No Child Left To Blind & Primary News
Like the Iraq war, the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation is a debacle that will take generations to recover from.
Guess who loves NCLB?
Yep, Mike Castle. He just loves big government intervention in schools. But there is hope for you budget hawks.
Word on the street is that there is a real conservative Republican who hates the Federal government in the school and hates the pork kingdom that Castle is building.
That conservative is weighing a primary against Castle. This story has to simmer for a while – but it will be something of a shocker.
NCLB is nothing more then ESEA “The major focus of No Child Left Behind 2001 (also known as ESEA) is to provide all children with a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education. The U.S. Department of Education is emphasizing four pillars within the bill:”
ESEA was started in 1964 and Title 1 is its center piece. Title 1 provides reading and math supplemental services to students of high poverty. The gage to measure poverty is the Free and Reduce Lunch Application. The school with the highest percentage of poverty gets served first.
Prior to reauthorization of ESEA now NCLB federal legislators questioned the effectiveness of Title 1. The ultimate goal was to close the achievement gap between white and black students. The opinion of the feds Title 1 was failing as there were no real gains in closing the achievement gap. Not sure of the exact dollar amount in 2000 but I believe it Title 1 funding was 13 billion dollars. The feds were poised to pull the plug on Title 1. However ESEA which included funding other supplemtnal programs programs was in jepordy. The federal legsialtion demanded accountability not President Bush.
The main downfall of NCLB was the call to not only measure achievement in the target group Title 1, it also called for measuring achievement across the board including honor student and Special ED students. Eventhough Speical Ed Stidents receives funding under IDEA legisaltion (Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act) they would be held to the same standards as non Special Ed Students. Special Ed student have an IEP (Individual Education Plan) formulated by the IEP Team which includes parents, teachers, psychologist and others. Children with disabilities have various degrees of disability that impact their academics and some with severe disabilities are not able to achieve grade level performance as non-Special Ed peers at age level. Even with modfication to test accomadations Special Ed Students who do meet the exact same standards at grade level for the peers are deemed failures in the eyes of NCLB. The Special Ed Student performace of any given public school even a school such A Richardson Park Learning Center for special needs students will be label a failure. IDEA reauthorized in 2004 and the handful of parents could not convince the Federal Legislators to excude Special Ed Sudents from being required to meet the standards of grade level peer who were not Special Ed Students.
Back in 1996, Delaware devised a plan that would exceed NCLB objectives and set the bar quite high. In 1998, rolled out DSTP full steam ahead and like a steam rolling. With help of the demanding business roundtable the curriculum at the time was not align with the new DSTP standards but that didn’t matter. In fact the frontline teachers didn’t even know what the new standards were.Since 1997 a handful of parents questioned DSTP and the student consequences associate. It appeared that student were the only so-called stakeholders who would sufffer consequences, none for teachers and no for the schools. During Minner’s 2005 campaign for reelection is made a sidebar deal with the teacher’s union to postpone the teacher accountability segment of DSTP that was set to begin Minner would have lost the election if the teacher’s union didn’t step up an call for supporting Minner’s reelection. Minner made good on her delay of teacher accountability. What stinks is, the legislators passed the DSTP aka education reform legislation and had no say in the delay of teacher accountability.
In 2001, bipartisan federal legislators reauthorized ESEA and called it, NCLB (No Child Left Behind) Delaware and Delaware DOE were caught with their pants down with standards aka the bar set too high. The feds didn’t design the achievement test as the allowed individual state to design and submit for approval.
Delaware DOE’s goals was to use scare tactics on students with a 3 Tried Diploma and grade retention based solely on perfomance on this one test tells all, a test later to be found inappropriate. With increased pressure from parents who some like myself were call “misguided,” the evils of DSTP were exposed and the Delaware legislators called for review and adjustments to the no recognized unintended student consequences.
The failure of Delaware DOE is in part due to the inappropriate interference of the business community who pressured state legislators and then Governor clueless Carper. Carper now preaches in Washington, D.C. how “he” reformed Delaware’s public education. Carper is out of touch with reality in Delaware’s education.
