Reaching New Heights of Failure
In event after event at the 2008 Olympics, records were shattered while millions of people watched athletes going faster, higher and better than most of us can imagine. Well, a lot of other records in the U.S. have also been shattered lately, but not ones to cheer about. And we should be worried about who’s paying attention to these new records.
Listen to the podcast and send your questions to Joel@nea.org.
Hi. I’m Joel Packer. Welcome to another podcast.
The 2008 Olympics have ended and what a show. In event after event, records were shattered, including records for audience. Tens of millions of people watched and shared the experience of athletes going faster, higher and better than most of us can imagine.
Well, a lot of other records in the U.S. have also been shattered lately, but not ones to cheer about. And we should be worried about who’s paying attention to these new records.
I’m referring to the number of schools failing to meet the No Child Left Behind law’s so-called Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) mandates. AYP is the out-of-bounds line under the relentless teach and learn-to-the-test game imposed on public education by NCLB. Step outside the line by stumbling on a single high-stakes test and schools are subject to punishment. Actually there are 37 or more out-of-bounds lines set by NCLB.
As states have announced their test results throughout the summer, record numbers of schools are being judged as failing. Here are some examples:
- Georgia: the percentage of schools failing AYP increased from 17.8 percent to 31.2 percent, with only 47.8 percent of high schools making AYP.
- Minnesota: the percentage of schools not making AYP rose from 38 percent to 49 percent.
- Missouri: Only one-fourth of all school districts and about 40 percent of school buildings met AYP this year.
- New Hampshire: the number of schools “in improvement” (for failing AYP at least two years in a row) increased from 133 to 183.
- New Mexico
: the percentage of schools failing AYP jumped from 58.5 percent to 68.2 percent while the number of schools in restructuring doubled from 84 to 170. - Oregon: the percentage of schools not making AYP increased from 21 percent last year to 35.1 percent this year. Statewide, only 35.8 percent of high schools made AYP.
- Wisconsin : the number of schools failing AYP jumped from 87 to 156.
With the Democratic convention starting this week, followed shortly by the Republican convention, educators throughout the country will be carefully listening to what the candidates and other elected officials have to say about NCLB and its flawed test, label, and punish one-size-fits-all scheme.
The public agrees that NCLB needs a fundamental overhaul. Just last week, a PDK/Gallup poll found that only 16 percent of the public want the law extended without change, compared to 42 percent who want significant changes and 25 percent who want it to expire. That’s 67 percent of Americans opposed to the current law. That’s an audience that can make a difference in November.
I’m Joel Packer. Thanks for listening!
posted by Joe Hammond @ Wednesday, August 27, 2008
4 Comments
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4 Comments:
Hi Joel,
I guess my question to you is simply, what is everyone so afraid of, in facing the fact, the the NCLB may be the one thing that we need to not only bring some accountability...but, if we can break records in sports...but, in reading, writing, and arithmatic, we are so afraid that we simply can't do it...
Well, my friend, from a person who have taught, and a person who knows what we can do...I can to you...think outside the box, believe more, trust more, and know this...you are only a small as your dreams are...
If we all just trusted someone else to make sure we were learning...maybe, just maybe, you would not be able to read this letter!
Anonymous says, "from a person who have taught...". No wonder schools are having a difficult time with these tests, when a former teacher doesn't understand basic grammar!
I am a current teacher with 24.5 years of experience. Teachers are not asking for NO accountability, we are merely asking for fair standards. I teach students with IEPs (special education), some of whom read 2 or more levels below their tested grade level. We need differentiated testing, just as we have differentiated teaching methods to meet the needs of ALL students.
I have taught for 11 years in a district with over 70% of the population on free and reduced lunch. These students are not only living well below the poverty level, but a good number are English Language Learners. I am now a counselor at a middle school in the same district, where the teachers are dedicated, competant and care deeply about each child who attends our school. This past year, our state standardized test scores went up between 10-15%, after the school went through a major reorganization, with nearly 1/2 the staff being replaced. We celebrated the accomplishment of our students, only to find out that our school did not meet AYP, according to the federal government's standards. In addition to raising test scores, we increased our attendance, and reduced our discipline referrals from over 3,000 to around 700. How is it that the federal govenment does not recognize that as adequate progress in just one short school year? We need to take a hard look at these mandates and come up with a way of evaluating schools that is sane and fair to the hard working professionals who work to educate the nations' children.
I do think it interesting that the first letter explaining why the NCLB legislation is just fine would not pass a fourth grade writing test in Washington State.
The whole concept of yearly progress is flawed both in theory and in practice.
In theory, if we continue to make significant progress every year, 100 years from now we should have the high school curriculum done by third grade. Clearly this is not possible. If you choose to argue that we don’t need to do that, we only need to reach 100% of students meeting the standards of the tests we have today, there are still fatal flaws. First, there is the logical impossibility of having all students meet a high standard in anything. Try having all students run a seven minute mile. That’s a pretty reasonable standard, but you will never have all students reach it. This seems obvious, but if it’s not, read Proficiency for All – An Oxymoron. It does a good job of laying it out. Second, we are already reaching the point of diminishing returns, which I believe is the reason for the rapidly increasing number of schools failing AYP. We are not currently so incompetent that we can continue to teach more and more in the same amount of time on an indefinite basis. We could probably put off failure a couple of years by lengthening the school year, but we’re reducing student contact time in our state in favor of more teacher training and meetings, not increasing it. Third, random variation in small groups of students in any one of 37 categories is inevitable, and is sufficient to fail AYP.
In practice, the tests in my state, and probably in yours, change every year. This year they will change markedly to save money. Regardless of what they claim, they can score the test and weight the items any way they want to achieve any result they want. They won’t tell us how they weight the items, but 400 is always passing, and 398 is always failing. How then can the tests have any year to year validity?
Through 20 years of teaching I have been accountable to my students, to their parents, to my administrator, and to myself. Holding teachers accountable for indefinitely rising test scores that have never been achieved anywhere is ludicrous, insulting, and stressful, and has taken a great deal of the joy out of teaching and learning in this country.
Wolfe Schneider
Teacher, Buckley, WA
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