Download or read book Fixing the NCLB Accountability System CRESST Policy Brief 8 Summer 2005 written by Robert L. Linn and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 8 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act is praiseworthy for the special attention it gives to improved learning for children who have been ignored or left behind in the past. The emphasis on closing the achievement gap is certainly commendable, as is the encouragement given to states to adopt ambitious subject matter standards and enhance teacher quality. NCLB's focus on students with low achievement seems to have had some short-term positive effects. The percentage of schools meeting Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) targets increased in 2003-04 from the year before in most states, and the recently released National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) long-term trend scores have shown some narrowing of achievement gaps. Given the positives, a conclusion might be made that NCLB is working, and hence no changes are needed at this point. Unfortunately, the accountability system has some fundamental problems that threaten to undermine its central goals over the next few years. Dissatisfaction with some of the accountability provisions led the U.S. Department of Education to make some changes in NCLB accountability requirements last year, with more on the way this year. The changes, however, are what Jim Popham calls "edge-softening" and do not deal with NCLB's fundamental problems, which include expectations, targets, state proficiency levels, reporting, and the safe harbor provision. The remainder of this policy brief describes each problem and offers proposals for improvement. (Contains 5 figures and 7 endnotes.).
Download or read book No Child Left Behind Act Assistance from Educ Could Help States Better Measure Progress of Students with Limited English Proficiency written by and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on with total page 78 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book No Child Left Behind written by William Hayes and published by R&L Education. This book was released on 2008-08-14 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: While few would quarrel with the goal of the No Child Left Behind legislation, the nation is badly divided over whether the law is having a positive effect on our schools. At the same time, it is also true that most Americans, including many professional educators, have only a limited understanding of the content and scope of the legislation. As we are currently engaged in a national debate about the future role of the federal government in the field of education, it is essential that people become better informed about the history, content, and results of No Child Left Behind. This book is a valuable tool informing the current discussion on the reauthorization of the law. As a result, the reader will be better able to make up his own mind as to the direction we should take as a nation in pursuing the noble objective of ensuring that no child is left behind.
Download or read book CRESST Policy Brief written by and published by . This book was released on 1998* with total page 16 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Education Reform in the American States written by Jerry McBeath and published by IAP. This book was released on 2008-04-01 with total page 318 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Education Reform in the American States is a timely evaluation of the accountability movement in American public education, culminating in the No Child Left Behind Act, federal legislation of 2002. The authors treat the current accountability movement, placing it in historical context and addressing the evolution in public education policymaking from the overwhelming emphasis on state and local discretion to increasing federal oversight and mandates related to federal funding. They provide case studies of the educational accountability movements in nine states and analyze the factors and forces which explain progress in achievement levels as measured on standardized tests and the states' prospects for meeting their NCLB targets. The book and the individual case studies acknowledge the merits of NCLB while exposing several significant flaws and unintended harmful consequences of the act, particularly its incentives for states to lower their standards in order to meet annual yearly progress targets and its threat to withdraw federal funds from districts with the highest percentage of disadvantaged students. The audience for this study includes local, state and federal education policy makers; administrators and instructors in schools of education and other teaching programs, educators; and the general public.
Download or read book Consequences of No Child Left Behind on Educational Evaluation written by Tiffany Berry and published by Jossey-Bass. This book was released on 2008-04-04 with total page 124 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume explores how key aspects of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) have transformed the landscape of educational evaluation, and ultimately how this process is redefining what evaluation is within the educational evaluation community. In their chapters, the authors examine case studies, critical commentaries, and technical information related to the nexus between evaluation and NCLB. The volume is intended to stimulate conversation around fundamental issues in the discipline of evaluation, including blurring the lines among research, evaluation, and assessment; prioritizing summative evaluations over formative; using questions to drive research design rather than the reverse; balancing accountability requirements with other stakeholder needs; exploring the role of evaluation capacity building in an institutional setting; understanding the availability and appropriate use of assessment data; and defining learning outcomes that are based on standardized test scores alone. Evaluative activities have become integrated into the fabric of NCLB primarily through two core aspects of the legislation: responding to accountability systems and implementing scientifically based research. One plausible consequence of this close integration is that the purpose, design, and practice of evaluation may actually be transformed by this legislation. This volume describes these transformative influences and then explores the potential consequences. This is the 117th volume of the Jossey-Bass quarterly report series New Directions for Evaluation, an official publication of the American Evaluation Association.
