent Jack D. Dale said it was "absurd" to expect total proficiency, especially when federal officials require immigrant children who have been in U.S. schools for little more than a year to meet the standard. His 164,000-student system, the largest in the Washington region, is sparring with the Education Department over the immigrant testing rule.

Dale and other critics of the law have called for No Child Left Behind to measure the growth of students from year to year instead of expecting them to meet fixed benchmarks. But Dale said he understood why federal officials and lawmakers take a different view.

"How can you publicly state it's okay to have some children not meet standards?" Dale said. "Politically, you're committing suicide if you say it."

Some experts predict that states will weaken their definition of proficiency to make it appear that all students are on track. The law requires students to meet "challenging academic standards" but allows each state to define proficiency on its own terms and design its own tests.

Rep. Peter Hoekstra (R-Mich.), who voted against the law in 2001 and remains a leading critic, derided the universal proficiency standard. "It's just like a communist country saying that they used to have 100 percent participation in elections," Hoekstra said. "You knew it wasn't true, but a bureaucrat could come up with that answer. And that's what will happen here."

Rep. Howard P. "Buck" McKeon (R-Calif.), ranking Republican on the House education committee, said the 2014 deadline forces educators to pay attention to each student. He said he is open to slight changes in the law to exempt certain students with disabilities from the proficiency requirement. But he said he won't back down from the law's core ideal, citing his own six children and 28 grandchildren. "Which one of them would I like to leave behind?" McKeon asked.

On Bush's Education budget from the Washington Post

New Spending for No Child Left Behind

Tuesday, February 6, 2007; A07

President Bush proposed $56 billion in Education Department funding, level with his proposal for the current fiscal year but 3 percent less than what Democrats are expected to approve for this year. He also sought about $1 billion in new spending related to the landmark No Child Left Behind law.

Democrats and education groups attacked Bush's proposal. Critics said Bush's budget would slash key education programs and fall short of full funding for the federal school law.

Education Secretary Margaret Spellings said cuts in inefficient programs are necessary to achieve a balanced budget. Officials also said that the plan, if approved, would mean that funding for No Child Left Behind has risen 41 percent since the law was enacted five years ago.

The budget would add about $1 billion for the education law, most of it directed toward high schools to help pay for a proposed expansion of testing and other programs. It would add $300 million for school vouchers and cut special-education grants to states, compared with the Democrats' proposal for this year.

"The cuts in this budget for students with disabilities and for young children are reprehensible and undermine the efforts of students and teachers who are working hard in classrooms across the country," Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, said in a statement.

The budget also would increase the maximum size of Pell grants for low-income college students to $4,600 from $4,050. The administration would pay for the boost by eliminating other student aid programs and cutting billions of dollars in subsidies to private companies that lend money to students.

Bush Pushes Expansion of NCLB

http://www.eschoolnews.com
Contents Copyright 2007 eSchool News. All rights reserved.

Bush to Congress: Renew NCLB this year
President calls for measures to strengthen math and science, expand options for parents

From eSchool News staff and wire service reports
January 24, 2007

President Bush wants to add elements to the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) that will ensure the competitiveness of American students by strengthening math and science education--but he also is making another run at giving poor students private school vouchers, a move a Congress controlled by Democrats appears ready to block.

The White House on Jan. 23 unveiled details of the president's proposals for overhauling NCLB, which is up for renewal this year. Bush also briefly touched on NCLB in his State of the Union address, urging Congress to renew the education law this year.

After a great deal of buildup leading up to the State of the Union that it would focus heavily on domestic issues, only 203 of the speech's 5,510 words dealt with education. Nearly half of Bush's speech--some 2,500 words--focused on the war on terror, seeking to persuade the Democratic Congress to give his controversial strategy for Iraq a chance to work.

On NCLB, Bush said: "Five years ago, we rose above partisan differences to pass the No Child Left Behind Act--preserving local control, raising standards in public schools, and holding those schools accountable for results. And because we acted, students are performing better in reading and math, and minority students are closing the achievement gap."

Bush said the task before Congress now is "to build on this success--without watering down standards, without taking control from local communities, and without backsliding and calling it reform."

