scholarly journals Performance Standards': Utility for Different Uses of Assessments

2003 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
pp. 31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert L. Linn
Keyword(s):  
Academic Achievement ◽  
No Child Left Behind ◽  
Performance Standards ◽  
Educational Measurement ◽  
Left Behind ◽  
Great Uncertainty ◽  
Assessment Results

Performance standards are arguably one of the most controversial topics in educational measurement. There are uses of assessments such as licensure and certification where performance standards are essential. There are many other uses, however, where performance standards have been mandated or become the preferred method of reporting assessment results where the standards are not essential to the use. Distinctions between essential and nonessential uses of performance standards are discussed. It is argued that the insistence on reporting in terms of performance standards in situations where they are not essential has been more harmful than helpful. Variability in the definitions of proficient academic achievement by states for purposes of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 is discussed and it is argued that the variability is so great that characterizing achievement is meaningless. Illustrations of the great uncertainty in standards are provided.

scholarly journals Teacher qualification and the achievement gap in early primary grades.

2009 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
pp. 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald Easton-Brooks ◽  
Alan Davis
Keyword(s):  
Academic Achievement ◽  
No Child Left Behind ◽  
Achievement Gap ◽  
Elementary School Teachers ◽  
Academic Achievement Gap ◽  
Left Behind ◽  
Teacher Qualification ◽  
Early Primary ◽  
Certified Teacher ◽  
Relationship Of

Title I of the No Child Left Behind Act (P.L. 107-110, 115 Stat. 1245, 2002) holds schools accountable for reducing the academic achievement gap between the different ethnic groups and requires elementary school teachers to have at least a bachelors degree and a state certification. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of the qualification requirement of NCLB to the goal of reducing the academic achievement gap. The study found that students with a certified teacher for most of their early school experience scored higher in reading than students who did not have a certified teacher. In addition, certification was associated with slightly narrowing the academic gap between African American and European American students across early elementary grades.

Elementary Teachers’ Knowledge and Use of Interventions and Barriers to Promoting Student Self-Determination

2010 ◽  
Vol 45 (3) ◽  
pp. 149-156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyun-Jeong Cho ◽  
Michael Wehmeyer ◽  
Neal Kingston
Keyword(s):  
Academic Achievement ◽  
No Child Left Behind ◽  
Elementary Teachers ◽  
Special Educators ◽  
Self Determination ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Student Academic Achievement ◽  
Left Behind ◽  
Education Improvement ◽  
Perceived Importance

The No Child Left Behind Act (2001) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (2004) emphasize accountability to improve student academic achievement. Promoting self-determination has been proposed as a means to achieving this outcome. Elementary teachers in 30 states were surveyed to measure (a) their perceived importance of self-determination, (b) to what extent they teach it, and (c) the barriers that inhibit them from teaching it. Both general and special educators assigned considerable importance to self-determination instruction and reported at least occasionally providing such instruction. The authors found a lack of congruence between the value teachers place on promoting self-determination and the time they devote to teaching it. Limitations and implications are discussed, and suggestions for future research are offered.

No Child Left behind and Students with Disabilities in Rural and Small Schools

2005 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret J. Mclaughlin ◽  
Sandra Embler ◽  
Glenda Hernandez ◽  
Elizabeth Caron
Keyword(s):  
Academic Achievement ◽  
No Child Left Behind ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Rural Schools ◽  
Adequate Yearly Progress ◽  
Small Schools ◽  
Left Behind ◽  
Small Rural Schools ◽  
Better Than

The recently enacted No Child Left Behind Act (2001) places unprecedented pressure on schools to raise the academic achievement of all students. Through annual testing of students, schools are to use the results of these assessments to demonstrate that they are making adequate yearly progress (AYP). The provisions in No Child Left Behind (NCLB) apply to all states, districts, and schools equally, regardless of size or location. There are concerns, however, about applying the law's provisions in rural schools. Specifically, concerns surround the measurement of adequate yearly progress. In many rural schools, the number of students is small and this is especially true when disaggregating results for subgroups. The current study investigated the implementation of accountability reforms in rural schools and sought to identify schools that were experiencing better than expected results for students, especially students with disabilities. Findings indicate that validly measuring AYP in small rural schools is especially problematic given the small number of students in the subgroup, volatility in year to year scores, and changes in service delivery policies. Implications for accountability and policy are discussed.

scholarly journals Does No Child Left Behind Place a Fiscal Burden on States? Evidence from Texas

2006 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 217-246 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Imazeki ◽  
Andrew Reschovsky
Keyword(s):  
No Child Left Behind ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Limited English Proficiency ◽  
Performance Standards ◽  
Left Behind ◽  
Federal Mandate ◽  
Additional Costs ◽  
Race Ethnicity ◽  
K 12 ◽  
New Student

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) requires states to establish goals for all students and for groups of students characterized by race, ethnicity, poverty, disability, and limited English proficiency and requires schools to make annual progress in meeting these goals. In a number of states, officials have argued that increased federal education funding is not sufficient to cover the costs imposed by the new legislation. In this article, we use data from Texas to estimate the additional costs of meeting the new student performance standards. We find that these costs substantially exceed the additional federal funding. The article concludes with a discussion of whether NCLB should be considered an underfunded federal mandate and a brief discussion of the appropriate federal role in the financing of K–12 education.

A Close Look at No Child Left Behind

ASHA Leader ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 9 (17) ◽  
pp. 1-29
Author(s):  
Susan Boswell
Keyword(s):  
No Child Left Behind ◽  
Left Behind
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