The Standards and Accountability Reform Effort

Key Efforts: “Goals 2000,” Pres. Clinton, 1997 “No Child Left Behind,” President Bush, 2000Up for renewal, 2009; renamed: “Race to the Top”

Announcements

• Exams will be distributed at the end of class today

• 72-80:A; 64-71:B; 56-70:C; less: D/F• Answer the question; 3 prompts!• Missing: 3 practices fostering equality

– Objective tests; – grades; – GI Bill; – 3-tier system of higher education

Midterm

• EVIDENCE for Claims• Assess the two positions and their use

of evidence• Introduction

repairs

• Add achievemeny gap and intl comparison slides

• Add cst info• Add website of aschool to show

accountability

Rationale

• US students do not compare favorably with students from other nations (ANAR)

• Math & Science Achievement• Netherlands 559• Sweden 555• Norway 536• Switzerland 531• Intl Avg 500• US 471• Lithuania 465• Cyprus 447• So. Africa 352

Rationale—con’t

• The "achievement gap"--Black and Latino kids do not achieve as well as white and Asian students

CST Results, 8th Grade Algebra, SDUSD 2004 and 2007

Black-White Achievement Gap, CST English Language Arts Test

Rationale—con’t

• Lack of accountability--No one gets the blame if students don't do well (which is different than the business world)

• NOTE: the influence of business language in the standards movement: “accountability,” “competition,” “privatizing”

Distinctive Features

• High Standards: All students to be proficient in Math and English by 2014

• Equality of Outcomes not Inputs• Accountability: Annual testing;

– Information is made public– Schools compared to “like” schools

• Calls for Quality Teachers in all classrooms

Behavioral Model of Reform

• Reward Schools for “annual yearly progress” (AYP): Publicity, plaques

• Punish schools for lack of AYP:– School-paid tutoring– School-paid enrollment in successful

schools– 5 years of failure: restructure (close)

Accountability System

• With a norm referenced test, there is always a bottom

• Sub-groups tested, IN ENGLISH, including Special Ed and ELL, must make gains

The Tail Wags the Dog

• What Gets Tested Gets Taught• Neglected Subjects: Science (until ‘07),

Art, Social Science/History, Languages• Teachers Teach to the Test (McNeil)

– Recall of factual information– Not interpretation, critical thinking

• Standards Devolve into Standardization

Local Adaptations & Calls for Modifications in Law, 2008-10• Teacher, Parent, District resistance--

refuse to comply with testing• Legal challenges-Virginia, Conn: NCLB

is an “unfunded mandate”• Redefining “quality teachers”• Seeking multiple measures• Seeking modification in testing mandate

Perspectival Differences

• Parents’ Reaction to “publicity”– Low income: pressure on districts to

change; unfair testing– Middle/high income: pressure to do better-

or parents leave; testing is unproductive• Unfunded Mandate? Or: Lever of

Change? Or: Slippery slope toward privatization?