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Coalition calls for overhaul of law Posted: Sunday, Feb 24, 2008 - 10:23:07 am PST By DAVID GUNTER Correspondent
(This is the last of three articles on the issue of education, including local public school budget challenges, growth in the area's charter, private and virtual academy student population and the impact of No Child Left Behind in the classroom.) SANDPOINT -- When President Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) into law on Jan. 8, 2002, he was riding a tide of overwhelming bipartisan support from Congress, which passed the legislation by a vote of 381-41 in the House and 87-10 in the Senate.The Democratic chairmen of both the House and Senate education committees, Rep. George Miller and Sen. Edward Kennedy, stood behind the president at the signing ceremony. Dozens of Republicans hailed the law as the new benchmark for improving performance in public schools. Initial support was so widespread that then-Secretary of Education Rod Paige called the National Education Association (NEA) "a terrorist organization" when the union came forward with concerns about how the legislation would impact the classroom.
The general tone from members of Congress who are asked about the act -- which requires 100 percent of students to perform at grade level in math and reading by 2014 -- is that it sounded like a good idea at the time. What first appeared to be a model piece of legislation is now seen as "Bush's Law" and lawmakers from both sides of the aisle -- including U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo from Idaho -- have proposed numerous revisions to the act. In the spring of 2007, 65 Republicans in Congress put their names to a petition that supports letting states opt out of NCLB without losing federal funding. The president, meanwhile, has threatened to veto any changes to the act and Congress seems disposed to simply run out the clock on the Bush administration and revamp -- or perhaps dismantle -- NCLB once the dust settles after the November elections. What's so bad about accountability? One of the foundations of NCLB -- with federal funding dangling as the carrot on the end of the stick -- has been to create an environment where "highly qualified" teachers fill classroom positions across the country. To a great degree, whether or not they are deemed to be qualified See NO CHILD, Page 2 is based on results from a series of standardized test scores that emphasize reading and math proficiency. "But there's more stick than carrot," said Joel Packer, director of education policy and practice at the NEA office in Washington, D.C. "The system measures and holds schools accountable based solely on reading and math scores. It has become a 'scripted curriculum' that has teachers frustrated and demoralized because they are less and less able to use their professional judgment. "I was just in Boise meeting with the Idaho Education Association," Packer added. "They think (NCLB) has narrowed the curriculum and cut back on music, art, foreign language and science." The reason schools have abbreviated those subject areas -- and the reason some have even shortened recess and lunch break times -- is to create more time for preparing students to test well. If this doesn't happen, the "accountability" component of NCLB requires that the facility be flagged as a "failing school." And if a school falls under that designation for two years, sanctions can include loss of federal funding, teacher cutbacks and a mandate that the district pay to transport students to "successful" schools. In 2007, the Center on Education Policy researched 350 school districts and found that 44 percent of them had cut back on time devoted to "untested areas" -- including play oriented activities such as physical education and recess -- by an average of 30 minutes-a-day. "What gets tested gets taught," said Jack Jennings, the center's president and CEO, when he announced the survey results. "Under No Child Left Behind, there is reading and math -- and then there is everything else." No child left untested "There is a great deal of evidence that the national curriculum is turning into a test-prep program," said Dr. Monty Neill of the National Center for Fair and Open Testing (FairTest) in Cambridge, MA. "And this preparation is starting as early as kindergarten in some districts, where those classes are starting to look like a highly regimented second- or third-grade classroom. "When we start a test-drill process for 5-year-olds, we're hurting our kids cognitively, emotionally and socially," he added. Here in Bonner County, the Sandpoint Charter School has elected not to make test scores an absolute priority. The school cleared the bar of "adequate yearly progress" set by NCLB every year except for last year, but principal Alan Millar has no plans to shift attention and resources to put additional focus on test subject areas. "There's more to a student than a test score," he said. "We've made a philosophical decision for our school to be teacher-driven. That's one of the ways we keep their passion alive for being in the classroom. "Our focus is not on putting kids in a room and drilling them until they can pick the right slot on a computer test," Millar added. Gaming a 'perfect' law Education Secretary Margaret Spellings has called NCLB "nearly perfect." "I talk about No Child