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Government to Let Schools Shift Way of Gauging Student Progress

Posted on: Monday, 21 November 2005, 18:00 CST

By BEN FELLER, Associated Press writer

WASHINGTON In a federal experiment, up to 10 states will be allowed to change how they measure yearly student progress, the cornerstone of President Bush's education law, The Associated Press has learned.

The latest shift in enforcement of the No Child Left Behind law, to be announced today, is significant politically. Frustrated states have been pleading for permission to try this "growth model," which may make it easier for them to meet their goals and avoid penalties.

Education Secretary Margaret Spellings plans to let states apply for the right to measure how much progress individual students make over time, as they move between grades.

Currently, schools are judged based on how today's students compare to last year's students in math and reading such as fourth- graders in 2005 versus fourth-graders in 2004.

Many state leaders don't like comparing two different groups of kids because there's no regard given to changes in population or credit given for kids who make gains but fall short.

Still, even the states that win approval to fundamentally change how they measure progress must do more than show growth. They will still have to get all children up to par in reading and math by 2014, as the law mandates, and show consistent gains along the way.

"We're open to new ideas, but we're not taking our eye off the ball," Spellings said in comments she planned to deliver today to state school chiefs gathering in Richmond, Va.

Source: Columbian

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