Thread: State Lawmakers Question 'No Child Left Behind

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/educati ... etail.html
POSTED: 11:22 am MST February 24, 2005

DENVER -- Some state lawmakers are questioning whether Colorado schools will ever be able to fully meet the standards laid out by President George W. Bush's landmark education bill.

No Child Left Behind requires that all students be proficient in reading and math by the 2013-2014 school year. However, Sen. Suzanne Williams, D-Aurora, said Wednesday that schools will never be able to reach that goal if special education students, who usually read a level two or three grade levels below other students, are forced to take the same standardized tests.

"I just think it's a farce, that's all it is," Williams said during a briefing on the law from the state education department.

The criticism came on the same day that a national, bipartisan group of state legislators released a report calling on the White House and Congress to make changes to the law. The National Conference of State Legislators said the 100 percent proficiency goal isn't realistic and that some schools face problems teaching students with disabilities and students who are learning English.

The federal law requires Colorado to track the performance of students on the state's reading and math achievement tests. The results are broken out according to racial groups as well as for students learning English, low-income students and those with a range of disabilities who are in special education programs. If any of these groups fail to meet the achievement goals in a district, the whole district is labeled as not making adequate yearly progress under No Child Left Behind.

For example, Cherry Creek School District, considered one of the highest performing school districts in the state, has failed to make adequate yearly progress for two straight years because of the performance of special education students.

State education board member Evie Hudak, who doesn't think it's possible for all children to reach proficiency by 2014, said lawmakers concerned about the issue should lobby their representatives in Washington for changes.

Hudak admits it's a difficult issue because the thrust of Bush's law is that every child is capable of learning and shouldn't be written off.

"We need to find a balance between holding high expectations and having students perform well and punishing people for what they can never do," she said.

Pat Chlouber, the regional representative for the U.S. Department of Education, said new Education Secretary Margaret Spellings will probably make some changes through new regulations but no large changes are expected in the law until it is reauthorized in 2007.

Chlouber said No Child Left Behind is providing money to schools to help students earlier who are struggling to learn how to read and that could ultimately prevent those students from being routed to special education programs.

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/educati ... etail.html
POSTED: 11:22 am MST February 24, 2005

DENVER -- Some state lawmakers are questioning whether Colorado schools will ever be able to fully meet the standards laid out by President George W. Bush's landmark education bill.

No Child Left Behind requires that all students be proficient in reading and math by the 2013-2014 school year. However, Sen. Suzanne Williams, D-Aurora, said Wednesday that schools will never be able to reach that goal if special education students, who usually read a level two or three grade levels below other students, are forced to take the same standardized tests.

"I just think it's a farce, that's all it is," Williams said during a briefing on the law from the state education department.

The criticism came on the same day that a national, bipartisan group of state legislators released a report calling on the White House and Congress to make changes to the law. The National Conference of State Legislators said the 100 percent proficiency goal isn't realistic and that some schools face problems teaching students with disabilities and students who are learning English.

The federal law requires Colorado to track the performance of students on the state's reading and math achievement tests. The results are broken out according to racial groups as well as for students learning English, low-income students and those with a range of disabilities who are in special education programs. If any of these groups fail to meet the achievement goals in a district, the whole district is labeled as not making adequate yearly progress under No Child Left Behind.

For example, Cherry Creek School District, considered one of the highest performing school districts in the state, has failed to make adequate yearly progress for two straight years because of the performance of special education students.

State education board member Evie Hudak, who doesn't think it's possible for all children to reach proficiency by 2014, said lawmakers concerned about the issue should lobby their representatives in Washington for changes.

Hudak admits it's a difficult issue because the thrust of Bush's law is that every child is capable of learning and shouldn't be written off.

"We need to find a balance between holding high expectations and having students perform well and punishing people for what they can never do," she said.

Pat Chlouber, the regional representative for the U.S. Department of Education, said new Education Secretary Margaret Spellings will probably make some changes through new regulations but no large changes are expected in the law until it is reauthorized in 2007.

Chlouber said No Child Left Behind is providing money to schools to help students earlier who are struggling to learn how to read and that could ultimately prevent those students from being routed to special education programs.

>>The federal law requires Colorado to track the performance of students on the state's reading and math achievement tests. The results are broken out according to racial groups as well as for students learning English, low-income students and those with a range of disabilities who are in special education programs. If any of these groups fail to meet the achievement goals in a district, the whole district is labeled as not making adequate yearly progress under No Child Left Behind.<<

I have never seen any program written so well and designed to FAIL!

Also, it certainly is a fine method of keeping property owners bankrupted from the rising taxes.

>>The federal law requires Colorado to track the performance of students on the state's reading and math achievement tests. The results are broken out according to racial groups as well as for students learning English, low-income students and those with a range of disabilities who are in special education programs. If any of these groups fail to meet the achievement goals in a district, the whole district is labeled as not making adequate yearly progress under No Child Left Behind.<<

I have never seen any program written so well and designed to FAIL!

Also, it certainly is a fine method of keeping property owners bankrupted from the rising taxes.