More Bad News On Education

A few posts ago I wrote about the problems with the NCLB and its requirement to use standardized testing as the primary--and often the only--measure of success in our schools. While standardized tests do have a place in education, they are not so reliable a measure that we can afford to rely upon them as the primary measurement of school and/or student success, and certainly not as the sole measurement of either.

One of the problems with the NCLB approach is that far too many schools are emphasizing these standardized tests that many teachers are teaching specifically to these tests. That is an erroneous educational approach that produces artificially high test scores because students learn rote memorization approaches toward the specific goal of passing these tests rather than internalizing principles of problem solving and reasoning that allows them to use these skills and base knowledges to
ate, and from various sections of the education profession, come together to establish standards that meet the needs of our students, our communities, our states and our nation. Dictating standards from a small group of offices from Washington, DC is not a reasoned approach that our forefathers and founders would likely to find reasonable or prudent.

So far, our educational approach under Washington's leadership is a failure. NCLB is effective in raising test scores, but is a failure from the point of view of teaching our students what is essential beyond passing the test, and is a failure from the point of view of sound educational policy in a free society.

Additionally, our approach to testing leaves a lot to be desired. I have been present during the administration of ISTEP, MCAS and other "achievement" testing. One of the first things that is errant with our testing approach is the environment in which we administer these tests. There is an awful lot of informality to the testing environment. In one school in Massachusetts, I saw students bringing cell phones, food, sodas, makeup, drawing materials and other things into the testing rooms. Among some of the Spanish-speaking students there was a lot of talking back and forth in Spanish, and any disciplinary approach effected by the proctor to cease the talking was countermanded and undermined by the two vice principals who did not want to be bothered with so many disciplinary issues.

In fact, the pressure to pass tests is so high we have an epidemic of cheating and unethical efforts to pass the test no matter what the consequences. In my own life I have learned that a test is only as good as its original design, which incorporates the biases of the test designer, and only as good as its inherent intent. Testing is more useful and productive as a diagnostic tool to assess student progress so that effective direction of the curriculum can be implemented. Using a test for anything other than an assessment diagnostic is a ludicrous approach to education. Additionally, the testing is not usually designed to consider the curriculum taught in the local schools. Some schools place academic emphasis on certain disciplines rather than others. For instance, the academic approach and curriculum employed at a vocational-technical school is certainly different than that employed by a school that emphasizes college preparation. Even in a single school, especially at the secondary level, there are often different tracks for students. A business track student is not going to have the same curriculum as a college prep track. A school that emphasizes science, as do many magnet schools, is not going to achieve the same testing results for verbal sections of a standardized test as would a school that emphasizes the humanities. Certainly many of our charter schools and magnet schools that focus the curriculum around specific disciplines and studies, can't be expected to take a test battery that is not focused on their specific approach.

While I am not totally opposed to standardized testing, I am opposed to the way it is being implemented, especially as a tool to cut funding and segregate children and teens into those that can and those that cannot, which is nothing less than dividing them into those that have and those that have not.


Test Scores at Odds With Rising High School Grades

High school seniors are performing worse overall on some national tests than they did in the previous decade, even though they are receiving significantly higher grades and taking what seem to be more rigorous courses, according to government data released yesterday.

The mismatch between stronger transcripts and weak test scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, often called the nation's report card, resonated in the Washington area and elsewhere. Some seized upon the findings as evidence of grade inflation and the dumbing-down of courses. The findings also prompted renewed calls for tough national standards and the expansion of the federal No Child Left Behind law.

"We have our work cut out for us," Education Secretary Margaret Spellings said in a statement. "If, in fact, our high school students are taking more challenging courses and earning higher grades, we should be seeing greater gains in test scores."

About 35 percent of 12th-graders tested in 2005 scored proficient or better in reading -- the lowest percentage since the test was launched in 1992, the new data showed. And less than a quarter of seniors scored at least proficient on a new version of the math test; officials called those results disappointing but said they could not be compared to past scores. In addition, a previous report found that 18 percent of seniors in 2005 scored at least proficient in science, down from 21 percent in 1996.

At the same time, the average high school grade-point average rose from 2.68 in 1990 (about a B-minus) to 2.98 in 2005 (about a B), according to a study of transcripts from graduating seniors. The study also found that the percentage of graduating seniors who completed a standard or mid-level course of study rose from 35 to 58 percent in that time; meanwhile, the percentage who took the highest-level curriculum doubled, to 10 percent.

"The core problem is that course titles don't really signal what is taught in the course and grades don't signal what a kid has learned," said Kati Haycock, president of the Education Trust, a D.C.-based nonprofit group that supports No Child Left Behind. She added hyperbolically, "What we're going to end up with is the high school valedictorian who can't write three paragraphs."

