Education Policy: Efforts

What happens if a school does not meet their required AYP after 3 YEARS? (NCLB)

still considered as "Needing Improvement" have to do the same things as a 2year failing school does BUT ALSO must provide some supplemental educational services

What are the educational policies outlined in Race to the Top?

1) Adopting nation wide "college and career ready standards" ---- Common Core Standards Initiative ---- so would use this instead of the state standards 2) Evaluating students ---- Smarter Balanced assessments. Based on Common Core. Given spring 2015. Results not back yet. 3) Evaluating teachers and principals ---- ONLY MANDATORY PART ---- value added model for teachers 4) Promoting charter school development for low-performing schools

What is the process of carrying out NCLB?

1) Each state sets a bar of a proficiency level that they decide, and which a school MUST attain within 2 years 2) Each school's students are measured via an assessment on reading, math, and science every year from grades 3-8 and once a year in high school 3) Every year of assessment, the states are required to report on all of their school's ANNUAL YEARLY PROGRESS (AYP) results from the assessment - levels of Basic, Proficient, and Advanced 4) In the reports, they have to specifically report the AYP of the following groups separately.... - Low-income - Disability - Ethnic/racial minority - Gifted - All others 5) Subsequent thresholds must be raised once every three years, until, at the end of 2012, all students in state test "proficient" in reading, math, and science. 6) If do not meet the thresholds after 2 years, the schools face punishment

What are the most cited criticisms of NCLB?

1) Limit gifted and talented "creative" programs -- schools would purposefully limit those programs so they can call their gifted students average, and thus raise their scores 2) Conflicts with IDEA which states schools must accommodate disabled students -- disabled students did not get accommodations for the assessments that NCLB mandated 3) Schools teaching to the test -- NCLB has a strict focus on reading and math, so schools increased their emphasis on those subjects -- no focus on other subjects 4) Restructuring fails -- Can't get new teachers (who wants to work at a low-performing school with probably less pay and more time working?) -- Spend all summer hiring, so can do no planning -- The Teachers Union won't let firing occur -- Terrible for morale -- Details not provided

Results of doing NCLB as of now?

FAILURE About 80% of Title 1 schools do not meet AYP More than 4,000 schools in restructuring phase

What happens if a school does not meet their required AYP after 2 YEARS? (NCLB)

Identified as "Needing Improvement" 1) School officials develop two-year PLAN to turn around school 2) Students offered option of TRANSFERRING to another school in district not identified as needing improvement (can include a charter school).

Why did the NCLB policy fail?

LOOPHOLES ex= in Restructuring phase (5 years) many schools choose the "any other major restructuring" option, which is way too vague RESTRUCTURING FAILS NO SUPPORT/EXTRA MONEY TO FIX THE SCHOOLS NO ACCOMDATIONS FOR DISABLED KIDS/CONFLICTS WITH IDEA

What are the main differences between NCLB and Race to the Top?

NCLB= law Race to the Top= not a law, but a grant program NCLB= punishment methods Race to the Top= reward methods

2 main education policy efforts

No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Race to the Top

Race to the Top , 2009

Obama grant program (not law) $4 billion+ to spur local and state K-12 reforms States are rewarded points for satisfying certain educational policies.... states who get the most points= MONEY ---- the states get to CHOOSE which ones they want to satisfy

No Child Left Behind (NCLB)

became a LAW in 2002 ONLY FOR TITLE 1 SCHOOLS Standards based education reform GOAL::::: Provide government with objective data on schools and parents with data on their child HOW?::::: Reading, math, science tested Grades 3-8 and once in high school - Obtain a score categorized as basic, proficient, or advanced. Assessments used are aligned with state standards - States choose what standards to describe as "proficient"

What happens if a school does not meet their required AYP after 4 YEARS? (NCLB)

considered as "Corrective Action" Have to implement corrective actions, such as -- replace certain staff -- fully implement a new curriculum -- extend school day or year

What happens if a school does not meet their required AYP after 5 YEARS? (NCLB)

considered as "Restructuring" Must initiate plans to restructure school -- replace all or most of staff -- reopen school as charter school -- turn over school operations to state or private company -- any other major restructuring

Common Core Standards Initiative

part of Race to the Top states could choose to adopt this instead of their state standards Math and Literacy (reading/language arts) ---- math= fewer topics, but in more depth ---- literacy= "evidence support" focus -- mostly non fiction, no creative writing but research writing= how to build an argument 42 states have adopted it