Collaborative for Teaching and Learning

Dr. Linda F. Hargan, President and CEO

VOLUME 2, ISSUE 2

FEBRUARY 2003

IN THIS ISSUE...Testing Requirements and Assessment Practices
	ESEA: What the Law Says|Issues & Updates| Best Practices| How We Can Help| Recommended Reading|NCLB Resources
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** Pathways to Proficiency **

Stop by Booth 319 at the 2003 Kentucky Teaching and Learning Conference to visit with staff of the Collaborative for Teaching and Learning.

CTL staff will be available to provide information about programs and services to schools, including whole-school and targeted professional development resources to help schools meet the No Child Left Behind mandates. CTL staff will also be involved in the presentation of six conference workshops. (Click here for a brief description of each workshop.)

WHAT THE LAW SAYS

ISSUES & UPDATES

To Test or Not To Test...Is That the Question?

Testing as defined in the NCLB legislation has both advocates and opponents. In a recent article entitled The Power of Testing, the authors state, "Although some may raise legitimate concerns about the adequacy of some tests now in use, we should not discount the validity or utility of testing altogether." (The Power of Testing, Matthew Gandall and Laura McGiffert, Educational Leadership, February 2003, page 39)

Support for NCLB Testing Requirements

• Assessments are a proven vehicle to determine where a school needs improvement and which students are performing at proficient levels.
• NCLB legislation allows a state the flexibility to define its own proficiency level, choose between norm-referenced tests or criterion-referenced tests (those tied to state standards) and set minimums in their sub-groups to achieve statistically valid results.
• Federal officials appear to provide some flexibility in the acceptance of a state's accountability plan when provided a solid rationale and hard data to support that plan.
• Federal funding will cover the costs of all required NAEP tests and help with the development and implementation costs related to the annual assessments.
• States have twelve years in which to achieve "academic proficiency" for all students.
• The new test reporting requirements make evident whether subgroups of students are actually performing, or whether overall achievement scores mask the fact that students who are poor, minority, language minority or disabled are not performing.

Concerns about NCLB Testing Requirements

• In Kentucky, the new testing requirements in NCLB may mean changes midstream to the existing accountability system.
• NCLB legislation requires one level of proficiency for all students statewide that is different from individual school targets set under Kentucky's state accountability system. Elected officials like Governor Dean of Vermont have expressed concern that the single level of proficiency may result in states "dumbing down" their standards. (Report on No Child Left Behind)
• NCLB guidelines allow states to include scores only for those students who have enrolled for a full year, not taking into account student mobility rates which can be very high, particularly in urban areas.

Accountability plans for the following states have won federal approval , and are posted at the US DOE website : Ohio, Indiana, New York, Massachusetts, and Colorado. These plans are viewed as diverse yet compatible with the NCLB testing requirements, and as such, might lend some assistance to those states struggling with the challenges of how to align current accountability systems with the new law.

BEST PRACTICES

No Child Left Behind uses annual tests and analysis of disaggregated achievement data to promote reforms in teaching and learning. These annual tests are important and have increased impact when they are supported by regular, ongoing assessments that help teachers to design effective instruction and to make sure all students are progressing. Following is a list of research-based strategies for classroom assessment of student progress that support NCLB and are aligned with the Kentucky Education Reform Act.

Classroom Assessment Practices:

• Teachers build assessment into lesson and unit planning, providing formative data on student learning.
• Teachers use rubrics that they have developed or that they develop jointly with students to help students learn to self-assess.
• Students have multiple opportunities to polish their work, understanding that rarely is a student's first attempt his or her best effort. Grades are not assigned until students have improved upon their initial draft.
• Students have opportunities to gain feedback from teachers and peers as a way of improving the quality of their work and make it a true representation of their learning.
• Teachers collect samples of student work over time rather than relying on "one-shot" assessments of student learning.
• Teachers take the opportunity to "kid watch" while students work independently or in groups, to observe their strengths and make note of gaps in understanding.
• Teachers conduct short one-on-one assessments with students to determine progress; at the early elementary level, this could be administering the Running Record to students, listening to them read aloud and noting errors and patterns in their reading; at the secondary level, this could be conferencing with a student about his writing or her experimental design, to understand the student's reasoning and knowledge level.
• Teachers use charts and graphs to display student progress on key academic indicators, so students have a sense that they are moving ahead in their learning and can take responsibility for improvement.

WE CAN HELP

The Collaborative is currently developing professional development tools to help educators meet ESEA/NCLB requirements. All courses of study, available summer 2003, can be further customized based on individual school or district need. For additional information, please contact Dr. Deborah Walker.

New Products
Transforming Practice: The Middle Grades	Multimedia CD-ROM demonstrating new teaching strategies and instruction approaches. Available Spring 2003
Developing a Balanced Literacy Approach in the Elementary Classroom	Engaging in comprehensive student-centered literacy: 1 year school-level course of study, including formal training, on-site coaching, and classroom modeling
Leading in a Standards-Based Environment	Developing skills and strategies for instructional leaders: 1 year district-level course of study, including formal training, coaching, and school visits
Reading and Writing to Learn in the Middle School	Developing a comprehensive cross-disciplinary literacy program: 2 year school- or district-level course of study, including formal training and coaching
Gathering Evidence of Student Learning	Assessing student performance to assure student progress
Closing the Achievement Gap	Strategies for closing the achievement gap, collecting and analyzing data, and expanding instructional practices

The following products and services are currently being offered by the Collaborative for Teaching and Learning to build on whole school quality and performance:

Existing Products
Different Ways of Knowing	Arts-infused practices to insure success for all learners
Learning Xpress™	Software and training to design lessons/units
Standards Based Teaching & Learning	Solid framework for continuous improvement
Accelerated Schools Project	Whole faculty involvement to insure powerful learning

For additional information on the Collaborative's programs, please visit our website or contact Christie Maloney

RECOMMENDED READING

Appropriate Use of High Stakes Testing in Our Nation's Schools

NCLB RESOURCES

NCLB Excerpts: Standards, Assessments and Accountability

FEEDBACK

The Collaborative for Teaching and Learning is a non-profit, tax exempt corporation founded in 1994 to assist schools in the implementation of comprehensive school reform. Please feel free to contact any of the Collaborative's officers for additional information on the organization and its work.

Dr. Linda F. Hargan/President and CEO

Dr. Deborah Walker/Senior Vice President

Mr. Dennis Horn/Vice President, Resource Development and Communications

Ms. Christie Maloney/Vice President, Programs

Collaborative for Teaching and Learning
Spring River Business Park 2303 River Road Suite 100 Louisville KY 40206 1010
Phone 502 895 9500 Toll Free 800 995 3965 Fax 502 895 9521 Email info@ctlonline.org
www.ctlonline.org