Some experts say these educational mirages, which obscure low student achievement with inflated grades and tough-sounding class titles, disproportionately harm poor and minority students.

A Bad Report Card

The news from American high schools is not good. The most recent test results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, commonly known as the national report card, finds that American 12th graders are actually performing worse in reading than 12th graders did in 1992, when a comparable exam was given. In addition, 12th-grade performance in reading has been distressingly flat since 2002, even though the states were supposed to be improving the quality of teaching to comply with the No Child Left Behind education act.

The new scores, based on tests given in 2005, show that only about 35 percent of 12th graders are proficient in reading. Simply put, this means that a majority of the country’s 12th graders have trouble understanding what they read fully enough to make inferences, draw conclusions and see connections between what they read and their own experiences. The math scores were even worse, with only 23 percent of 12th graders performing at or above the proficient level.

Marginal literacy and minimal math skills might have been adequate for the industrial age. But these scores mean that many of today’s high school seniors will be locked out of the information economy, where a college degree is the basic price of admission and the ability to read, write and reason is essential for success.

Congress, which is preparing to reauthorize both the No Child Left Behind Act and the Higher Education Act, needs to take a hard look at these scores and move forcefully to demand far-reaching structural changes.

It should start by getting the board that oversees the National Assessment of Educational Progress testing to create rigorous national standards for crucial subjects. It should also require the states to raise the bar for teacher qualifications and end the odious practice of supplying the neediest students with the least qualified teachers. This process would also include requiring teachers colleges, which get federal aid, to turn out higher quality graduates and to supply many more teachers in vital areas like math and science. If there’s any doubt about why these reforms are needed, all Congress has to do is read the latest national report card.

Fairfax Schools Could Lose Millions for Defying 'No Child'

The U.S. Education Department threatened yesterday to withhold more than $17 million from Fairfax County schools if the system continues to defy a federal mandate to give reading tests to thousands of immigrant children.

Other Virginia school systems would also be in jeopardy if they refuse to comply with the federal No Child Left Behind Act, and the state could lose $2 million in administrative funds.

The possible loss of millions of dollars raises the stakes in a months-long standoff between the federal government and a growing group of Virginia educators over the best way to test immigrant students learning English.

The dispute started last summer when federal officials rejected the test Virginia uses to measure the progress of many immigrant children. The exam shows how well students learn to read, write and speak English. But it doesn't, as the No Child law requires, test students on their understanding of grade-level reading material, which can include comprehension and such concepts as similes and metaphors.

The Fairfax County School Board passed a resolution last month to defy the mandate, saying it is unfair to give such an exam to students just beginning to grasp the nuances of English. School boards in Arlington County, the city of Fairfax and Harrisonburg passed similar measures. The rebellion appears to be intensifying, with Loudoun County school officials also considering such a step.

"The resolutions say we will do the fair and right thing," said Allen C. Griffith, vice chairman of the Fairfax City School Board. But he said the threat of sanctions means that school systems will have to make difficult decisions.

The Education Department has "got the hammer, and they've got the big stick," Griffith said. "I suppose they can force these districts to bend to their will. . . . But how have the children gained anything?"

Chad Colby, an Education Department spokesman, said that under the No Child law, systems must show that all students, including children learning English, are making academic progress. He said the federal government needs to know that the funds it distributes are being used wisely.

"If you don't assess students, you don't know which students need the most help and how to direct those resources," Colby said. "Prior to No Child Left Behind, we spent . . . and there was no accountability."

The rift in Virginia mirrors a nationwide debate over how to ensure that English-language learners, a fast-growing population in schools, are making progress. When the Education Department rejected Virginia's test, it also found problems with the way 17 other states test English-language learners. Testing programs in Maryland and the District have withstood federal scrutiny.

Federal education officials note that students who are in the country less than a year are exempt from the reading test. Other language learners are allowed accommodations, such as more time or use of a bilingual dictionary.

Virginia educators, who say it takes far longer than a year for most children to comprehend grade-level reading work, had asked for permission to use the old test this spring and develop an alternative for next year. That request was denied.

Of the approximately 10,200 Virginia students affected by the testing dispute, about 4,000 are in Fairfax. Thousands more immigrant students who have made enough progress take the same reading tests as their native-speaking peers.

But in a meeting yesterday with state Superintendent of Public Instruction Billy K. Cannaday Jr., U.S. officials indicated that there probably will be a third alternative for Virginia schools. Federal officials said they expect to approve a state request to use a portfolio of a student's work over time instead of a test.

Fairfax County School Board member Stuart D. Gibson (Hunter Mill) yesterday said he does not think there is enough time to train teachers on the portfolio assessment and to collect assignments that show a student has mastered the material before the spring testing season.