Left Behind like Ivory soap: It's 99.9 percent pure, or something," she said near the end of 2006. "There's not much needed in the way of change." In his State of the Union address last month, the president prodded Congress to reauthorize the act, saying "last year, fourth and eighth graders achieved the highest math scores on record," noting that "reading scores are on the rise." Alabama is one state that, on the surface, appeared to have dramatic improvement under NCLB. Based on statistics states are required to report annually to the U.S. Department of Education, Alabama rocketed from 22nd place to fifth in the nation about a year ago. The number of its schools showing adequate yearly progress surged from 50 percent to nearly 90 percent in the same reporting period. As it turned out, Alabama school districts rigged the results and, in effect, told the administration what it wanted to hear. The state limited the number of test scores it reported to show improvement in closing the gap between the scores of white and minority students. Although 80 percent of its schools included Latino enrollment, less than 9 percent of them reported test scores for those students. Also culled out were test scores of developmentally disabled children, as Alabama schools arbitrarily determined that there would have to be at least 40 such students attending a school before those results would have to be counted. Lastly, the state borrowed a loophole used by neighboring Tennessee, which stated that no district in the state would have to be labeled as having "failing schools" as long as it made its target in just one subject and in just one cluster of grade levels -- elementary, middle or high school. Putting all of the above to work, Alabama emerged as a shining example of how well NCLB was working in America's schools. On paper, no child was left behind -- they were simply left out of the equation. "Many states did exactly the same thing," said a November 2007 report by Education Sector, a nonpartisan think tank in Washington, D.C. According to the group's findings, at least 28 states had used one or more of the "gaming" techniques that shot Alabama into the 90th percentile of so-called performance. Elsewhere, results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress Trial Urban District Assessment report conducted last year showed little overall improvement in math and reading since the act became law and no closing of score gaps between minority and white students. A push back gains momentum As of this week, almost 145 national organizations -- including the national PTA, nearly every church denomination and prominent civil rights groups -- have signed on to a Joint Organizational Statement on No Child Left behind sent to Congress with suggested changes to the existing legislation. Among the concerns listed in the statement are "over-emphasizing standardized testing, narrowing curriculum and instruction to focus on test preparation rather than richer academic learning; over-identifying schools in need of improvement; using sanctions that do not help improve schools; inappropriately excluding low-scoring children in order to boost test results; and inadequate funding." On the funding side, the Bush administration says it has increased NCLB funding by 41 percent "since 2001." But since the law wasn't signed until 2002 and implementation didn't begin until after that point, that comparison seems questionable. Using 2002 as the base point, with the U.S. Department of Education's own statistics as the data, the federal government funded about $22.2 billion that first year and has proposed that approximately $24.7 billion be provided in 2009 -- an actual increase of only 10 percent. At the same time, states have been forced to make up the difference between the "authorized" funding that was promised when NCLB passed into law and the amount that has been delivered over the past six years. That funding gap -- totaling the difference between 2002 and the proposed 2009 administration budget -- has climbed to more than $85 billion. Turning to the issue of testing, an August 2007 PDK/Gallup poll found that 7 in 10 Americans believe that NCLB's focus on testing encourages educators to "teach to the test." "So untested programs like field trips, artists-in-residence and real investigations into science are decreased or eliminated," said FairTest's Neill. "Fortunately, there are still principals who are resisting these influences and allowing their teachers to actually do the work of educating children." Defending the 'joy of learning' Anne Bagby, principal at Farmin-Stidwell Elementary School in Sandpoint, packs an enormous amount of energy into a small frame. As the building administrator for the largest elementary school in the district, she needs it. But Bagby goes from energetic to passionate when the subject of NCLB comes up. She views her school, which has more than 600 students and the largest population of elementary grade special education students in LPOSD, as a place to stand firm for the rights of children. "The schools that are doing nothing but preparing for reading and math tests all day long are fundamentally changing the nature of childhood and exploration," Bagby said. "At Farmin-Stidwell, we believe that learning is a joy and childhood is filled with magical experiences. "Our halls celebrate the talents and skills that