O’Connell supports changes in NCLB, says achievement gains predate federal law
Published: June 8, 2007
An ambitious new national report from the Center on Education Policy set the stage for a number of developments this week, including the release of state Superintendent Jack O’Connell’s recommendations for the future of the federal government’s No Child Left Behind Act.
"I strongly agree with the goals of NCLB, but we must amend the law to more fairly and sensibly address the needs of states with established accountability systems and high expectations for schools," O’Connell said. NCLB took effect five years ago and is scheduled for reauthorization this year.
O’Connell’s recommendations, contained in an nine-page report accompanied by a letter to California’s congressional delegation, “are very much in line with CSBA’s Fix NCLB campaign,” as well as the recommendations of the Education Coalition, CSBA Principal Legislative Advocate Erika Hoffman pointed out.
Foremost among those recommendations is a call to incorporate dynamic “growth models” for measuring gains in student learning, as opposed to NCLB’s “status model,” which requires schools and districts nationwide to bring every student to proficiency in reading, math and science by the year 2014.
“Because state standards vary widely, states such as California that expect more of their students are more likely to fall short of the federal accountability goal, while states that hold lower expectations may appear to be doing better. That is both misleading and unfair,” O’Connell protested.
California standards and measurements
California's high expectations are evident in the Center for Education Policy report. Billed as “the most comprehensive and thorough study to date of the results of state tests” since President Bush signed NCLB in 2002, the report found gains in achievement in California and much of the nation and a narrowing of the achievement gap that divides many student subgroups.
An analysis of student performance—one of 50 state studies that accompany the 104-page document—yields two main findings: “Student performance increased in reading and math,” and “Gaps in percentages proficient in math narrowed between the Hispanic/white and economically disadvantaged/non-economically disadvantaged subgroups.”
However, the report, “Answering the Question That Matters Most: Has Student Achievement Increased Since No Child Left Behind?,” begs a further question: Was NCLB responsible for the gains in student achievement?
“It is very difficult, if not impossible, to determine the extent to which these trends in test results have occurred because of NCLB. Since 2002, states, school districts, and schools have simultaneously implemented many different but interconnected policies to raise achievement,” the respected, independent organization’s report acknowledges.
California’s concerted effort to boost student achievement began long before the federal government amended the Elementary and Secondary Education Act five years ago and rebranded it as “No Child Left Behind,” as O’Connell was quick to point out.
“California has had rigorous content standards and accountability in place since well before the implementation of No Child Left Behind, and the hard work done to align instruction, materials, professional development, and testing to our standards is clearly paying off," O’Connell said.
O’Connell traces the evolution of California’s standards-based education system back to 1996, when class-size reduction and tougher professional development standards were enacted. STAR—the state’s Standardized Testing and Reporting system—was authorized a year later, and dozens of other milestones, such as introduction of the Academic Performance Index in 1999, also predate NCLB and its academic yardstick, dubbed adequate yearly progress, which requires every student to meet each state’s proficiency standards—whatever they may be—by the year 2014.
"I firmly believe that California's Academic Performance Index—a model based on achievement growth from year to year—offers the public a more accurate and more comprehensive picture of school performance," O’Connell said.
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