"We can lift student achievement even higher by giving local leaders flexibility to turn around failing schools--and by giving families with children stuck in failing schools the right to choose something better," he said. "We must increase funds for students who struggle--and make sure these children get the special help they need. And we can make sure our children are prepared for the jobs of the future, and our country is more competitive, by strengthening math and science skills."

He concluded: "The No Child Left Behind Act has worked for America's children--and I ask Congress to reauthorize this good law."

The administration's proposal calls for giving vouchers--called "promise scholarships" in the president's parlance--to students in schools that persistently fail to meet progress goals set by the federal law.

"This is not for every kid in America. This is for those kids who are trapped in the absolute worst schools that just don't seem to be capable, or willing, to make the changes necessary to serve those students well," White House Deputy Chief of Staff Joel Kaplan said before the president's State of the Union address.

The administration tried to include such a measure in NCLB when it was first signed into law five years ago. Democrats, then in the minority party, blocked the effort.

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., who became chairman of the Senate committee overseeing education when Democrats took over Congress this year, said he would work to keep vouchers out of the education law.

"We need new and creative ideas for helping our schools to improve and our students to succeed. Instead, the president has proposed more of the same," Kennedy said. "Once again, he proposes siphoning crucial resources from our public schools."

Rep. George Miller, a California Democrat who chairs the House committee overseeing education, called the voucher proposal unacceptable. "It didn't pass muster when Republicans controlled the Congress, and it certainly won't pass muster now that Democrats do," Miller said.

NCLB seeks to ensure that all children can read and do math at grade level by 2014, which has placed unprecedented demands on schools. They have been required to step up testing, raise teacher quality, and place more attention on the achievements of minority children.

Besides promoting vouchers, the administration is calling for other changes to the law. One would require states to publish a report card showcasing how students do on state tests compared with the National Assessment of Educational Progress, a rigorous national test. Such a move could put pressure on states to strengthen their assessments and standards.

The administration also wants to make tutoring more widely available, by ensuring that school districts notify parents of their options under the law. In addition, Bush wants to expand the Teacher Incentive Fund, which supports efforts to reward teachers who raise student achievement and work in needy schools; expand the Striving Readers program, which targets literacy instruction in grades 6-12; and increase funding for Title I in high schools, to ensure that more students graduate on time. According to the Alliance for Excellence in Education, only about 70 percent of students graduate from high school on time--and only about half of minority students receive a high school diploma in four years.

To prepare students for success in the new global economy, Bush wants to incorporate the educational elements of his American Competitiveness Initiative--which he unveiled in last year's State of the Union Address--into the reauthorization of NCLB.

The administration aims to increase the rigor of math and science classes by training more teachers and making Advanced Placement (AP) classes available to more students in these disciplines. Bush also wants to create an Adjunct Teacher Corps of talented professionals who will share their expertise in the classroom, and he wants Congress to enact the recommendations of the National Math Panel he formed last year.

In addition, states are required to add science testing in three grade levels by 2008, and the president wants the renewed education law to specify that all students will achieve proficiency in science by the 2019-20 school year.

The president's proposals in the area of competitiveness are likely to get a much warmer reception on Capitol Hill than his call for vouchers. Shortly before Bush's 2006 State of the Union Address, House Democrats introduced a plan of their own to keep America competitive in the new global economy. The Democrats' plan made improved education its centerpiece and called for incentives for students to pursue careers in science and technology (see story: http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStory.cfm?ArticleID=5978).

Besides renewing NCLB, Bush urged lawmakers packed into the House chamber for his State of the Union address to send him legislation helping more Americans afford health insurance, reduce the nation's dependence on foreign oil, and overhaul immigration laws.

Links:

White House
http://www.whitehouse.gov

State of the Union 2007
http://www.whitehouse.gov/stateoftheunion/2007/index.html

"Building On Results: A Blueprint For Strengthening NCLB" (Bush's proposals)
http://www.whitehouse.gov/stateoftheunion/2007/initiatives/education.html

The US Department of Education Starts to Make itsMove

Reauthorization NCLB Briefing Update

On Wednesday, January 24 -- the day after the President's State of the Union address -- the U.S. Department of Education hosted a series of conference calls to brief education leaders and other stakeholders on new policy as it relates to the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act.