Two years ago Governor Minner needed to say face and try to block loss of federal funding for not meeting the objectives, She ordered Delaware DOE to adjust and lower the testing cut scores particularly at the 8th grade level. This adjustment enable more students to meet the DSTP standards. Minner and the Delaware Secretary of Education answers to addressing the disparities in the testing score at the 8th grade level was a simple fix. Keep in mind NCLB only requires testing in the 3,5,8 and one high school grade level. Delaware decided on 10th grade. They wouldn’t go with 12th grade in fear of some calling it an exit exam.
Blame Bush for being Bush however, the concerns with the achievement gap and plans to possible end Title 1 was long before Bush. In Delaware the pressure from the business community twisted a test “DSTP” that was only meant to measure achievement to better adjusts curriculum needs. DSTP was nothing more than a social whipping post that beats children for the failure of the adults.
According to inside sources, the Godfather of DSTP the DOE Director of Assessment at the time in 1998 had a major riff with those in the business community and the legislators who bowed on fear of losing campaign contributions. He went to Harcourt Brace Assessments the company used at the time to assist in helping him develop the DSTP, provided and score the DSTP. I can’t blame him for bailing out on DSTP because the person I saw in him was a caring person.
Many parents aren’t even aware of DSTP-2 the off years test that doesn’t count. DSTP is set to be revamped with a new assesment test and it was to take effect this year but was delayed until further notice until “funding can be secured.” Who do think will get the vendor contract? The reality is NCLB will be a hot presidential election topic and may fall on it’s own. The stage is set for major changes with NCLB as it’s own Reauthorization is set for 2008. The call for the Growth Model Test is reaching the Federal Legislators. This method of assesment with be base on academic growth at grade level.
Keep in mind the Delaware business community is at it again with Vision 2015 led by the Rodel Foundation with some of the same player who twisted DSTP. Money from the founders of Rodel has been pumping campaign contribution into the Jack Markell war chest. Also, up until this year Jack Markell served on a Vision 2015 advisory board. Don’t get me wrong some of Vision 2015 is valid however nothing in it is new. It’s nothing more then various reports and study that been in existence. Rodel spent 3 million dollars to put this information together. I am concern that Markel is seeling his soul to another save the public school plan. The only effective educational round table would be with teachers, parents and administrator.
So, were full circle, calls for educational reforms and the Delaware business roundtale is back behind the driver seat.
Delaware needs leadership in the Delaware Department of Education who has the guts to stand up to political pressure and not be led around by the business community. Maybe we should outsource Delaware DOE to Rodel!
Jason, Castle was the Chairman of the House Education Committee. I’ve talk to Castle and he is for adjustments to NCLB and support the Growth Model Plan.
Though NCLB is a bit screwed up when was the last time the federal government demanded verifiable results. Also, what have you done as far as communicating needed changes in NCLB? Let me guess , nothing? You stand back and do nothing and allow these legislators in Washington and Dover have free run then after laws are enacted you bitch!
Look bust on Castle all you want for support Bush re: War in Iraq but don’t go where you are clueless.
So what’s you opinion on IDEA?
Dude, comparing Iraq to NCLB is ridiculous — even more ridiculous than you chumps usually are around here.
NCLB has problems, sure. I’ll be the first to admit it. But from one on the front lines, trust me when I say it has focused more resources on the disadvantaged than ever before. This isn’t a good thing??
“I say it has focused more resources on the disadvantaged than ever before. This isn’t a good thing??”
Right on ! Jason is clueless about how DSTP standards set quite high and Delaware are faling NCLB they are failing DSTP.
Jason, last year Delaware received 165,000,000.00 million dollars via NCLB. Your saying we should tell the feds to stick it up thier asses?
What about your boy Sokola passing another under-funded state mandate called Full-Day Kindergarten? Dave and I made peace last year don’t get me ranting on him.
Many educators and people like myself have been lobbying various legislators one being Castle to support the Growth Model Plan when reauthorizing NCLB in 2008.
He why don’t you do a post on bloggers who actually think they are journalist !
