The Standards and Accountability Reform Effort

1
The Standards and Accountability Reform Effort

• Key Efforts Goals 2000, Pres. Clinton, 1997
• No Child Left Behind, President Bush, 2000
• Up for renewal, 2009 renamed Race to the Top

2
Announcements

• Exams will be distributed at the end of class
  today
• 72-80A 64-71B 56-70C less D/F
• Answer the question 3 prompts!
• Missing 3 practices fostering equality
• Objective tests
• grades
• GI Bill
• 3-tier system of higher education

3
Midterm

• EVIDENCE for Claims
• Assess the two positions and their use of
  evidence
• Introduction

4
repairs

• Add achievemeny gap and intl comparison slides
• Add cst info
• Add website of aschool to show accountability

5
Rationale

• US students do not compare favorably with
  students from other nations (ANAR)

• Math Science Achievement
• Netherlands 559
• Sweden 555
• Norway 536
• Switzerland 531
• Intl Avg 500
• US 471
• Lithuania 465
• Cyprus 447
• So. Africa 352

6
Rationalecont

• The "achievement gap"--Black and Latino kids do
  not achieve as well as white and Asian students

7
CST Results, 8th Grade Algebra, SDUSD 2004 and
2007
8
Black-White Achievement Gap, CST English Language
Arts Test
9
Rationalecont

• Lack of accountability--No one gets the blame if
  students don't do well (which is different than
  the business world)
• NOTE the influence of business language in the
  standards movement accountability,
  competition, privatizing

10
Distinctive Features

• High Standards All students to be proficient in
  Math and English by 2014
• Equality of Outcomes not Inputs
• Accountability Annual testing
• Information is made public
• Schools compared to like schools
• Calls for Quality Teachers in all classrooms

11
Behavioral Model of Reform

• Reward Schools for annual yearly progress
  (AYP) Publicity, plaques
• Punish schools for lack of AYP
• School-paid tutoring
• School-paid enrollment in successful schools
• 5 years of failure restructure (close)

12
Accountability System

• With a norm referenced test, there is always a
  bottom
• Sub-groups tested, IN ENGLISH, including Special
  Ed and ELL, must make gains

13
The Tail Wags the Dog

• What Gets Tested Gets Taught
• Neglected Subjects Science (until 07), Art,
  Social Science/History, Languages
• Teachers Teach to the Test (McNeil)
• Recall of factual information
• Not interpretation, critical thinking
• Standards Devolve into Standardization

14
Local Adaptations Calls for Modifications in
Law, 2008-10

• Teacher, Parent, District resistance--refuse to
  comply with testing
• Legal challenges-Virginia, Conn NCLB is an
  unfunded mandate
• Redefining quality teachers
• Seeking multiple measures
• Seeking modification in testing mandate

15
Perspectival Differences

• Parents Reaction to publicity
• Low income pressure on districts to change
  unfair testing
• Middle/high income pressure to do better-or
  parents leave testing is unproductive
• Unfunded Mandate? Or Lever of Change? Or
  Slippery slope toward privatization?