Most of the information from this briefing by Acting Assistant Secretary Kerri Briggs is also available on-line at http://ed.gov/news/opeds/factsheets/index.html?src=gu We also had a brief opportunity to ask questions.

I hope you find this of value.

The Bush Administration's View

Fact Sheet: The No Child Left Behind Act: Challenging Students Through High Expectations

President Discusses NCLB Reauthorization at the Education Department
In Focus: Education

The No Child Left Behind Act Is A Historic Law - It Is Working, And It Is Here To Stay. When he came to Washington, President Bush worked with Republicans and Democrats to pass the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), and he was proud to sign it into law. Today, President Bush discussed the progress made under NCLB and areas where we can look to improve.

• The Theory Behind No Child Left Behind Is Straightforward: The Federal Government Will Ask For Demonstrated Results On The Investment It Makes In Education. Local schools will remain under local control, but instead of just sending checks from Washington and hoping for the best, we are measuring results and holding schools accountable for teaching every student to read, write, add, and subtract.
  
  
• The No Child Left Behind Act Is Changing More Than The Law - It Is Changing A Culture. We are leaving behind the days when schools shuffled children from grade to grade, especially minorities and children who do not speak English at home. We are making it clear that every child can learn, and every school must teach. There can be no compromise on the basic principles of NCLB: Every student must read, write, add, and subtract at grade level - that is not too much to ask.
  
  
• We Have Come Too Far To Turn Back Now - Reauthorizing No Child Left Behind Is Critical. If we were to lower standards and roll back accountability now, we would be abandoning children to the status quo that failed for decades, and the children hurt most would be the ones NCLB was designed to help - children in the inner cities, in rural America, and in special education.

The No Child Left Behind Act Is Working. The most recent national tests show encouraging results:

• In reading, 9-year-olds have made larger gains in the past five years than at any point in the previous 28 years;
• In math, 9-year-olds and 13-year-olds earned the highest scores in the history of the test; and
• In both reading and math, African American and Hispanic students are scoring higher, and are beginning to close the achievement gap with their white peers.

The No Child Left Behind Act Has Brought Good Progress - Yet We Still Have Much Work To Do

1. We Must Improve Teacher Quality. Bringing every student up to grade level requires a quality teacher in every classroom. President Bush worked with Congress to create a Teacher Incentive Fund that allows States and school districts to reward teachers who demonstrate results for their students and who make the tough decision to teach in the neediest schools.

• President Bush Has Also Proposed A New Program To Encourage Math And Science Professionals To Bring Their Expertise Into The Classroom As Part-Time Teachers. The President calls on Congress to fund this program.

2. We Must Improve Options For Parents. We must do more to help parents use their options when their children are trapped in struggling schools. We will work with school districts to provide parents with more timely and useful information about their transfer options and, especially in big cities, to help more students take advantage of the free intensive tutoring offered under NCLB.

• President Bush Proposed A Nationwide Opportunity Scholarships Program To Help More Students Escape Troubled Schools. His proposal would allow 28,000 low-income children to transfer to a private or religious school of their choice. The President calls on Congress to create this program, so we can help more children attend a good school and turn around their lives.
  
  
• This School Year, About 1,800 Low-Income Students Have Used Scholarships From The D.C. Opportunity Scholarships Program To Enroll At A School Of Their Choice. Congress created this program in 2004 with strong support from the Administration and Mayor Anthony Williams of Washington, D.C.

3. We Must Improve Our High Schools. We need to bring the same high standards and accountability of NCLB to America's public high schools. The President calls on Congress to pass his proposed $1.5 billion initiative to fund testing early in high school and to help teachers fix problems before it is too late, and his proposed program to train 70,000 teachers over five years to lead Advanced Placement classes in high school.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/10/20061005-2.html

The Education Trust is one of the Organizations Leading the Charge for Reauthorization of NCLB

November 18, 2003

Contact: Jeanne Brennan, 202-293-1217 ext 328, Kimberly Holmes ext 292, or Nicolle Grayson, ext 351

Don’t Turn Back the Clock!”

