PrintThe report reviews online documents from 50 states and the District of Columbia to gauge their progress in setting clear, high standards in reading, math and science—disciplines that states must assess under the No Child Left Behind Act’s accountability system. The report finds that only 11 states meet AFT criteria for having both strong content standards and open documentation showing that these standards are aligned to tests in all NCLB-required grades and subjects. Thirty-one states are at least halfway to this goal, but that leaves 19 states and the District of Columbia having yet to reach the 50 percent mark.
It’s a problem that can’t be ignored at a time when the No Child Left Behind Act is ratcheting up stakes for schools based on test results, and “politicians and pundits eager for bottom-line results” are taking it on faith that a strong connection exists between what’s tested and what’s supposed to be taught, the report notes.
“There is a lot riding on these tests, and they ought to be as good as they can be,” said AFT executive vice president Antonia Cortese at a media briefing following release of the report.
For more than a decade, federal law has required states to develop content standards. Today, 18 states meet the AFT’s criteria for strong content standards in all assessed grades and subjects, but trouble spots remain.
One of the most disturbing findings of the AFT report details alarmingly weak content standards in reading. Many states repeat reading standards from grade to grade, with 15 states parroting the standards in three or more grades. The high school level is also a trouble spot; many states simply don’t offer grade-by-grade standards.
When it comes to testing what’s actually supposed to be taught, nearly four out of five states fail to clearly document how their tests are aligned in all grades and subjects reported under NCLB. And when tests do align with standards, they are not always high-quality benchmarks: Only 52 percent of state-administered tests that met AFT criteria were aligned to content standards deemed to be strong.
The report makes several recommendations for getting this critical piece of standards-based accountability right:
■ States with weak standards must make greater efforts in the key area of reading to quickly remedy the problem.
■ More attention must be given to grade-by-grade or course-specific standards to improve the quality of high schools.
■ Funding for state departments of education should be increased to develop quality assessment systems.
■ Greater coordination is needed between state testing and curriculum divisions so that the materials they develop inform and complement each other.
■ More transparency is needed throughout the system—state Web sites should include current information about state standards, tests and how they align.
Public tires of Johnny-one-note approach
Emphasis on testing is a concern for some members of the public
Policymakers should take care that testing and standards-based reform don’t turn into a Johnny-one-note approach to school improvement, a leading public opinion poll group warned this summer.
Support for challenging standards and assessments is still strong among parents, students, teachers and administrators, the New York-based polling group Public Agenda reports in the most recent installment of its “Reality Check” series, a regular survey on public attitudes toward education. But the public wants these reforms to be pursued as part of a comprehensive approach to school improvement, says Public Agenda executive director Jean Johnson, who is also an author of “Reality Check 2006: Is Support for Standards and Testing Fading?”
Particularly revealing was a survey question that asks parents which candidate they would support in a hypothetical local school board election based on the education strategies each candidate emphasizes. Forty-five percent of parents said they would vote for the candidate who believes “if the public schools finally got more money and smaller classes, they could do a better job.”
The Public Agenda survey mirrors many concerns identified by the AFT when it comes to testing (see resolution story, this page). More than 70 percent of teachers say their school uses too many standardized tests, almost three times the number of educators who say the level of testing is about right.
The Public Agenda poll also touches on the need for “smart” use of testing data. More than 70 percent of superintendents and principals believed that making student testing data available in a more timely and useful way would be effective in improving educational leadership. The Public Agenda findings also support several of the AFT’s recommendations for improving NCLB.
The union is calling for a ban on unnecessary and duplicative testing, assessment data provided to teachers and parents in a timely and user-friendly manner, and a new “learning environment index” to help identify and fix low-performing schools that lack adequate facilities, safe conditions, and the financial and professional supports necessary to succeed.
