ERIC Number: EJ790447
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2008
Pages: 3
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0276-928X
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
System Change Can Take Education Goals from Fantasy to Reality
O'Neill, Jan
Journal of Staff Development, v29 n2 p48-50 Spr 2008
As Congress considers reauthorization of No Child Left Behind (NCLB), schools again stand at the center of the accountability movement. Most states have spent significant time, energy, and resources to develop accountability systems that explicitly define what students are expected to learn at each grade level and how this learning will be measured. Educators are working hard on the challenge of helping all kids learn, but a recent study comparing test results from 12 states with National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results calls into question not only the rate of progress in closing the achievement gap, but whether states are lowering the bar for passing state tests. In some states, the disparity between state and NAEP results actually "widened" from 2002 to 2006. The reason for this is that many districts have been relying on relatively superficial fixes for the achievement problem, unaware or unwilling to make the deeper levels of improvement needed. In this article, the author suggests considering three levels of improvement: (1) fix the problem; (2) fix the process; or (3) fix the system. He states that in order to achieve 100% proficiency, or even to approach close to 100%, district leaders will need to get serious about leading a fundamental system change.
Descriptors: Test Results, Federal Legislation, Academic Achievement, National Competency Tests, Accountability, Educational Improvement, Educational Indicators, Federal Programs
National Staff Development Council. 5995 Fairfield Road Suite #4, Oxford, OH 45056. Tel: 513-523-6029; Fax: 513-523-0638; e-mail: NSDCoffice@nsdc.org; Web site: http://www.nsdc.org/news/jsd/index.cfm
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Laws, Policies, & Programs: No Child Left Behind Act 2001
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A