Virtually every state in the union is working to get out from under No Child Left Behind and its measure of Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). Thanks to the U.S. Department’s efforts to offer “NCLB waivers” most states have submitted applications to do just that, veer away from the AYP standard established a decade ago and chart a new path that still demonstrates forward progress.
Over at Education Week, Andrew Ujifusa has a piece outlining the plans many states are crafting for their post-NCLB existences. From letter grades to stars, many states are looking for new ways to demonstrate progress to both policymakers and parents, in a way that put there districts and schools in the best light possible.
Take, for instance, the plan offered up by Ohio. According to Education Week, Ohio’s plan is as follows:
- A-F letter-grading system, based on 4 points. A school with 3.67 points or more earns an A, and a school getting 0.67 points or below earns an F.
- A school cannot earn an A on the “achievement and graduation gap” portion of its score if one of four groups (all students, white non-Hispanic students, disadvantaged students, and students with disabilities) earns a C, D, or F.
- Based on 2011 data, under the new A-F system, 24.8 percent of 3,103 traditional public schools (charters not included) would have earned A’s, 33.2 percent would have earned B’s, and 23.9 percent would have earned C’s.
Will it work? Most states will likely win their NCLB waiver requests, thus giving these states and others the ability to enact their versions of AYP 2.0. But how many years will it take before we know if this latest version of accountability works or not?
Eduflack By Patrick R. Riccards 