Download or read book Reach the Highest Standard in Professional Learning Data written by Thomas R. Guskey and published by Corwin Press. This book was released on 2014-06-05 with total page 90 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When teachers use data effectively, students see results. Learning Forward is a leader in understanding and advancing professional learning that leads to student success. This series explores Learning Forward’s seven Standards for Professional Learning, which outline the characteristics of effective professional learning. In this volume, the authors explore the crucial function of data for designing, implementing, and evaluating professional learning. The book’s features include: An original "think piece" by Thomas Guskey on using data in deliberate and thoughtful ways in the context of professional learning Specific implementation strategies that focus on analyzing student, educator, and system data and assessing progress A detailed case study of one district’s journey to successful use of data and how it led to measurable improvement in student achievement Learning to collect, analyze and use data is an essential component of professional development. When schools are able to make data work for them, students are the ones who benefit.
Download or read book Standards Based Accountability Under No Child Left Behind written by Laura S. Hamilton and published by Rand Corporation. This book was released on 2007-05-24 with total page 303 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Since 2001-2002, standards-based accountability provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 have shaped the work of public school teachers and administrators in the United States. This book sheds light on how accountability policies have been translated into actions at the district, school, and classroom levels in three states.
Download or read book The Practical Benefits of Growth Models for Accountability and the Limitations Under NCLB Policy Brief 9 Spring 2007 written by Pete Goldschmidt and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 12 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 requires states to monitor student and school performance based on "adequate yearly progress" (AYP), which essentially is a count of the number of students meeting a specified target. States, many of which have a growing number of schools and school districts entering NCLB's "needs improvement" status, have urged the U.S. Department of Education to consider alternate ways to measure and report student progress because AYP disproportionately identifies certain schools as failing (Choi, Goldschmidt, & Yamashiro, 2005). Some researchers have predicted that by the 2013-2014 school year, nearly all schools and school districts will not meet AYP requirements, even many of America's highest achieving schools in affluent areas (Goldschmidt, 2006; Linn, 2005). In November 2005, U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings, announced a Growth Model Pilot program (U.S. Department of Education, 2006) to which states may submit alternative accountability models to monitor schools. As of February 2007, five states--Tennessee, North Carolina, Delaware, Arkansas, and Florida--have had their growth models approved for use in 2006-2007. Growth models are a different way to track student progress compared with current NCLB requirements that use AYP. This policy brief addresses the broader topic of education accountability models, or systems, describes both status and growth accountability models, and provides several policy recommendations. (Contains 5 figures and 4 notes.).
Download or read book Curriculum Leadership written by Allan A. Glatthorn and published by SAGE. This book was released on 2012 with total page 553 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Curriculum Leadership: Strategies for Development and Implementation, Third Edition is a one-of-a-kind resource written for educational leaders, teachers, and administrators. Responding to the need for globally connected classrooms and innovative leadership, this unique text provides a rich and inclusive foundation of curriculum. The authors draw upon a wide range of research and experience to provide readers with creative, up-to-date curriculum strategies and ideas. In sharing innovative programs, learning experiences, and new approaches, they build a solid connection for curriculum development from theory to practice, helping future leaders in education meet the global challenges of our time.
Download or read book Effects of Test Linking Methods on Proficiency Classification written by Young Yee Kim and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 436 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book How Well Are American Students Learning written by Tom Loveless and published by . This book was released on 2007-03-07 with total page 34 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The 2006 Brown Center Report on American Education uses the latest and best evidence available to evaluate student achievement in America's schools. This year's report analyzes test scores from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), assesses the validity of popular press accounts linking self-esteem and real world-relevance with student learning, and evaluates how providing special education affects the budgets of local school districts.
Download or read book Incentives and Test Based Accountability in Education written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2011-10-18 with total page 111 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In recent years there have been increasing efforts to use accountability systems based on large-scale tests of students as a mechanism for improving student achievement. The federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) is a prominent example of such an effort, but it is only the continuation of a steady trend toward greater test-based accountability in education that has been going on for decades. Over time, such accountability systems included ever-stronger incentives to motivate school administrators, teachers, and students to perform better. Incentives and Test-Based Accountability in Education reviews and synthesizes relevant research from economics, psychology, education, and related fields about how incentives work in educational accountability systems. The book helps identify circumstances in which test-based incentives may have a positive or a negative impact on student learning and offers recommendations for how to improve current test-based accountability policies. The most important directions for further research are also highlighted. For the first time, research and theory on incentives from the fields of economics, psychology, and educational measurement have all been pulled together and synthesized. Incentives and Test-Based Accountability in Education will inform people about the motivation of educators and students and inform policy discussions about NCLB and state accountability systems. Education researchers, K-12 school administrators and teachers, as well as graduate students studying education policy and educational measurement will use this book to learn more about the motivation of educators and students. Education policy makers at all levels of government will rely on this book to inform policy discussions about NCLB and state accountability systems.
