No Child Left behind seems to be working

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-23-2004
No Child Left behind seems to be working
31
Wed, 08-25-2004 - 3:08pm
At least in Pennsylvania-test scores and attendance and graduation rates are significantly improving...



http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04238/367415.stm

81% of Pa. schools get passing grades

Wednesday, August 25, 2004

By Eleanor Chute and Bill Toland, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Four of five Pennsylvania public schools are meeting requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind Act, a significant increase over last year.

State Education Secretary-designee Francis Barnes yesterday released the state's 2004 Academic Achievement Report, which showed that 81 percent of schools -- compared with 62 percent last year -- made "adequate yearly progress." Schools are required to make progress under the No Child Left Behind Act or face sanctions that can range from offering school choice to state intervention. Adequate yearly progress, or AYP, is based on math and reading scores on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment tests, test participation rates and attendance or graduation rates. The tests are counted in grades five, eight and 11.

Schools also are judged on the progress of subgroups -- such as racial groups, low-income students and special education students -- if there are at least 40 students in the subgroup in the building. So the number of targets varies from school to school and district to district.

Such gains won't be easy to reproduce next year. This year's and last year's academic standards -- 35 percent of students adjudged proficient or better in math and 45 percent in reading or significant growth -- will be raised next year: 45 percent proficient in math and 54 percent in reading.

Barnes emphasized, "We're making progress."

He noted improvements, particularly in fifth- and eighth-grade PSSA scores.

Even some officials in schools that are struggling tried to put the best light on the results.

"Overall, we see we are making progress," said Duquesne Superintendent Jacquelyn Webb.

The Duquesne district is the only district in Allegheny County on the second year of corrective action, the most serious classification. The state Education Department has done a study of the district and within the next few months is expected to release recommendations on what should be done.

Webb was encouraged that some of the adequate yearly progress targets were met, including elementary school math, which met the standard by showing significant improvement. About 24 percent of fifth-graders are proficient in math.

"We're working very hard to make progress and to meet the standards," said Webb.

The Pittsburgh district overall met the targets for math and reading, but it fell short in some of the subgroups and in some schools.

Some other districts also missed the mark with subgroups, and whether they hit the AYP targets or not, all districts that had a large enough subgroup of black students to count had substantial achievement gaps between black and white students.

While last year's list focused only on schools, this year's list also named districts that missed targets.

Pittsburgh and 14 other districts in Allegheny County landed on the School Improvement I list, which means they missed the AYP target for two years and must make districtwide plans. In addition, Duquesne was on the more serious "corrective action" list, and Wilkinsburg was on the School Improvement II list, which also calls for planning. Five others were on a warning list.

In some districts, all of the schools made adequate yearly progress, but the district didn't. The reason for that is that typically some of the schools didn't have enough students to count in a subgroup, but the district as a whole did. In Hampton, for example, all of the schools made adequate yearly progress, but the district is on a warning list because it missed on math and reading scores for special education students.

The way special education students are counted is a sore spot for some school officials. Except for the most seriously disabled, special education students take the same test as other students in the grade level appropriate to their age, not their instruction level.

For districts in Allegheny County making the school improvement lists, one of the most common problems was failing to meet at least one target for special education students.

Keystone Oaks landed on the School Improvement I list because it missed all four special education targets, math and reading scores as well as test participation in both.

William Urbanek, Keystone Oaks assistant superintendent, said special education students have individualized education plans that should be used as a measure of academic progress.

He said the district would have cleared the test participation mark for special education students if just three or four more had taken the test, but he said some refused.

"I'm not alarmed at this," he said. "We are meeting the targets for performance, participation and attendance in all other areas," he said.

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-05-2004
Wed, 09-01-2004 - 12:01am
Oh and the teacher who said math was his passion was from Iran and has been living here for about eleven or twelve years. XOXO.
iVillage Member
Registered: 05-12-2004
Wed, 09-01-2004 - 2:04pm
I did not say that teachers were doing a great job, I do think they have hard work. I think they work within a system that caters to one type of child, or learning style, and expects a teacher to be able to educate within narrow parameters. I think they encourage educational creativity, yet do not budget for it, putting progress in the individual teachers hands in liu of the school system as a whole. I think it is near impossible to work the system for ever, or even half the children. Yes, a good amount of our kids are passing tests for thier grade level. HOw many of them do you think can achieve more than that? Yes, it is the responsibility of the parents, but our school system has remained essentially the same since the end of the country school house. We are a rich country but we fail to rise to the challenge of changing times for our children. We build new schools all the time, but even our new schools are so...old school.
iVillage Member
Registered: 05-12-2004
Wed, 09-01-2004 - 2:05pm
they have to continue education to keep up thier licensure so they can have a job. Just like nurses.
iVillage Member
Registered: 05-12-2004
Wed, 09-01-2004 - 2:16pm
Yes, they both say they care about education, but Bush pumps all the dough into the military and war efforts, that keep his freinds in business. He took a budget surplus and threw it at the war. There is a sticker on my co-workers car that reada, "If schools were funded as well as the military, would anyone even join the military?"

