Education News in Alabama

April 15, 2005 (archive)

IT WAS A GOOD WEEK FOR:

No Child Left Behind, with the announcement from the U.S. Department of Education that it will give states and local districts that show measurable student achievement more flexibility in how the law is implemented. "This law is here to stay, it is for the long haul," says Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings. The goal is to emphasize "results over bureaucratic compliance and process.” “Raising Achievement: A New Path for No Child Left Behind” details new guiding principles to help states implement NCLB “while taking their unique situations into consideration.” The key change: If states can prove they've made progress toward closing achievement gaps, they will be given greater flexibility on how to move special education, ESL, and other subgroups toward proficiency. This will be especially helpful for Alabama, where many special education, minority and poverty-level students are making progress but still falling short of proficiency goals.

Read the full report from the U.S. Department of Education
Read Education Secretary Margaret Spellings’ editorial in the Washington Post

Modifications Related to Students with Disabilities
The USDE also issued a new policy regarding students with disabilities. Many states have been concerned about the requirement under NCLB to require students with persistent academic disabilities to take regular state assessments and for those test scores to be included in statewide accountability measures. Under the new policy, states may develop modified academic achievement standards and use alternate assessments based on those standards for students who receive special education services and are served under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). States may include proficient scores from alternate forms of testing to help schools meet adequate yearly progress (AYP) goals, but those scores will be capped at 2% of the total tested population. There is no limit as to how many students may take alternate tests.

In other NCLB-related news:
The Center on Education Policy released its third annual report on how the states are implementing NCLB. Using data drawn from surveys of school districts and states, as well as more in-depth district-level case studies, the report examines what policymakers and educators are actually doing “in the trenches” to implement the law.

The report finds that student test scores are rising in a majority of school districts since the passage of NCLB in 2001. The number of schools identified as needing improvement is also declining, and schools and districts are focusing more attention and resources on the needs of struggling students.

"Report on the No Child Left Behind Act: Year 3," Center on Education Policy (March 2005)

The Council of Great City Schools released a report last week that showed improvements in student achievement in 65 major urban districts in 38 states. Specifically, the percentage of fourth- and eighth-graders scoring at or above proficiency in math and reading in those districts is up substantially. In fourth-grade math, for example, 55.3 percent were proficient in 2004, up from 44.1 percent in 2002. Overall, more than 95 percent of urban systems increased their math scores in more than half the grades tested, while almost 70 percent increased their math scores faster than their surrounding states. Furthermore, the report shows that these districts are narrowing achievement gaps between white/wealthy students and poor/minority students.

The Birmingham City School District is the only Alabama district included in the Council of Great City Schools.

"Beating the Odds: A City-by-City Analysis of Student Performance and Achievement Gaps on State Assessments," Michael Casserly, with analysis by Sharon Lewis, Janice Ceperich, and De’Shauna Thornton (March 2005)
(note: this link automatically downloads this document)

STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION UPDATE

The State Board of Education held its monthly business meeting on Thursday, April 14. The most significant item on the agenda was advancing the implementation of testing teachers on their knowledge of the content they teach. In Spring 2006, every teacher candidate seeking certification will be required to pass the PRAXIS II subject-specific test in his or her content area. In order to have a valid cut score by May 2006, the state must start collecting data now. In order to do so, the State Board passed an emergency resolution to require graduates of teacher preparation programs in Alabama to take the PRAXIS II subject-specific test. From now until May 2006, teacher candidates take the test so that the State Department of Education can gather data in order to determine a beginning passing score. After May 2006, teacher candidates must pass the PRAXIS II test in order to be certified.

Recognitions:

• The State Board recognized Janis Stewart, principal of Meadowview Elementary in Selma, who recently was named National Distinguished Principal for the State of Alabama by the U.S. Department of Education and the National Association of Elementary School Principals.
• Dr. Ethel Hall, District IV, noted that Shelby County Schools had been commended for their great work with ESL students.

IN THE NEWS

BETSY ROGERS FEATURED IN EDUCATION WEEK
Alabama’s own Dr. Betsy Rogers was the subject of a recent article in Education Week. Rogers chose to return to the classroom at the end of her “reign” as the 2003 National Teacher of the Year. The article details some of the challenges she has faced during the current school year as curriculum coordinator at Brighton Elementary, the neediest school in Jefferson County.

Read Betsy’s story and her online journal.

SCHOOLMATTERS.COM REPORTS NATIONAL STUDENT DATA, FINANCIAL INFORMATION
On March 29, a new website was launched to give parents, policymakers, media and taxpayers a snapshot of classroom, performance and financial information for every school, district and state in the United States. Schoolmatters.com is a project of the Education Data Partnership, a collaboration of the Council of Chief State School Officers, Standard and Poor’s School Evaluation Services, Achieve Inc., and the CELT Corporation. It is funded by a $45 million investment from the Broad Foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Schoolmatters.com uses data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the National Center for Education Statistics, and public information made available from each state. The data for Alabama is not as complete as other states, as we only have one year of results for the Alabama Reading and Math Tests (ARMT), the statewide assessment administered in grades 3 – 8.
http://www.schoolmatters.com

ACHIEVEMENT ALLIANCE PUBLISHES FIRST NEWSLETTER
The Achievement Alliance is a partnership of the Education Trust, Citizens' Commission on Civil Rights, Just for the Kids/National Center on Education Accountability, Business Roundtable, and National Council of La Raza. This newly formed organization seeks to support No Child Left Behind and provide accurate information about student performance. To that end, the first issue of Alliance Alert features success stories from schools that are proving that every child can learn to high standards when taught to high standards. The newsletter can be downloaded from the Achievement Alliance’s website at http://www.achievementalliance.org.

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