AFT report shows states lagging in support for paras

Most states are not on schedule to meet a 2006 deadline in the No Child Left Behind Act that requires raising standards for hundreds of thousands of paraprofessionals who work with disadvantaged students, according to a new AFT report.

The state-by-state evaluation rates Illinois and New York as the only states “very well prepared” to meet NCLB’s deadline for ensuring that paraprofessionals, also known as classroom aides or assistants, meet new standards. Kansas, New Jersey, New Mexico and North Carolina earned a “well prepared” rating.

Overall, the report found that 23 states are having at least some success in improving the quality of paraprofessionals. But 27 states and the District of Columbia have made insufficient progress in meeting the deadline, which could force dedicated, experienced paraprofessionals out of classrooms where they are needed most.

“Paraprofessionals help students from disadvantaged communities catch up with their peers from more affluent neighborhoods,” says Nat LaCour, AFT executive vice president. “We need to commend the states that are evaluating and supporting these dedicated school workers, and we need to light a fire under states that are dragging their feet.”

AFT’s report measures whether states that use federal Title I funds for students in disadvantaged communities are helping paraprofessionals meet NCLB requirements. By Jan. 8, 2006, Title I paraprofessionals must have a two-year degree, two years of credit toward a four-year degree or a passing score on a state assessment.

The report, issued at the midpoint between NCLB’s enactment and the deadline, was released in New Orleans in conjunction with the PSRP program and policy council meeting. It grades states in several areas, including whether they provide multiple assessment options for paraprofessionals, financial support for college costs and testing fees, test preparation and helpful information on state Web sites.

“Midterm Report on States’ Efforts To Assist Paraprofessionals in Meeting NCLB Requirements” is available at www.aft.org/psrp/certification/Midtermreport/index.html.

AYP: The benchmark that isn't

A prominent education research group is asking hard questions about the adequate yearly progress benchmarks embedded in the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).

The law currently requires states to set proficiency levels for mathematics and reading but does not specify how these levels should be set—and the process “raises questions concerning the consistency and comparability of proficiency results from different states,” the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) warns in a new research brief entitled “The State of State Standards.”

The brief examines AYP standards established in 14 states. For each grade, 1,000 or more students from each participating state took the mandated state test along with a second NWEA examination designed to draw results into a common measurement scale. NWEA found:

n Proficiency standards among states differ enough to cause dramatic differences in the percentage of students categorized as “proficient,” even if the students have exactly the same skills.

n Proficiency standards within individual states differ enough across grades that they may provide teachers with inconsistent proficiency indicators for large groups of students.

n Proficiency standards between subject areas, within and across states, differ enough that they may provide schools with inconsistent information when comparing proficiency of students in reading to proficiency of students in math.

Considering the way that NCLB is designed, “it is not surprising that the proficiency levels differ, but the degree to which they differ and the potential for misinterpretation is surprising,” the researchers conclude. For example, the NWEA assessment shows that math proficiency is set at the 36th percentile in Montana and the 89th percentile in Wyoming. “In these similar, adjacent states, one could expect over twice as many students in Wyoming to be identified as being below proficient,” NWEA notes. “This will occur even if the students in the two states have exactly the same achievement.

The research brief is available online at www.nwea.org/research/statestudy.html.

Feldman asks Congress to fix NCLB flaws

The AFT is asking Congress to tackle ongoing problems with the implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act—flaws that have drawn a lack of responsiveness from the Bush administration. In a Feb. 2 letter to the chairmen and ranking members of key congressional committees, AFT president Sandra Feldman said that implementation problems “threaten to undermine” the goals of quality, standards and accountability in the No Child Left Behind Act.

The legislation, while far from perfect, included many positive measures when it was passed by Congress two years ago, Feldman wrote. Since then, the union has worked with the U.S. Department of Education, state and local education authorities and others to help achieve the positive goals of NCLB.

But the department has not addressed many legitimate concerns, including interpretation of the formula for “adequate yearly progress” of students; the role of supplemental service suppliers; state definitions of “highly qualified” teachers; inadequate state progress on assessments of paraprofessionals; and certification of middle school and special education teachers. And the department has not taken adequate steps to ensure that states are appropriately assessing limited- or non-English-speaking students, or children with disabilities, Feldman wrote. Finally, underlying all the issues is the “pervasive problem of underfunding.”

The AFT repeatedly has tried to get the Education Department to fix these problems, but concerns have fallen on deaf ears in the Bush administration. This prompted the union to ask Congress to act. (The full text of the letter is available online here).

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