Download or read book Key Elements for Educational Accountability Models written by Alan Weisburg and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 131 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The purpose of this report is to summarize the work that has been done to date on developing a set of standards for accountability and inform those not familiar or well experienced in accountability about essential elements of a good/valid accountability system. In addition, [the authors] wanted to create a tool that states could use in developing a new accountability system or in evaluating a current one. The audience is intended to be state or district policymakers who are designing, redesigning, or reviewing their accountability system. This report expands accountability beyond the federal definition under NCLB" (p 1).
Download or read book The Unintended Consequences of High Stakes Testing written by Gail M. Jones and published by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. This book was released on 2003-04-09 with total page 189 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: To better understand how high-stakes accountability has influenced teaching and learning, this book takes an in-depth look at the myriad consequences that high-stakes tests hold for students, teachers, administrators, and the public. By focusing on these tests and spending large amounts of time on test preparation and driving teachers to teach low-level, rote memorization, schools are essentially wiping out non-tested subjects such as science, social studies, physical education, and the arts. Although testing is promoted as a strategy for improving education for all, research shows that testing has differential effects on students with special needs, minority students, students living in poverty, and those for whom English is a second language. The Unintended Consequences of High Stakes Testing unpacks the assumptions and philosophical foundations on which testing policies are based. The authors' arguments are grounded in extensive interviews and research. Through an examination of research, these authors show that high-stakes testing promotes students' dependence on extrinsic motivation at the cost of intrinsic motivation and the associated love of learning—which has tangible impacts on their education and lives. Features: -Examines how high stakes testing from the perspectives of teachers, students, and adminstrators. -Considers how testing impacts the curriculum including tested subjects such as reading, writing, and mathematics as well as non-tested subjects such as science, social studies, physical education, and the arts. -Documents how teachers and administrators engage in test preparation and discusses ethical and unethical test preparation practices. -Reviews the evolution of testing through history and how it mpacts the curriculum. -Examines the differential effects of testing on students with special needs, minority students, students living in poverty, and those for whom English is a second language.
Download or read book Handbook on Restructuring and Substantial School Improvement written by Herbert J. Walberg and published by Information Age Publishing. This book was released on 2007 with total page 140 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As suggested by the title, the purpose of this Handbook on Restructuring and Substantial School Improvement is to provide principles for restructuring and substantially improving schools. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, the Center on Innovation & Improvement (CII) engaged leading experts on restructuring and school improvement to prepare modules for this handbook to assist states, districts, and schools in establishing policies, procedures, and support to successfully restructure schools. The Handbook is organized into three sections. The topic of the Handbook's modules - restructuring with a focus on the district as the impetus for dramatic improvement - is relatively new in the nation's education history. For this reason, the module authors were selected because they are highly experienced experts in their fields and can be counted on to judiciously weigh the less than definitive evidence and to state useful guiding principles.
Download or read book Automated Essay Scoring written by Mark D. Shermis and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2003-01-30 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This new volume is the first to focus entirely on automated essay scoring and evaluation. It is intended to provide a comprehensive overview of the evolution and state-of-the-art of automated essay scoring and evaluation technology across several disciplines, including education, testing and measurement, cognitive science, computer science, and computational linguistics. The development of this technology has led to many questions and concerns. Automated Essay Scoring attempts to address some of these questions including: *How can automated scoring and evaluation supplement classroom instruction? *How does the technology actually work? *Can it improve students' writing? *How reliable is the technology? *How can these computing methods be used to develop evaluation tools? *What are the state-of the-art essay evaluation technologies and automated scoring systems? Divided into four parts, the first part reviews the teaching of writing and how computers can contribute to it. Part II analyzes actual automated essay scorers including e-raterTM, Intellimetric, and the Intelligent Essay Assessor. The third part analyzes related psychometric issues, and the final part reviews innovations in the field. This book is ideal for researchers and advanced students interested in automated essay scoring from the fields of testing and measurement, education, cognitive science, language, and computational linguistics.
