New Study Finds Gains Since No Child Left Behind

It's true that we don't (nor will be ever) know the exact impact of NCLB, but I don't believe that it's a coincidence that the first uptick in scores in 30 years has nothing to do with NCLB, esp. when one applies common sense and some ground-level knowledge about the impact NCLB is having.  The media loves stories about NCLB's flaws and some absurd/unfair outcomes, so they're missing the much bigger story: namely that NCLB is forcing schools to pay attention to low-performing students rather than sweeping them under the rug.  That's why I agree with the new Hartford superintendent that NCLB is be greatest piece of civil rights legislation in decades.

“I was a little surprised that things were generally as positive as they were, so it may be that I would say that N.C.L.B. is contributing more positively than I had given it credit for,” Professor Linn said. But he urged readers to pay attention to the report’s many caveats.

“The reason for all the caveats is that it is impossible to reach the conclusion that if scores go up, it is because of N.C.L.B.,” he said. “There are so many other factors that could lead to rising scores, including state efforts to raise achievement, and also, some of these gains may be artificial. So my worry is that people who come at it and don’t read the caveats will come away with an exaggerated impression.”

Laura S. Hamilton, a senior behavioral scientist for the Rand Corporation who also served on the panel of experts, said, “Most people want to know if N.C.L.B. as a policy has resulted in improved student achievement,” but added, “It’s a question that isn’t answerable.” She explained, “To test whether some policy is effective, you’d want to compare what happened under that policy to what would have happened if the policy hadn’t been enacted, and we can’t do that with N.C.L.B. because all public schools in the nation were subject to its provisions.”

3) More on the study of NCLB scores:

Moderate to large gains were found in 37 of the 41 states with trend data on the percentage of kids hitting the proficient mark on elementary-school math tests. None of the states showed comparable declines.

A goal of the No Child Left Behind law is for all kids to be proficient in reading and math, or working on grade level, by 2014.

Another goal is to narrow achievement gaps between children from low-income families and wealthier ones and between minorities and white students. The new report found achievement gaps have narrowed since the law was passed.

Specifically, the study found in 14 of 38 states with relevant trend data, gaps narrowed on the reading tests between black and white students at the elementary and secondary levels. No state reported a comparable widening of the gap.

In math, a dozen states showed a narrowing of the racial achievement gap at the elementary and secondary grade levels. Only Washington state showed a widening of that gap.

Results were generally similar for Hispanic and low-income groups, according to the report.

-----------------------------

Students Doing Better on Math, Reading

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: June 5, 2007

Filed at 4:39 p.m. ET

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Students are doing better on state reading and math tests since the No Child Left Behind Act was enacted five years ago, according to a report Tuesday.

Students made the most progress on elementary-school math tests, according to the report by the Center on Education Policy, a national nonprofit policy group.

The report focused on states where trend data are available. Some states have changed tests in recent years, making it impossible to compare year-to-year results.

Moderate to large gains were found in 37 of the 41 states with trend data on the percentage of kids hitting the proficient mark on elementary-school math tests. None of the states showed comparable declines.

A goal of the No Child Left Behind law is for all kids to be proficient in reading and math, or working on grade level, by 2014.

Another goal is to narrow achievement gaps between children from low-income families and wealthier ones and between minorities and white students. The new report found achievement gaps have narrowed since the law was passed.

Specifically, the study found in 14 of 38 states with relevant trend data, gaps narrowed on the reading tests between black and white students at the elementary and secondary levels. No state reported a comparable widening of the gap.

In math, a dozen states showed a narrowing of the racial achievement gap at the elementary and secondary grade levels. Only Washington state showed a widening of that gap.

Results were generally similar for Hispanic and low-income groups, according to the report.

Just 13 states had enough data to examine whether the pace at which students improved has quickened since No Child Left Behind was enacted.

In nine of those states students improved at a greater rate after 2002 than before: Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Washington and Wyoming.

In the other four states -- Delaware, Massachusetts, Oregon and Virginia -- gains were greater before 2002 than afterward. One possible explanation is that more students, such as those with disabilities or immigrants, were included in NCLB-era tests but not in the earlier ones, according to the researchers.

Education Secretary Margaret Spellings said the study shows No Child Left Behind is working, but the report itself doesn't assign credit to the law for the improvements made. It states that other state and local initiatives have taken place during the same period that might deserve some of the credit.

''You can't tease out the effects of any one of the reform efforts, because they all overlap on one another,'' said Jack Jennings, president of the Center on Education Policy.

Ross Wiener, vice president for program and policy at Education Trust, a group that advocates for poor and minority children, said he saw good news in the study. ''Those trends are encouraging. There's something to celebrate that's going on in our schools,'' he said.

The rigor of tests varies from state to state, according to Bruce Fuller, a professor of education and public policy at the University of California at Berkeley.

He said states generally set the proficiency bar low, since schools face tough consequences -- such as having to fire teachers or administrators -- if their students do poorly on the tests.

But Jennings said California, Massachusetts and Florida are examples of states with high standards.

Jennings and Fuller agreed some of the gains may reflect what teachers are focusing on in their classrooms.

''The teachers teach to the test, and that's a rational response by classroom teachers under pressure to raise scores,'' Fuller said.