children produce in their art classes," she continued. "We dance, we play, we make music -- and we work hard." Contrary to its name, Bagby said, No Child Left Behind leaves many students out of the loop. Its goal of having all students perform "at grade level" pays no attention to the child who is already at that point and needs resources to reach advanced levels. At the other end of the scale, a student who comes in far below grade level and improves by leaps and bounds throughout the school year, but still tests even a point or two below the standardized score requirements, is called a "failure" by NCLB standards. "That child didn't fail," the principal said. "That child made unbelievable progress. "In concept, No Child Left Behind is not a poor thought," she added. "But what they missed is that there are no targets for the bright kids and it also ignores individual student progress for the kids who are struggling. "Education is a journey and childhood is more than passing tests," she continued. "It's not about one day and one data point. It's every day -- the right stuff, at the right time, every day." Bagby believes that this approach will always be valuable in the education of children, whether or not NCLB is carried on when a new administration goes into office. "No matter what happens there," she said, "we'll be able to hold our heads up high." steven wrote on Jun 16, 2008 3:39 PM: " I can understand there being a need for seeing if students are passing their grade or not. However, if a student is just studying for a test then they will not really learn. They will merely "exist" on the academic level with no true advancement. For nearly 10 years I have been a long haul trucker and everyday I see the effects of well intending dumb laws our leaders pass. So, if you ask me I do not Washington interfering with our kids on a local level. Even though there must be national standards. So, the way i feel this issue needs to be resolved is as follows: 1. Eliminate NCLB and replace it with standards for each grade. 2. then list areas in each subject for each grade that a student has to pass (example: all 2nd graders need to know times tables,division, basic science etc. third grade multiplication at a more advanced level,and introduction of long division as well as American history.) 3. Then Washington says to all the states "These are the standards for each grade in the United States. A first grader is defined as a student who knows these levels or better in the following subjects etc. Second graders are at this level etc." 4. In addition to what levels are for what grades, the government (state or federal)can mandate that extra curriculum like Mark Twain or Shakespeare be added at certain grades. As well as economics,physics,and chemistry. 5. leave out all the sex-ed stuff till later in high school, our children do not need to be taught in grade school or junior high how to "screw each other". Life is hard enough without the government in Washington forcing our kids to learn about sex or sexual perversion in ways that many parents would object to. Last I checked parents give birth to children...not the politicians!! 6. Allow each school district to add to the baseline federal standards like in the following example: Washington D.C. states second graders be capable on knowing multiplication on the level of say, 99*99,but Bonner county says: no, second graders in our county should be capable of 999*999 which will be fine as we can be permitted to exceed the national grade standard SO LONG AS WE DON'T FALL BELOW IT.. 7. This type of academic standard setting will improve our nation as employers will now be able to know that all students have a pre-defined standard of knowledge that is valid everywhere. So let's say Johnny in Sandpoint moves to say,Florida, his employers will know exactly what his qualifications are as they are the same in all 50 states, but the employer can also find out that he went to school in Bonner county where not only were the standards the same as Florida's but he additionally has higher abilities because he graduated at our counties standards. 8. So as to make sure the kids are not studying for the "grade standards test" for their level you can have the rest questions scrambled for each state in each order of subjects and for each student. so if the standard for say 6th grade is for johnny to pass reading,6th grade math,science,history,social studies,and economics. the computer will scramble the subject order to say history,reading,social studies,etc. Then the law says the following 100,000 math problem are considered as valid for definition of 6th grade math. Idaho chooses 10,000 of those problems. Bonner county adds their standards as well so johnny gets say 150-200 total math questions out of Idaho's pool of 10,000. Now to make sure he studied the subject and not the test, his questions are scrambled in a different order than Sally's or Harry's test were. 9. All grades have to have a minimum passing standard. if johnny passes he goes to 7th grade. if not, he repeats the 6th grade. so lets divide testing as follows...for the example look at part 10. 10. The test of sixth grade will allow for 3 possibilities on his score out of 100%. 100% to 80% correct Johnny goes to 7th grade, 79% to 70% correct he repeats the 6th grade. If he tested at 69% or lower he is tested for 5th grade and if he scores 70%or better after failing 6th then he starts next year in 5th. or goes to summer school and is retested for 6th grade. 