http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2011/04/28/30ayp.h30.html?tkn=ULLFf%2FbulXNHp4SaL0d4io7ESkQxSWCHDAuB&cmp=clp-edweek
Schools not making their AYP rose 5% this past year. Luckily Minnesota dropped their AYP number by 4%, from 54 to 50 percent of the schools not making the AYP. Over the past 4 years Minnesota has gone from 38% in 2006 to a huge increase to 50% for 2010. Looking at the data all of the Shakopee schools failed the AYP except for one Elementary school.
Who really understands the AYP anyway? If close to 40% of the nation is failing the AYP shouldn’t something really be done about it?
Some states have tried to improve their AYP, and that has backfired for some states. New York tried to make tougher restrictions and there AYP went up over 24%. NY raised their cutoff marks, now who thought of that cleaver idea? If you already had 12% of the schools not making the cut why raise it? Many states more than doubled the schools that failed the
The main point of the article comes in the last sentence where it states that if we want to compare states we need to have common assessment. Don’t know where we can get all the numbers from if we don’t have tests and evaluations that are all the same, and can show us how each states compare.
I do agree with NCLB, because no child should be left behind. But I think to test for AYP there needs to be set guidelines that are the same throughout the country. Different tests for students with disabilities, ELL, and ESL students. Some students that have only been in the country a couple of years should not have to take the same or similar tests to those who have spent their entire lives here. Students need to be tested for showing improvement and track there learning, but some of these tests are just outrageous.
With dealing with testing, MCA’s in Minnesota is just weird. Students can take the test up to 3 times and if they don’t pass on the third time, who really cares. IF failing 3 times and students can still graduate from high school is pointless. Why give them the test in the first place? We spend all this money on it, and the students half of the time don’t care what they get on it. State money can be placed in better areas.
So who should we test?
I agree 100% about states needing common state tests if we are going to be comparing data. I feel the same way about comparing data with my colleagues. Even if we are all giving the same test, that doesn't automatically make it common. We all grade differently and if one teacher lets their students use their notebooks on the test or part of the test, that is not the same. If one teacher decides to give out some of the test questions as "Questions of the Day" or in a formative assessment prior to the test and another teacher's students have never seen the exact questions from the test, the assessment is not common.
ReplyDeleteGuidelines are imperative when data is being compared and all parties must agree to and abide by those guidelines.
This is a little bit of interesting information that I was just made aware of in my grad class. NCLB should've been up for reviewal 5 years after the bill passed. It never was then and it is now up for reviewal again this year. The problem is that since there is a republican majority right now, they will do what they can to push NCLB for another 5 years.
We all know that the premise of NCLB in a good one. No child should be left behind. Everyone has a right to learn, but most people would also agree that the current system is not working. Something needs to change.