=
http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=3D/20080727/NE=
WS07/807270341/1001

Interesting article, this. There are a couple of points I don't quite
understand -

1. from the article

- - - - -
For instance, the Hawaii State Assessment measures a 10th-grader's =20
knowledge
of math and reading. But on the high school level, reading is not a =20
subject
taught in classes as it is in lower grade levels.

The challenge for high schools is to get math, science and social =20
studies
teachers to address reading and comprehension in their classes.

"Many secondary teachers are not trained in how to do reading strategies
with high school students," Fujimoto said.
- - - - -

If I understand this passage correctly, students up to and including the
eighth grade can read adequately. But when they get to the tenth grade,
they can't. As a result, reading needs to be taught as a high school
subject. If my understanding is not correct, then I look forward to =20
someone
here stating the correct understanding of this passage.

2. from the article

- - - - -
Schools must have a 95 percent participation rate in the standard test =20=

to
make their adequate yearly progress goal. If participation in the test =20=

falls
below that rate, a school fails.

For instance, at Farrington High School, participation was below the 95
percent mark.

Officials note that on the elementary school level, participation is =20
easier
to achieve. But it's on the high school level where schools tend to =20
have a
problem achieving the necessary participation rate.

"In the 10th grade, the students know that the (Hawaii State Assessment)
doesn't impact their grades, colleges don't ask for their scores. They
figure it's not that important," said Cara Tanimura, head of DOE's =20
system
planning and improvement section.

DOE officials say the challenge for principals is to communicate the =20
message
to its students that the test matters.
- - - - -

So is the test optional for high school students and held on off-hours =20=

like
on a weekend such that the students can duck it if they want to? If the
students can avoid taking the test so easily on the one hand and if it =20=

is so
important to the schools on the other hand, then why is the test not
mandatory and held during normal school hours?

3. from the article

- - - - -
That's one reason why state education officials are pushing national
education officials to adopt a "growth model." A growth model, as =20
opposed to
the current NCLB system, would acknowledge the progress a school is =20
making
rather than setting standard goals.

"Then at least schools that are at a disadvantage with respect to
socioeconomic status, where they simply cannot make these ever-=20
increasing
measurable objectives, at least they can show there is improvement," =20
said
Glenn Hirata, head of the DOE's system evaluation and reporting section.
- - - - -

But the sidebar "THE NCLB STATUS CATEGORIES" indicates a progress =20
measure in
place under NCLB, one stretching over a six year period. That strikes =20=

me as
an adequate period of time in which to attain goals initially not =20
achieved.
And measuring progress for the sake of progress - as seems to me =20
implied by
this "growth model" - rather than work towards measured standard =20
achievement
levels comes across to me as ducking the real issue. It's kind of like
saving a dime a month towards the down payment of a car - you show =20
month to
month progress in saving for that car, but a whole lot of time - a major
part of your lifetime, perhaps - will pass before you have enough =20
progress
for that downpayment. As pointed out in *The ABCs of "AYP" - Raising
Achievement for all Students*

=
http://www2.edtrust.org/NR/rdonlyres/37B8652D-84F4-4FA1-AA8D-319EAD5A6D89/=
0/ABCAYP.PDF
(short link http://tinyurl.com/4uwze )

**********
In the past, states had complete freedom in defining progress under =20
Title I
however they saw fit. But many states fell down on the job. Some set =20
goals
so modest that it would have taken more than a hundred years to see
meaningful progress; one even defined "progress" as not falling backward
very far. In addition, many failed to measure and report the =20
achievement of
low-income and minority students.

Accordingly, when Congress passed NCLB, it made the accountability
provisions both clearer and stronger. The AYP provisions in NCLB set a =20=

new
standard for defining success. Schools are now expected to meet clearly
defined goals for teaching all students to state standards.

=95 Clearly defined goals: To ensure that all schools are on-target for
teaching kids up to state standards, each state sets specific benchmark
goals for the percentage of students in each school that are expected to
demonstrate proficiency on state tests in language arts and math. These
goals are raised over time.

=95 All students: Schools are accountable for overall student =20
achievement and
for the achievement of low-income students, students from each major =20
racial
and ethnic group, limited-English proficient students, and students with
disabilities. Old accountability systems allowed schools and districts =20=

to be
deemed successful even while groups of students=97often low-income and
minority students=97were not getting the education they deserved. Under =20=

NCLB,
if a school doesn=92t make AYP for one of these groups, it doesn=92t =
make =20
AYP.
**********

Note that the states involved set the state standards. I guess one =20
solution
would to be acknowledge that the island standards were set too high to =20=

begin
with and to re-set the standards to a level low enough to have all the =20=

high
schools meet them without any problem.

Another solution would be Hawaii dropping out of the NCLB program and
foregoing all that federal money. This way, the island schools don't =20=

have
to be concerned with this kind of issues. And it would just have to =20
provide
that level of education that can be sustained by the reduced education
budget that would result. The big benefit would be not having to deal =20=

with
such goals as required by NCLB. This way, for example, the schools =20
don't
have to worry about all those subgroups.