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By Joe Nathan
Center for School Change
As
we near the beginning of a new school year, the recent release of test
scores has some parents puzzled and some educators exasperated. Many
people have contacted me with questions and frustrations. Here’s a
brief response to three of the most frequently asked questions:
1. If the school our child(ren) attend(s) is on the list, does this
mean the school is failing? Should I be looking for another school?
No, and not necessarily. The recently released tests show how students
from each school are doing on statewide tests of reading and math. The
federal government, through its No Child Left Behind Law (NCLB),
requires that each state set its own standards in these areas, and then
test students to see how they are doing.
The federal law requires virtually all students (except a very small
percentage of severely mentally handicapped students and students who
are just starting to learn English), to be “proficient” by 2014. Most
educators and researchers think that this is an unrealistic
expectation, unless the standards are very low.
The NCLB law requires that each school have a growing percentage of its
students ranked “proficient.” Yearly targets are set, based in part on
the expectation of 100% proficiency (with exceptions noted above) and
how well a school’s students did the previous year. Even if 95% of a
schools’ students are proficient, if a group of 40 or more low income,
limited English speaking, female, male, or specific racial group fails
to meet the standard, the school will be placed on the “needs
improvement list.”
Students, like schools are more than test scores. Does the youngster
feel safe, encouraged and respected? Does the youngster look forward to
attending school? Is the student making progress academically and with
other students? Wise families consider these and other issues in
selecting a school.
2. If our child’s school is not on the list, does that mean the school
is fine? No. Please consider the questions just above. A school may
have high scores but have other problems. Sometimes families look for
another school because their youngster is bored or is because other
youngsters are not treating her/him well. Test scores are NOT enough to
determine whether a school is the best place for your youngster.
3. Isn’t NCLB really an attempt to discredit public education? Many
educators have asked me about this. The late Sen. Paul Wellstone
strongly urged Senate Democrats not to agree to key provisions of the
NLCB law. However, Sen. Ted Kennedy was a strong, powerful supporter of
the law (as well as a strong supporter of public education). Without
his efforts, the law would not have been adopted. It may be that Sen.
Kennedy was misinformed and, as he has more recently insisted, felt
that more money would accompany the legislation. But Kennedy clearly
supported key aspects of the legislation.
Students learn best with informed, encouraging families and
knowledgeable, positive educators. This column will try to help with
both in the coming year.
Joe Nathan, a former public school teacher and administrator,
directs the Center for School Change, Humphrey Institute, University of
Minnesota
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