I know schools and teachers know how to stretch a dollar. They do it all the time. They recycle everything, they never buy what they don't need. They don't get supply deliveries like corporations do, and they sure as heck never spend on daily supplies liek the military does. The military hemmorages money, but Bush keeps on pouring it in. It is deplorable. Meanwhile schools all over have to let out early in the early and late months of school because students are in danger of heat stroke. They can't afford air conditioning. keep that in mind at the polls. Anyone can SAY they care, Bush has SHOWN what he cares about.
iVillage Member
Registered: 05-21-2004
Wed, 09-01-2004 - 2:28pm
The small private school (600 students k-12) I taught in for 3 years paid teachers 85% of what public school teachers make in our county. They also did not have the benefits of teaching in a public school.

They taught there b/c there was less govt. "red tape" to deal with, parents were VERY involved, Christian morals were a standard to school rules, and the children are generally better behaved. As a result of these things, the students excelled and EVERY one of them went on to succeed in college. (many would come back and say that their classes in college were actually easier than the ones they took in high school.

So in our case, money isn't the motivation for good teachers.

I'm sure that money can play a factor in getting and keeping teachers. All GOOD teachers deserve more money, we just have to find a way to get rid of the bad ones!

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-05-2004
Wed, 09-01-2004 - 7:04pm
I also think kids now days have a lot of stress on them as well to succeede. If they don't get a certain grade on their report card they feel like they've let their parents down or they get in trouble and a lecture from them. My parents always said as long as I pass and am learning something that's important to them and not nessessarily what the grade was. My grandma said when she was in school said that she rememberes in her math class doing well (like an A or B grade) but now days if you ask her a question on algebra or geometry she couldn't tell ya. I'd rather my education last until I die then forget stuff. XOXO.
iVillage Member
Registered: 08-05-2004
Wed, 09-01-2004 - 7:27pm
I think if Bush and company or whoever wins should put more money into the school programs. The high school I went to has a "new" part and an "old" part. Only thing different is the a.c. and heating systems and the rooms look newer but really the school is pretty old. It's been around for a good long time cause parents and grandparents of my fellow classmates went there and some of the teachers taught them! My school also had some one-room mobile homes be as classrooms cause they didn't have enough room to add onto the schools other classrooms. Lockers are blah too. I think if all the badly built schools could be re-built, or built better, then they could go to school longer. My cousin goes to school all year round and every so often he'll get a little break and during summer he gets like a month or two off enough to have a break from studying. I've asked him how he likes it and he seems to really enjoy it. He doesn't forget stuff when it's time for testing and he can see his friends all year round. I think here they're slowly starting to do that. Also, just a few years ago the high school I went to started doing their exams for the end of the term before holiday break. Before it was always after the Christmas break and during breaks families are on the road and you don't have time to study. I never got why they did that in the first place, but now I assume it's better cause you can remember everything and don't have to worry about studying over break and forgetting things. XOXO.
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-16-2004
Thu, 09-02-2004 - 11:10am
I can say firsthand that in NYC, the teachers union does not want to see any changes in the teaching curiculum, and does not want to hold teachers even partly responsible.

Therein lies a major problem. The teachers union in large cities often have way too much power, and control.

As I have said numerous times, no amount of money will ever counteract this, and I even citied the example in the NYC public schools, where they spend almost 3 times as much per child per year on education, and have 50% fewer children being able to pass the proficiency exams. Doesnt seem like money is the problem here, does it.

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-16-2004
Thu, 09-02-2004 - 11:11am
Thank you for clearing that up. I was not aware that this was the case.

I know that this is becoming regular for just about every job out there.

Stock brokers and investment advisors now must complete continuing education, along with insurance brokers, etc.

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-12-2004
Thu, 09-02-2004 - 3:27pm
Seems like money is even moreso the problem, but in this case, in NYC from what you say is that teachers have too much power. Yes, that should change, but it is not the only thing that should change. I personally think the whole education system needs to be flipped on its ear, turned inside out and discarded as we begin a new system. I really do. thank you.