NCLB Changes and Growth Models
Proposed Revisions to NCLB Would Change the Way Schools are Measured
NCLB currently focuses on test results of students in certain grades, but does not measure improvement from year to year. Proposed revisions would change that approach.
No Child Left Behind
Congress recently released a draft proposal of changes to the No Child Left Behind act. The current law has been in place since 2001/2002 and it has a number of controversial provisions. One of them is that the law does not track the progress or growth of students when determining if a school or school district made adequate yearly progress (called “AYP”). Schools that don't make AYP for two years in a row in the same grade and subject area become "schools in need of improvement" that are subject to sanctions and further requirements under the law.
What Does NCLB Currently Require?
The current law focuses on whether certain sub-groups of students meet predefined benchmarks on assessment tests in Reading and Math. Some states include Writing and states must soon include Science. The sub-groups are race/ethnicity, economically disadvantaged, English language learners, and special education. A sufficient number of students in each of these subgroups in grades 3-8 and in grade 10, 11, or 12 (the State can pick one of those grade levels) must score “proficient” or above on the assessment tests. If they do not meet the proficiency benchmarks for two years in a row in the same grade and the same academic area, the entire school is deemed a “school in need of improvement,” regardless of whether the student’s scores improved from the prior year.
So, under the current law, take for example a group of 3rd grade special education students that does not meet the benchmarks in the 2006/2007 school year in reading. The focus of the law is on how well the new group of 3rd grade special education students does on the reading test in the 2007/2008 school year. If that new group of special education students meets the proficiency benchmark, then the school will make AYP. But, if they do not, the school will be labeled as in need of improvement. The results of the first 3rd grade group of special education students (now in 4th grade) are not considered in the analysis (though they would be considered in looking at whether the school made AYP in the 4th grade) .
What Would Change Under the Proposed Revisions?
The proposed changes to the law address this by including a “growth” model that looks at whether the original group of students improved on their tests scores in that same subject in next year’s testing. It also allows states to use other factors besides achievement tests in deciding if a school made AYP, like improved attendance or graduation rates, college enrollment rates, and tests in other subjects like history and writing.
The proposed changes have already met resistance from the Bush administration and Secretary Spellings from the Department of Education, who recently said the changes were too complicated. Congress does not have to act on the law this session and given the political dynamics of the law, it may be that the changes to the law are not made until after the presidential election.
A summary of the proposed changes in available on the House Education Committee website.
