NCTE'S Recommendations for Changes in the No Child Left
Behind Act (NCLB)
Why Should I Ask My Members
of Congress to Support the NCTE Recommendations for Changes in
NCLB?
The NCLB Act is due for
reauthorization this year. Legislators are currently discussing the
modifications to the Act and fundamental reforms are likely to be proposed in
the days ahead. So far, as many as 130 leading education organizations have
filed position statements on NCLB.
The NCTE Executive Committee
has approved recommendations that align with NCTE's
values and the best research in the field and we
have sent a Detailed List of NCTE's Recommendations for Changes in NCLB to
Congress to the Senate and House committees on
education.
It is vital that our voice be
heard by those who have the power to make changes in the law, so the
changes that are made will be in the best interest of the entire literacy
education community -- students, teachers, and schools.
What Are the
Changes NCTE Recommends for
NCLB?
NCTE recommends
that
-
Multiple assessments and
multiple forms of evidence be used to determine student and school
progress.
-
Assessment data be made
available to teachers in a timely fashion so they can use it to shape
instruction.
-
A definition of "scientifically-valid reading research" that
aligns with that of the National Research Council, emphasizing peer review and
multiple methodologies, be incorporated into the law.
-
For state NCLB grant review,
an objective peer review system be adopted that empowers independent panels of
scholars representing multiple perspectives to make
recommendations on the basis of observable data.
-
Growth models be adopted as
ways to track increased achievement and provide longitudinal data based on the
performance of individual students and subgroups instead of the existing
Adequate Yearly Progress measure. In particular, growth models provide a more
valid means of measuring success for English Language Learners (ELLs) and
at-risk students, who need extended time to achieve and maintain proficiency in
literacy.
-
Congress increase federal
funding for capacity building in schools and districts by setting aside Title II
funds for the ongoing professional development of educators, not merely for
class size reduction (the focus of most current
spending).
-
Federal programs be designed
to support highly prepared, experienced teachers in schools with the greatest
number of high-need students.
-
Providers of supplementary
services also be highly prepared
teachers.
What Should I Do?
-
-
Take time to visit your Members of Congress or their aides when they are
home in your district. Use the NCTE Visit Your Legislator guidelines and resources for
making an appointment. Use the
NCLB information above as an anchor for your discussion. Tell your own story of what you know works or is
needed to improve the No Child Left Behind Act. Don't forget to send a thank you note after your visit and include
any information you may have offered to provide during your visit -- an email
will do.
What Is the No Child Left Behind
Act?
- NCLB or the No Child Left Behind Act is the version of the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) authorized by Congress and signed
into law by President George W. Bush in 2002. Reading First is the K-3 Title I Reading portion
of NCLB (Note this program has undergone a government audit which found
corruption and mismanagement in the way the Department of Education
handled the grants process).
- The law was authorized for five years and, so, is up for
reauthorization this year.
- The stated purpose of the Act
is "To close the achievement gap with accountability, flexibility, and choice,
so that no child is left behind."
- The law provides definitions
on a wide number of educational terms from highly qualified teachers to
scientifically-based research to the sorts of lessons teachers should
use.
- States apply for money to
support their educational programs through grant applications to the U.S.
Department of Education.
- In turn, each state must
measure every public school student's progress in reading and math in each of
grades 3 through 8 and at least once during grades 10 through 12. These
assessments must be aligned with state academic content and achievement
standards.
- States must provide parents
with objective data on where their child stands academically [in] easy-to-read,
detailed report cards on schools and districts, telling...which ones are
succeeding and why.
- States must insure that all
teachers of core academic subjects be highly qualified by the end of the 2005-06
school year.
8/7/07
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