Assessment & NCLB

During the last five weeks or so since I began receiving a variety of RSS feeds for class, I have read many blogs discussing issues with the renewal of the No Child Left Behind legislation. As educators we are all acutely aware of the impact, both positive and negative, that NCLB has had in our classrooms and schools. I have spent many hours debating with myself, my colleagues, and my family about the fine line we walk when balancing the need for accountability and our educational system.

Many of us have witnessed students who are poor test takers that find themselves in summer school retaking one section of our state's CRCT in order to be promoted to the next grade level. This type of high-stakes testing has been a point of controversy since the law was first proposed. In fact, as new legislation is being prepared many, including the chair of the house education committee, are suggesting that other measures should be included when evaluating school districts.

Others are continuing to discuss compensating schools and teachers for their students' performance on these gateway tests. My sister and I have often spoken of this as she teaches in the poorest elementary school in our home district in Tennessee. She is quick to raise the question: who would want to teach in her school whose students have not had the advantages and life exposure that others have experienced if any sort of compensation is linked to testing success. An interesting entry from ABC News explores this very issue and how many districts and states are dealing with merit pay linked to student performance.

During August the PBS NewsHour Online has presented a series on NCLB. Some interesting reads can be found there regarding how some states are finding loopholes, simplifying tests, etc. to meet AYP. All of this led me to question how we in education could be potentially compromising our true purpose when we become so absorbed in our attempts to ensure that everyone passes all highstakes testing. Interestingly in Texas where much of this began, the legislators have decided to end high school exit exams. Be sure to listen to the NPR story on this.

Then today, I ran across this great blog on Rethinking Assessment. The discussion centers on the issue of "assessment for learning" versus "assessment of learning". I know this has been a huge emphasis in my school district and it seems to complete the circle back to NCLB and how we measure success and learning. While I don't believe that the current legislation is perfect, I am encouraged that the level of discussion and debate about education continues to grow. Complicated issues never have quick fixes, but perhaps we are at least on the right road again.