While supporting quality education, most of those at an April 29 parent meeting joined school officials in criticizing federal and state programs designed to promote quality education.
‘No Child Left Behind and Education YES are very important,? said Sherri Kerby, president of Academic Boosters of Clarkston. ‘They’re going to be the yardstick that’s going to measure our school district, and results from that will be very important.?
The boosters promoted the meeting as an information session on both the government programs and issues relating to the June 9 school election. School officials outlined key points of the legislation, but parent questions and administrators? comments revealed serious disapproval.
No Child Left Behind is federal legislation adopted in January 2002 to promote (among other things) proficiency in reading and mathematics among all students by the 2013-2014 school year.
NCLB allows each state to determine how they will meet the federal goals, and Michigan’s answer was Education YES (‘A Yardstick for Educational Success?).
The four basic reform principles of NCLB are stronger accountability for results, increased flexibility and local control, expanded options for parents and emphasis on teaching methods that have been proven to work.
‘I don’t think there’s anyone in the administration that disagrees with those four reform principles,? Superintendent Al Roberts said. ‘How they’re enacted, whether they’re truly flexible and what you’re using to judge kids? lives on become issues for us. The method that’s been suggested has some holes in it, we think.?
Those ‘holes? include differences in the ways states rate their schools. The Michigan Educational Assessment Program is seen as a higher standard than many states.
‘Each state sets their own goals and their level of proficiency,? said John Diliegghio, executive director for middle and high school education. ‘We live in a state that sets that bar very high.?
Debate over use of standardized tests is not new, but some parents protested it anew.
‘The school experiences should be so much more than one test,? Janalee Grainer said.
Another issue for officials is the issue of ‘Annual Yearly Progress? districts are expected to maintain between now and 2013-2014. While all Clarkston schools currently meet the AYP expectations, there is a danger that the ‘straight line? scale could cause problems in the future.
‘The way AYP was designed was a mathematical formula,? Roberts said. ‘The problem is that youngsters learn at different rates and in different ways.?
Geri Moore, executive director for elementary education, said the system compares test scores of different students in the same grade as time goes on.
‘Children are not made out of plastic,? Moore said. ‘They’re not a car part that you produce. Yet these parameters are saying that everyone is exactly alike.?
Moore added that the ‘all students? requirement could lead to problems.
‘Statistically, we could be at 92 percent [proficiency] and still be ‘failing,?? she said.
Another challenge is a requirement that 95 percent of all students be included in the annual assessment. Diliegghio said it’s not a problem at the elementary grades, but some high school students and parents do not recognize the importance of the MEAP tests.
The Michigan Merit Award scholarship program has helped in that regard, but announced budget cuts could affect that incentive. An option, Diliegghio said, could be to require a proficient score on MEAP tests for high school graduation.
Officials also reviewed the issues of accountability built into both No Child Left Behind and Education YES.
In the federal program, the only consequences for ‘failure? would be in having to redirect ‘Title I? funds, used for free and reduced-cost school lunch programs. Only four Clarkston schools currently participate in the Title I program, however.
That news led some parents to wonder whether the system was worth following.
‘If I’m understanding this, schools like Clarkston find themselves in almost a no-win situation, so why play the game?? parent Tim Smith said. ‘We’re going to ‘fail,? not because we’re a bad school, but because of the system.?
The state Education YES program carries additional consequences for ‘failure,? Diliegghio said, including public scrutiny of school letter grades and possible lack of accreditation.
‘In Education YES, we have no choice,? Diliegghio said.
For those with problems with the system, officials said there have already been some reexamination on the part of legislators, and more could come. For example, Diliegghio said the deadline has already passed for the state to issue the letter grades for individual schools, and there is pending legislation to revise or even eliminate Education YES.
‘They’ve already backed off on some of these things already,? he said. ‘The state realizes what a debacle this was.?