March 24, 2004
More Than a Dozen Schools Chiefs Join California
Superintendent O'Connell to Fight
Changes to No Child Left Behind Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. — California Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell was joined today by a bi-partisan group of his counterparts from 13 states to urge U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige to allow states with strong accountability systems greater flexibility under the federal No Child Left Behind Act.
In a letter to Secretary Paige, more than a dozen state schools chiefs endorsed the primary mission of NCLB - to raise standards and expectations for all students, and hold schools accountable for results - but asked for flexibility in the implementation of the law. The letter was signed by state schools chiefs from Alaska, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Idaho, Louisiana, Maine, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Utah and Washington.
"While flexibility is the watchword of NCLB," O'Connell said, "those of us who must implement this important law have found that a lack of flexibility is causing us difficulty in ensuring we meet its promise."
Specifically, O'Connell and his counterparts urged that states be allowed flexibility to measure annual school progress using a model based on year-to-year academic achievement growth. Currently, NCLB requires states to measure adequate progress using a "status bar" model, which measures adequate yearly progress based on whether a school has "jumped over" a single achievement bar.
"The status bar model effectively penalizes established state accountability systems that are based on high standards," O'Connell said. "In California, for example, 403 schools have more than doubled their growth targets for two consecutive years on a state system based on rigorous academic standards, yet have failed to make adequate progress under NCLB.
"Allowing states flexibility to use a growth model such as California's, where schools and student subgroups are expected to show steady annual progress toward proficiency on rigorous academic standards, will enable states to more effectively target limited resources to schools needing the most improvement -- without watering down our standards," O'Connell said.
"Requiring schools that are on the right track toward proficiency to divert precious resources to transportation or other purposes now required under NCLB just doesn't make sense at a time when states must do more with limited education dollars," O'Connell said.
For more information, including a copy of the letter to Secretary Paige and a white paper on this issue, please visit Fight for Changes to the NCLB Act.
