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Thursday, May 1, 2008
Making changes to NCLB
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
State Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox has asked for some changes in how the state determines whether schools meet the goals of No Child Left Behind.
Cox asked for a waiver to change the passing rates schools must meet on the CRCT math test. She explained the state created harder middle school math tests to match the state’s tougher new math curriculum. She said the state should not be penalized for improving its curriculum.
She also suggested something other than graduation rates be used to measure the state’s 21 alternative schools. The schools are not meant to have students graduate in four years, but the federal government uses four-year graduation rates to determine whether high schools meet adequate yearly progress. She suggested using course completion rates or results from End of Course Tests instead.
The state says the U.S. Department of Education denied the math request and is still considering the one involving alternative schools.
If the changes were granted, more schools could make AYP. The law punishes schools that repeatedly fail with increasingly severe sanctions, up to a possible takeover by the state.
What do you think of the state’s proposals? What changes would you make to NCLB?