11. this can eliminate "social" promotion by basing his promotion on his academic history instead. 12. if you are not sure this national standard system will work, think about the following: If I goto law school in collage, I have to take certain subjects and pass all my exams to be a lawyer, so when I look for a job in that profession , my employer will automatically know if i am qualified based on the collage standards that my employers need for graduates to have as well as my test scores. So since collages have set standards for their courses, why cant elementary, junior high, and high school have their's as well? As a Bonner county resident from '82 to present, I know are taxes are too high so why after our taxes are collected why does the district need fund raisers and levy's? What's the matter? They didn't take enough of our money the first time? NO!! THE COUNTY SCHOOLS SHOULD BE PROHIBITTED FROM HAVING LEVYS SINCE THEY ARE TAXPAYER FUNDED. ADJUST THE TAX RATE PROPERLY THE FIRST TIME!! THEN WAIT UNTIL NEXT YEAR FOR OUR MONEY DO NOT TAX US TWICE!!! OR DROP THE TAX PAYER FUNDING ALL TOGETHER AND GO TO A VOTER APPROVED LEVY ONLY SYSTEM FOR FUNDING!! Then let the people decide what our schools are worth. " Garold Jeffers wrote on May 5, 2008 8:52 AM: " Interesting group of comments noted below. I too am one of those involved with public education for many years. I am concerned more with the administration than I am the teachers. It is rare to find hard nosed administrators doing the right thing for students, and the community they are supporting. When we do get one, the "give me everything for nothing" part of the community runs them off, particularly in Sandpoint. I will use the local high school as an example: We had a tough principal for about four years or so, and he turned the school around. They passed all academic challenges with rising scores each year, and produced so many athletic and activity champions most of us lost count. The less than stellar district administration and Board of Trustees replaced him with a woman who had four failed years as the Principal of the local Alternative High School, and she now has two failing years as the Sandpoint high school. Her replacement at the Alternative High School now has that school passing their tests, and the high school continues down the road of failure and a return to the years before the high school administrator noted above. Who is holding the current high school principal accountable, and better yet, who is holding our feel good Suprintendent accountable. Certainly not the Board. Fellow Sandpointers; it is time we looked at the Administators first, then the teachers. We just might be able to create assessment procedures that are appropriate and teach our children. Thank you for listening. " B wrote on Mar 19, 2008 1:25 PM: " My apologies to all for the repeat posts. It seemed that they weren't accepted so I kept trying to re-enter them.
FWIW - I have worked with govt, public and private schools first with a corporation then as an employee of the system . Too be fair to our local schools my experience was all out of state - in multiple states. I saw more than I wanted to see. I can tell lots of "war" ( classroom/central office ) stories as I worked in both classrooms and central office. There are some truly dedicated teachers everywhere. The ones that argue for lowering standards in lieu of raising students capability are the ones that make me shake my head. I also don't go for the ones that want to be put on a pedestal - everyone thinks "their" job is hard - not just teachers. For example - if they only work for nine months they should be arguing that all should be working for nine months as we're " all " stressed out by our jobs - not just them. I really think teachers would be better served by finding opportunities to raise the standard rather than excuses for dropping it. I have had over 20 years floating throughout ( other states ) school systems but will consider volunteering here so I can " put my money where my mouth is" - will teachers see about raising standards ( without playing a shell game - seen that too often ). " School Volunteer wrote on Mar 19, 2008 11:21 AM: " I work in the elementary school five days a week and agree with Liv. Teachers are asked to do everything from educating children to act as surrogates for adult role models who simply aren't there in their lives.
That's a big job. B. -- Would love to see you in the schools to help. If you truly believe they are in need of an overhaul, start with your own involvement. It's easy to sit at home and point fingers. More challenging, but more productive to get out there and be part of the change you want to see. You would be welcomes and, I think, surprised at what you find in a positive sense. And that's no attack -- that's a personal inviation. Call ANY school in the district and they will tell you how to make a difference by volunteering. " Liv wrote on Mar 18, 2008 11:29 PM: " I am in my children's school everyday and teachers are worth their weight in gold! "No Child Left Behind" is ruining teacher's jobs and our children's hearts and minds. A child with a joy for lifelong learning will be a better community member than a child forced to memorize words, facts and figures.