Hube,
We are raising a generation that can’t think and reason. Granted, we are not bombing the shit out of our High School so it is not exactly like Iraq in every respect – but NCLB is a mess that it is going to take years and years to fix. In that way it is like Iraq – get it? it is a rhetorical device that bloggers who pretend to be journalists use called “metaphore” look it up.
Kilroy –
Thanks for the backstory. However, Castle rubber stamped NCLB just as he did the war (Hube – the war is the war and NCLB is NCLB okay?).
The fact that you have warm feelings for Mike (“I’ve talk to Castle and he is for adjustments to NCLB and support the Growth Model Plan.”) Does not fill me with confidence.
Call me crazy.
OK, you got it: You’re crazy.
We are raising a generation that can’t think and reason.
And how is this the fault of NCLB, precisely?
but NCLB is a mess that it is going to take years and years to fix.
How is it a “mess” precisely? And why would it “take years to fix”? Explain that to me yourself and not copy and paste something from Kos.
get it? it is a rhetorical device that bloggers who pretend to be journalists use called “metaphore” look it up.
No need. But it’s actually spelled “metaphor.” You also should have put a period after your usual misspelling.
Face it, this post is a bust. You don’t know what you’re talking about. It’s just yet another cheap trick to get at Castle.
“Call me crazy.”
You not crazy just drawing for straws!
The call for full funding of NCLB has it merits however programs such as Title 1 are supplemental funding not supplant. I can agree 100% with you that without the war in Iraq we would have more funding for education. But without some level of accountability we would just be adding more fat cats to the payroll.
I would never believe you would think Carper and Biden are so pure they could walk on water. I doubt you honestly believe everything Castle touches is shit. You boy Markel in bed with Rodel support adding another $125,000,000.00 to state education funding to support the goal of Rodel’s Vision 2015. I hope the hell you side with me before we start pumping more money in Delaware education we better have better financial oversight.
But I’ll give you 10 points for the effort of associating the war in Iraq and NCLB because the war and the parts of NCLB that are screwed up are screwing our children. The reality is most parents and many people are clueless to the dynamics of NCLB a good piece of legislation that has flaws in it.
Delaware schools are screwed up because of Carper signing the flawed DSTP to appease the business round table and Minner delayed teacher accountability as part of a side deal with the teachers union for there endorsement. Carper and Minner support the requirement that Special Ed student take the same DSTP as mainstream students. Kids who function at a 3 grade level in 5th grade Special Ed were required to take the 5th grade DSTP despite being protected by their IEP.
I am just saying keep bashing away at Castle but do it on safe ground like supporting Bush’s war not something over your head. You honestly support eliminating Head Start and Free and Reduce Lunch for high poverty students. What about Even Start, Title II Part A, Title II Part D, Title III, Title IV and Carl Perkins grants. These are all Federal Grant within the framework of NCLB.
It’s a shame a bright you man like yourself want to eliminate all these federal funded “supplemental” programs. You support Delaware DOE with over 200 employees, amazing! But , I can expect much from somebody who voted for Clinton twice.
Daaaaam!!! Man HUBE, when you bust me, I am busted. You got me cold one other time so this makes two. You too Kilroy. I don’t have time to read your book but I bet it is good.
I was looking for a vehicle to let the a hint out about someone who is looking at a primary Castle and ended up with this abortion of a post.
I’ll leave it up as a tribute to my past wisdom in defering to you two on things dealing with our edumakashunal sistem.
“Daaaaam!!! Man HUBE, when you bust me, I am busted. You got me cold one other time so this makes two. You too Kilroy. I don’t have time to read your book but I bet it is good.”
Your a good egg Jason! We can’t have change without debate and we can’t learn form each other unless we bump heads.
If you real care about the issues not just making Castle the reason you live, you should keep the presure on him RE: Iraq. You can actually help save lives.
Me, yea I dig and do the political thing however, I do get involved in the educational issues. If you are going to take you must give back.
My Book will be titled “I have a GED not a PhD”
You can be my Proof Reader.