Over 100 African American and Latino Superintendents Voice Their Support for the Accountability Provisions in Title I (NCLB)

Superintendents are joined by over 135 other educators, superintendents and civic leaders from across the country urging Congress to stay the course on accountability

(Washington, D.C.) -- More than 100 African American and Latino school district superintendents from across the country today sent a letter to Congress, the White House and to all of the Democratic Presidential candidates stating loudly and clearly, ‘Don’t turn back the clock on the accountability provisions in Title I.’ These education leaders, who together oversee the education of more than 3 million students, were joined by over 135 other superintendents, principals, teachers and community leaders from across the country in letting policymakers know that rolling back the accountability provisions in the new Elementary and Secondary Education Act is simply not an option.

The superintendents, many from districts struggling with the toughest challenges, all recognize that rigorous accountability is good for public education. They know that, while challenging, the new expectations in Title I are especially good news for the disadvantaged students, including students of color and students living in poverty, whose underachievement has been swept underneath overall averages for too long. After watching mounting political attacks on accountability, these educators felt compelled to explain how the accountability provisions are helping them to bring about long-overdue conversations about how we can do things differently to better public education.

These educators know first-hand about the challenges facing public education, but they also know that accountability gives them leverage for moving their systems to action. “Closing achievement gaps is never going to be easy. But it would be next to impossible without the demands and expectations in the federal law,” remarked Paul Ruiz, Principal Partner of The Education Trust, also a former principal and former Chief Academic Officer in an urban school system. “These folks don’t have the luxury of thinking they can implement all the changes they need to without the cover of the law. We can’t pull the rug out from under them just as they are beginning to get some real traction,” Ruiz continued.

“There is a battle raging for the soul of American education,” noted Kati Haycock, Director of The Education Trust. “In our work around the country, we often hear local educators talk about the progress they are seeing as a result of the new accountability. These education leaders are especially concerned with the messages communicated by those opposed to accountability. Too often, the critics imply that students from low-income families and students of color simply cannot be expected to be taught to high levels. We kept hearing from educators whose experiences have taught them otherwise that these insidious messages could not go unchallenged, so we promised to find a way to help them share their voices with the nation,” stated Haycock.

“Those who would roll back the accountability provisions in Title I do not speak for the courageous educators with whom we work every day,” said Stephanie Robinson, Principal Partner with The Education Trust and former deputy superintendent of Kansas City, Missouri’s public schools. “The politicians and talking heads of the education establishment in Washington need to understand that this law is actually helping to get public education more focused on raising achievement for all students and on closing achievement gaps between groups. These superintendents thought Washington needed to hear from educators in the field who are using the accountability provisions to advance the mission of public education.”

The message of these courageous educators to Congress, the White House and the Democratic Presidential candidates is clear: “We recognize that the goal of educating all students presents a tremendous challenge. We believe that American public education is up to the task. We add our voices to those who have stepped up to the challenge.”

As the education leaders charged with implementing the law’s rigorous demands, these superintendents are saying with conviction and authority: “Don’t turn back the clock.”

http://www2.edtrust.org/NR/exeres/F3232B52-86C1-4792-94A5-13270E4B7D29,frameless.htm?NRMODE=Published

Another Way to Look at It- Shared by Scott C

NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND---The Football Version

1. All teams must make the state playoffs and all MUST win the championship. If a team does not win the championship, they will be on probation until they are the champions, and coaches will be held accountable. If after two years they have not won the championship their footballs and equipment will be taken away UNTIL they do win the championship.



2. All players will be expected to have the same football skills at the same time even if they do not have the same conditions or opportunities to practice on their own. NO exceptions will be made for lack of interest in football, a desire to perform athletically, or genetic abilities or disabilities of themselves or their parents. ALL PLAYERS WILL PLAY FOOTBALLAT A PROFICIENT LEVEL!



3. Talented players will be asked to workout on their own, without instruction. This is because the coaches will be using all their instructional time with the athletes who aren't interested in football, have limited athletic ability or whose parents don't like football.



4. Games will be played year round, but statistics will only be kept in the 4th, 8th, and 11th game. It will create a New Age of Sports where every school is expected to have the same level of talent and all teams will reach the same minimum goals. If no team gets ahead, then no team gets left behind. If fans do not like this new law, they are encouraged to vote for vouchers and support private teams that can screen out the non-athletes and prevent their players from having to play with bad football players.