July 30, 2004
THE HARD EXPECTATIONS OF NO BIGOTRY:
Hispanic students lead gains in reading, math (ROSALIND ROSSI, July 30, 2004, Chicago Sun-Times)
Almost every grade showed statewide gains this year in reading and math -- the two subjects under increased pressure due to the new federal No Child Left Behind law, new data released Thursday showed.To a large degree, Hispanics fueled the increases, posting generally bigger gains than blacks or whites on state tests taken in April.
"We are particularly encouraged not only at how well our students are doing, but to the extent that the achievement gap . . . is narrowing,'' state Education Supt. Robert Schiller said in releasing preliminary results of the Illinois Standards Achievement Tests (ISAT) and the Prairie State Achievement Exams (PSAE).
Preliminary results showed that across Illinois, more than a third of students still are not meeting state standards -- roughly the equivalent of hitting grade level -- in most subjects and most grades. Some of the worst scores were in eighth- and 11th-grade math, where only 54 percent and 53 percent of students, respectively, passed state muster.
But generally, the trend was sweeping upward from last year among all races. Some Hispanic gains were huge, such as a jump of 11.7 percentage points in fifth-grade math and of 10.7 points in fourth-grade science.
Statewide, among 18 tests taken, the only downturn was in 11th-grade math, which dipped fractionally, and in fourth- and seventh-grade social science.
"I can't remember a year when there's been so many gains,'' said Barbara Radner, director of DePaul University's Center for Urban Education and member of a state No Child Left Behind task force. "The only place where we seem to be slipping is social studies, and they are dumping [tests in] it."
"No Child Left Behind tells schools to do a better job or we'll shut you down,'' said Radner, who has been an NCLB critic. "They got the message.''
Remind us again why we should return to the failed policies of the past that Senator Kerry is peddling? Posted by Orrin Judd at July 30, 2004 10:51 AM
I wonder how many more positive articles like this on NCLB will it take for conservatives to realize NCLB was not the disaster they think it was and stop bashing Bush over it?
Posted by: AWW at July 30, 2004 11:06 AMAWW:
Ted Kennedy voted for it and it spends money--it could teach squirrels to read and write and the true believers would still think it a disaster.
Posted by: oj at July 30, 2004 11:16 AMOr people are somehow "fixing" the test results in school. I know several people who work in education (as admins, not teachers though). The feedback I get from them is that NCLB is causing the schools to act even more dysfunctionally.
I don't know if this is a common effect or even the long term one. However, based so far I cannot say NCLB is a success. I'll have to withhold judgment for several years until enough facts accumulate.
Posted by: Chris Durnell at July 30, 2004 11:23 AMIf administrators liked it I'd say junk it.
Posted by: oj at July 30, 2004 11:28 AM>Remind us again why we should return to the
>failed policies of the past that Senator Kerry
>is peddling?
Because that is The Party Line, Comrade.
doubleplusgoodthink, doubleplusbellyfeel ingsoc.