69ý

Federal

Spellings Announces Alternative for Measuring State Progress

By David J. Hoff — November 18, 2005 3 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL

As many as 10 states will be able to use so-called “growth models” this school year to evaluate the success of their schools and districts in meeting student achievement goals under the No Child Left Behind Act, U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings announced here today.

Speaking to the Council of Chief State School Officers at their annual policy forum, Ms. Spellings said she would approve plans that track individual student test scores from year to year and assure that all students are on track toward being proficient in reading and mathematics by the 2013-14 school year.

States must apply for the program by Feb. 17 if they want to use the new evaluation methods for the current school year. To be eligible for the pilot, states must have given tests in each of grades 3-8 and high school in reading and mathematics for more than one year.

At least half of the states won’t be eligible for the pilot program, she added, because they don’t have test-score data in grades 3-8 from the 2004-05 school year.

Since becoming secretary of education in January, Ms. Spellings has made it a priority to create what she calls common-sense solutions for states and districts as they implement the federal law, which President Bush signed in 2002.

With the growth-model proposal, Ms. Spellings said she wants to give states a new option for determining whether a school or district is making adequate yearly progress toward meeting the law’s goal that all students are proficient by 2013-14 in reading and math.

The growth models would allow states to declare schools and districts as making AYP if the schools can prove individual students made progress toward proficiency. The current method requires states to make AYP determinations based on whether a certain percentage of students score at or above the proficient level on state tests in any given year.

Rigorous Standards

To qualify for the new pilot program, Ms. Spellings said, states still must promise that schools would evaluate whether students in all demographic and ethnic subgroups outlined in the No Child Left Behind law are demonstrating test-score growth.

And that growth must be significant, she added. If a student starts the year behind grade level, he or she must show progress greater than one year of instruction, she told the audience here.

“We’re not just looking for any level of improvement,” she said. “When a student is behind, one year of progress for every year of instruction will not be enough to close the gap.”

The high standard is necessary to head off criticisms that the new approach is an attempt to make it easier for schools and districts to meet AYP goals, the secretary said.

“It has to be very rigorous and withstand a lot of scrutiny,” she said. “We do not want to have a wishy-washy approach” that allows critics to say “it left kids behind.”

Reactions to the announcement were swift and varied.

California Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell welcomed the change, noting in a written statement that his state has used a growth model, the Academic Performance Index, since 1999.

“I am glad to see the federal government’s recognition of the validity of a growth model to measure improved student achievement,” he said. “While we are looking forward to receiving more specific information about the criteria the federal government will apply, California will attempt to take advantage of this new and welcome flexibility.”

Others cited concerns about how the pilot will be implemented and the possible results.

Kati Haycock, the director of the Education Trust, a Washington-based group that advocates for improved schools serving low-income and minority students, called for the process and results “to be fully transparent and that the pilot be limited to only a few states.

“This can’t be about using growth models to let schools, districts, and states off the hook,” she said in a written statement.

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Artificial Intelligence Webinar
AI and Educational Leadership: Driving Innovation and Equity
Discover how to leverage AI to transform teaching, leadership, and administration. Network with experts and learn practical strategies.
Content provided by 
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School Climate & Safety Webinar
Investing in Success: Leading a Culture of Safety and Support
Content provided by 
Assessment K-12 Essentials Forum Making Competency-Based Learning a Reality
Join this free virtual event to hear from educators and experts working to implement competency-based education.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.

Read Next

Federal Opinion What's Really at Stake for Education in This Election?
What a Harris or Trump presidential victory might mean for federal education policy, according to Rick Hess.
5 min read
The United States Capitol building as a bookcase filled with red, white, and blue policy books in a Washington DC landscape.
Luca D'Urbino for Education Week
Federal Trump's K-12 Record in His First Term Offers a Blueprint for What Could Be Next
In his first term, Trump sought to significantly expand school choice, slash K-12 spending, and tear down the U.S. Department of Education.
11 min read
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos listens at left as President Donald Trump speaks during a round table discussion at Saint Andrew Catholic School on March 3, 2017, in Orlando, Fla.
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos listens at left as President Donald Trump speaks during a round table discussion at Saint Andrew Catholic School on March 3, 2017, in Orlando, Fla. The education policies Trump pursued in his first term offer clues for what a second Trump term would look like for K-12 schools.
Alex Brandon/AP
Federal From Our Research Center How Educators Say They'll Vote in the 2024 Election
Educators' feelings on Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump vary by age and the communities where they work.
4 min read
Jacob Lewis, 3, waits at a privacy booth as his grandfather, Robert Schroyer, fills out his ballot while voting at Sabillasville Elementary School, Nov. 8, 2022, in Sabillasville, Md.
Jacob Lewis, 3, waits at a privacy booth as his grandfather, Robert Schroyer, fills out his ballot while voting at Sabillasville Elementary School, Nov. 8, 2022, in Sabillasville, Md.
Julio Cortez/AP
Federal Q&A Oklahoma State Chief Ryan Walters: 'Trump's Won the Argument on Education'
The state schools chief's name comes up as Republicans discuss who could become education secretary in a second Trump administration.
8 min read
Ryan Walters, then-Republican candidate for Oklahoma State Superintendent, speaks at a rally, Nov. 1, 2022, in Oklahoma City.
Ryan Walters speaks at a rally on Nov. 1, 2022, in Oklahoma City as a candidate for state superintendent of public instruction. He won the race and has built a national profile for governing in the MAGA mold.
Sue Ogrocki/AP