Free at last!

[Cap'n Ken]

Looks like today will be the day Georgia is unshackled from "No Child Left Behind". I haven't heard much about the state's plans for measurement and improvement outside the bounds of NCLB, but let's hope the state takes this opportunity to actually create and implement something better.

And kudos to the president for stepping the federal government back a bit from its heavy-handed one-size-fits-all approach to education.

[James]

...let's hope the state takes this opportunity to actually create and implement something better.

I wish I had 1/1000th of this optimism on the topic.

[Cap'n Ken]

...let's hope the state takes this opportunity to actually create and implement something better.

I wish I had 1/1000th of this optimism on the topic.

Did you read optimism into that statement? My bad.

I don't think it can be worse than the federal government decreeing nationwide standards that do nothing to understand the particulars of a given population. That's just a stupid idea.

If I have any optimism, it lies in the fact that this is very much a fresh start in a time when states like Georgia are understanding the importance of developing a skilled (and semi-skilled but literate, etc.) workforce. I think we're past the time when "get them to college" is seen as a universal goal (and the state knows there isn't space in the major-university system anyway) and to the point where we know teaching people in west Georgia how to bolt car parts together has a lot of value and the like.

[Gmoney]

If Georgia had a history of being good for education prior to NCLB, I'd be more optimistic, but we're usually ranked in the bottom 10% of states for education - which doesn't really bode well for taking things over ourselves

Admittedly, I don't have kids, so my knowledge on K-12 education is limited to my time in it, which was quite a while ago.  (The prospect of having the internet for basic education still amazes me.)  That said, given Georgia's track record, I'm not sure casting off federal standards is really such a good thing.  I suspect that some metro districts will likely be helped by getting rid of NCLB (Cobb and Gwinnett come immediately to mind), some probably won't see much of a change, but outside of metro Atlanta, I suspect this will probably hurt education significantly.

[James]

I will say this, the notion of holding teacher's accountable for a student's progress is completely flawed. They do not have full authority over the child and as such cannot be held accountable for the child's performance.

The teacher should be held accountable for conducting the class, delivering the curriculum and for monitoring the child's progress and reporting this to the parents and school. Clearly along the way they use their professional skills to assist the child where possible, BUT the only people or person who has the authority to do what is needed to ensure the child is progressing as needed are the parents, not the schools.

A teacher can do an incredible job of teaching, but if the student refuses to listen or absorb the information and the parents refuse to reinforce as needed at home, the teacher cannot and should not be held accountable. At the end of the day if little Johnny or Sally isn't performing one must ask the parents where they feel THEY failed their child.

[Cap'n Ken]

If Georgia had a history of being good for education prior to NCLB, I'd be more optimistic, but we're usually ranked in the bottom 10% of states for education - which doesn't really bode well for taking things over ourselves

Admittedly, I don't have kids, so my knowledge on K-12 education is limited to my time in it, which was quite a while ago.  (The prospect of having the internet for basic education still amazes me.)  That said, given Georgia's track record, I'm not sure casting off federal standards is really such a good thing.  I suspect that some metro districts will likely be helped by getting rid of NCLB (Cobb and Gwinnett come immediately to mind), some probably won't see much of a change, but outside of metro Atlanta, I suspect this will probably hurt education significantly.

If it makes you feel better, the feds have to approve a state to get free of the NCLB shackles (they told New Mexico no up front and sent them back to work on their plan). So the feds reviewed something Georgia submitted and approved of it. It's not like NCLB was just overturned by the Supreme Court or something - this is the federal government saying NCLB isn't working, so show us a plan that's better and we'll free you from NCLB.

[Cap'n Ken]

BTW, if you're interested, here's the formal application and Georgia's plan and the press release last fall summarizes:

November 15, 2011 -- The Georgia Department of Education formally submitted an application yesterday for a waiver of No Child Left Behind (NCLB). In September, U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) and State School Superintendent Dr. John Barge personally delivered Georgia’s request for a waiver to certain provisions of NCLB, and an alternative accountability plan, to U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. The U.S. Department of Education required that a formal application be submitted electronically, which was due yesterday for those states seeking early waivers.

Georgia is one of the first states seeking a waiver from some of the requirements within NCLB. The state is requesting permission to implement a new College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI) for each public school, school district, and the state for the 2011 – 2012 school year. This CCRPI determination will vary based on grade levels. However, it will measure the extent to which a school, school district, and the state are successfully making progress on a number of accountability indicators, such as content mastery, student attendance, and the next level of preparation.

“Through Georgia’s College and Career Ready Performance Index, we will be able to use multiple indicators to determine a school’s overall impact on our students,” said Superintendent Barge. “This approach will do more to ensure that the K-12 experience provides students with the academic preparation to compete globally, as well as the career development skills aligned with the evolving requirements of our workforce.”

The proposed CCRPI for high schools, middle schools, and elementary schools represents more than 18 months of work dedicated to continuing a rigorous statewide accountability plan that is more indicative of a focus on school improvement and students’ preparedness for the future than the current Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) calculations. The Georgia Department of Education has worked with a number of education stakeholders throughout the state, including: district superintendents; K-12 principals, counselors, and teachers; higher education leaders; business/industry partners. Also, the formation of CCRPI has been guided by the U.S. Department of Education’s Blueprint for Reform, the Council of Chief State School Officers’ Roadmap for Next-Generation Accountability Systems, and technical advice from a number of other education partners.

The implementation of the CCRPI will yield an in-depth analysis of students’ college and career readiness, which is not currently provided by data collected for AYP. Separate scores will be provided in three areas to capture the essential work of individual schools: Achievement Score (based upon current year data); Progress Score (based upon current and prior year data); and Achievement Gap Closure Score (based upon gap closure at the state or school level). The school-wide scores in these three areas will be weighted to produce the school’s overall CCRPI score.

“We have a unique opportunity to implement a state-specific performance index that communicates a clear pathway towards school improvement and transparent accountability. It also charts the course for ensuring that more of Georgia's students are truly college and career ready,” said Superintendent Barge. “This index will give schools a score that better reflects their efforts to educate students and will be much easier to communicate to the general public."

For the 2011 – 2012 school year, Georgia requests “stay put” permission relative to the current 2011 AYP determinations, Needs Improvement (NI) interventions as outlined in the Georgia Single Statewide Accountability System and in Georgia’s Consolidated State Application Accountability workbook, and consequence structure. The CCRPI calculations will be communicated to Georgia schools and school districts to establish baseline data for 2011-2012 within the context of a “hold harmless” consequence structure.

My favorite part of that press release is right up top, where I think they're saying that the Georgia delegation that went to deliver the waiver application was told they needed to submit it electronically. I have this great image of them being turned away at the Department of Education and ending up at a Starbucks emailing the package over.