Enact an Idaho school voucher program! U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of school vouchers three years ago. So far six states: Florida, Maine, Ohio (Cleveland only), Vermont, Utah, and Wisconsin (Milwaukee only) — and the District of Columbia have voucher programs. " B wrote on Mar 18, 2008 8:47 PM: " Attacking me again - to bad you can't defend schools
too bad - our schools need better " B wrote on Mar 18, 2008 11:34 AM: " Again attacking me - instead of defending schools
too bad - schools need better " B wrote on Mar 17, 2008 7:26 PM: " Again attacking me -
I do get it - you can attack me but you can't defend our schools . . . too bad - our schools need better " B-3 wrote on Mar 17, 2008 2:48 PM: " True ... it doesn't change a thing about what you said. All the mores the pity that you just don't get it. " B wrote on Mar 17, 2008 9:24 AM: " I do have another opinion -
to bad that attacking me doesn't change a single thing about what I said . . . maybe even strengthens it ! " Hey, B wrote on Mar 16, 2008 11:03 AM: " How much time have YOU spent in the schools? Do you have any first-hand knowledge of what goes on in the classroom? When you have, be sure and post another opinion.
Until then .... " B wrote on Mar 11, 2008 10:11 PM: " Well I think teachers and their associates don't want to be held accountable no how - no way. Its time for public education to stop protesting about how unfair it all is and settle down to teach our kids to read and write. Maybe then people will stop telling them how to do their job. " De wrote on Mar 3, 2008 6:05 PM: " Like with all good things...there needs to be a balance between tested skills and the arts. A good start for reform would be to use a growth model where schools could track the growth that all students make toward mastery of State Standards. That is the only way to truly leave no child behind. " Larry Young wrote on Mar 1, 2008 8:32 AM: " Thank you for your very informative articles on Bonner County education and the No Child Left Behind program. It was interesting to read how the exodus trends in states such as California are beginning to move to Idaho shrinking education budgets in the process as parents opt to move their children to alternative methods of education.
Two thoughts/opinions immediately come to mind that were omitted from your articles. One, lack of input regarding home education outside of the state run virtual academies is an ommission that could have provided tremendous benefit to your readers. Secondly, all reported opinion regarding NCLB was negative leaving your readers without an alternative viewpoint. I would suggest that your reporter(s) spend concerted time investigating and evaluating private home education and the merits of same. You might come away with an even better understanding of why public school registrations continue to drop. Secondly, I propose you consider the following viewpoint when evaluating NCLB. Over the last few decades, our culture, led by parents and our public school system, has dumbed down the education process and standards that we employ to educate the majority of the kids in this country (yes, the public school system is still the educator for the majority). NCLB was implemented due to consensus that our kids were sorely behind those of almost all developed countries and with the objective of helping our kids become more competitive in a very competitive world. As is true in all failed areas of life, for dramtic improvement to be made, paradigm shifts must be effected. NCLB may have rough edges but if such a paradigm shift in education is to be completed, radical steps must be taken. What your article has failed to disclose if the lack of commitment and effort by the school system, the parents, and the kids to work dilligently toward rising up out of the abyss we call public education. Such a shift from failure to success is not easy. Amazingly, your article is almost sympathetic with the examples cited of Alabama school systems and those of other states "gaming" the NCLB system. Before we throw the baby out with the bath water, there must be a different view and perspective of what must yet be accomplished. Changes to the system are one thing. Scuttling funding because its too hard is another. The kids in this country are behind now. Scuttling this program is not going to improve our public education system nor help our improve the education of kids. Thinking otherwise is just an example of looking for different results with the same old tired approach. " MC wrote on Feb 27, 2008 4:58 PM: " To Yepper: I agree with you on one point, and that is the rest of the world is passing us by in education. But, I disagree that the total responsibility lies within the walls of the school system. Those kids coming in to your place of business looking for a job are the ones that lacked guidance at home and inspiration from their parents. NCLB does not create a well rounded individual, it creates a