The Oregonian (and the Trib) trot out yet again the annual claptrap about which schools in Oregon met --or failed to meet-- No Child Left Behind proficiency standards in reading and math, with little critical comment or analysis.
For example, the O mentions the federal requirement that all students reach grade level by 2014 without acknowledging the statistical impossibility of that goal --impossible, that is, unless the students they write about live in the mythical town of Lake Wobegon (where all the students are "above average".)
"Grade level" is a normative standard that yields a bell curve of student performance. Half the students are always above average, half below.
With that said, here's a principal's apology for subjecting his middle school students to NCLB testing mania (with thanks to my friend Anne Trudeau):
...
He's sorry.
Root wants to issue an apology. He sent it to me typed out in two pages, single-spaced.
He's sorry that he spent thousands of tax dollars on test materials, practice tests, postage and costs for test administration.
Sorry that his teachers spent less time teaching American history because most of the social-studies test questions are about foreign countries.
Sorry that he didn't suspend a student for assaulting another because the attacker would have missed valuable test days.
Sorry he didn't strictly enforce attendance rules because all absences count against the school on the State Report Card.
He's sorry for pulling children away from art, music and gym, classes they love, so they could learn test-taking strategies. ...
Sorry that the integrity of his teachers is publicly tied
to one test.
He apologized for losing eight days of instruction because of testing activities.
For making decisions on assemblies, field trips and musical performances based on how that time away from reading, math, social studies and writing would affect state test results.
For arranging for some students to be labeled "at risk" in front of their peers and put in small groups so the school would have a better chance of passing tests.
For no longer focusing as a principal on helping his staff teach students but rather on helping them teach test indicators. ...
He wants students to learn how to think, not how to take tests.
"We don't teach kids anymore," he said. "We teach test-taking skills. We all teach to the test. I long for the days when we used to teach kids."
The "Think Out Loud" radio program on Oregon Public Radio from 9am-10am Wednesday August 6 will be about testing and NCLB. Readers of this blog can comment on line now by going to http://action.publicbroadcasting.net/opb/posts/list/1407016.page
Your comments will probably be included in the program. It would be great if you could send them something Terry. I would love to see your views and experience get to a wider audience.
Anne
This is from the OPB website:
Schools Left Behind
[Posted by Sarah Jane Rothenfluch on August 5, 2008]
The Oregon Department of Education released the ratings of the state’s schools under No Child Left Behind yesterday. More than 430 schools failed to meet the national targets. This year schools were supposed to get 60 percent of their students –- including English as a second language, special education and minorities -- to pass reading and math tests. This is ten percent higher than last year’s standard. It appears to be very bad news, but what do these results really mean?
Most schools face no consequences right now, but if they fall short again next year they may be forced to give students transfer rights and free bus rides to better-rated schools.
Is your child at one of the failings schools? How does that impact the way you look at their education? If the school fails again will you transfer them? Do you want to move them now? Are you a teacher or administrator? What do these ratings mean to you? Does it improve -- or hurt -- the education system?
Posted by: Anne T. | August 05, 2008 at 06:37 PM