test-taker that will struggle in other areas of life. A well educated person has a grasp of math, reading, geography, science, sports, music, and dance, and they are good at taking tests as well. " Yepper wrote on Feb 27, 2008 12:43 PM: " I'd just like to see all children get an education which is what a school should give a child. Creative playtime is what they get after school. Do you know how many young people,after graduating from schools,come into my place of business for jobs but can't spell, or do math without total confusion. Half of them can't even write..they print everything like a five year old. If a school can't accomplish teaching that, just that, then I think we have a problem. Bush has no credibility and has not provided funding for his mandate. Perhaps his intentions were good, but the guy doesn't have a clue. NCLB is a failure, and so are many public schools. There's nothing wrong with making students work and study and some self-discpline. We have enough spoiled people on this planet who believe they are entitled to all sorts of things. I bet they don't have creative play, and fun educational experiences in Japan, no they just have an educated, disciplined population. Something this country needs deparately. Let's have fun, after school. " Bonner County Taxpayer wrote on Feb 26, 2008 7:43 AM: " Thanks and kudos to Dave Gunter for this informative and well written series of articles, and for the other in-depth (for a newspaper) articles he has penned recently. Mr. Gunter has elevated the level of reporting by the Bee and everyone will benefit from being better informed. " To Yepper wrote on Feb 25, 2008 8:37 PM: " Yepper:
You are so right! Move 'em all to Alabama, where -- like magic -- they can read, spell AND do math in no time flat and at an extremely high level of prfociency at that. The the president can say, "You're doin' a heckuva job, Alabamy" and, with any luck, some of the lucky kids will be pointed out and out on camera during one of his speeches. Now that's real progress! Yep, Yepper, George has done a truly fine job on education, just as he has with the economy, domestic policy, foreign policy, well ... just everything. He may be the best prez since Millard Fillmore. Then again, he and his dismally failed policy experiments may be doing long-term damage to the U.S. But let's not nit-pick -- just have those kids keep their heads down, learn those test answers and, after a while, they'll be so numb that they won't notice that, somehow, their parents and grandparents allowed a numbskull to steal the presidency twice in a row. Yepper, that's the kind of nation we can be proud of! " MC wrote on Feb 25, 2008 3:18 PM: " I don't agree with teaching our children at a very young age to simply be test-takers. We need to teach them "why" taking tests are important and the process of "preparing" for testing. Yes, the content of the test is very important, but attaining a thorough understanding of the content is where the value is. Memorizing information is not near as important as understanding and analyzing the information. If our children are not good test-takers, the last thing we want to do is take away activities such as sports, music, art, and the activities that require a child to think for themselves and broaden their minds. I agree with Mushman, NCLB stand for "No Congressman Left Behind". " Yepper wrote on Feb 25, 2008 2:52 PM: " We wouldn't want our children to go to school to learn to read or do math. We need to teach them to have fun. Wheeeee!! Yep, forget education, let's have "creative playtime". Only the rules of NCLB need changing. The basic concept is that kids should receive an education at school. Each child is different but in the real world they will still have to perform to a set of acceptable standards. There's nothing magical about a kid that can't read or spell. " Liv wrote on Feb 25, 2008 11:07 AM: " The law should be named, “No Child Left with Joy”. Excessive learning structures suffocate our children’s joy for learning. Free time to engage in imaginative play and explore nature are important ways to allow young children to become as adults with purpose, contributing to their community. Check out the NPR story, Old-Fashioned Play Builds Serious Skills (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=19212514). " Harvey Mushman wrote on Feb 25, 2008 11:03 AM: " Abolish the NCLB program, and let the schools and teachers be the judge of each students progress in each subject compared to the other students of the same grade. Again, the "guvmint" needs to just help fund our schools, not dictate how the school teaches them. The Federal Government has no idea what challenges are faced in each and every demographic. I think NCLB means "No Congressman Left Behind". " POST YOUR OPINION
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Bonner County Daily Bee
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j from louisiana wrote on Oct 25, 2008 2:31 PM: