Local principals question No Child Left Behind

By Cherry Sokoloski
North Forty News

In early October, this year's CSAP scores will be released by the state. This has become a rather ho-hum affair for the public, but people may soon begin taking notice again. The scores relate to a school's ranking under the No Child Left Behind Act, and a school's performance has definite consequences.

The act is now in its third year. Schools and the district as a whole are graded each year on how well they measure up to the Annual Yearly Progress goal, a standard set by the act. If one subgroup in a school does not make AYP, the school as a whole fails. If one school in a district fails to make the grade, the district as a whole gets a black mark.

In 2003, 13 of 44 schools in Poudre School District did not make AYP, so the district as a whole failed as well. Irish Elementary was the only grade school that did not reach the goal, but all of the high schools and most of the junior highs failed. Ellen Laubhan, communications coordinator for the district, finds that ironic. "That same year," she said, "four out of five of our high schools were rated excellent or high by the governor's report card, and yet none made AYP."

In Colorado, a whopping 60 percent of districts did not make AYP.

Principals at three area grade schools--Irish, Cache La Poudre and Eyestone --were interviewed in September for their opinions on the No Child Left Behind Act. All agreed that the intent of the act is admirable, but said the law punishes schools that are actually doing a good job and showing progress in their students.

"The overall intent, that we need to practice all due diligence and provide the maximum opportunities for each and every one of our children, has universal support," said John Karbula, principal at Eyestone. However, he said, "public school educators have never left children behind," and he finds the suggestion that they have "bothersome." Furthermore, Karbula said, there is widespread concern among educators that the bill erodes local control of schools.

Subgroups measured

A major difference in No Child Left Behind from prior education laws is that subgroups are measured separately. PSD must measure proficiency among eight subgroups at each school, including five ethnic groups, English language learners, students in poverty and students with disabilities. The subgroups that did not make AYP in this district last year were the special education students, English language learners and minority groups, Laubhan said.

For the first three years, in kindergarten through sixth grade, the act requires that 76.9 percent of students test proficient in reading and 75.9 percent in math. Goals are different for higher grades. Next year, and every three years thereafter, the goal is ratcheted up, so that by 2014, 100 percent of all students must test proficient in both subjects.

Brenda Gifford, principal at Irish, finds some of the law's standards to be unattainable. "Hold us accountable, but make it reasonable," she said.

She noted that the vast majority of students with disabilities take the CSAP tests at their grade level, even though they have documented delays in learning. "A sixth grade student with disabilities may be functioning at the fourth grade level," she said, and that student's score is averaged with everyone else's. Only students with severe disabilities are allowed to take a different test.

Requiring 100 percent of students to test proficient by 2014 "defies common sense," Gifford said. The law excuses two categories of students from being counted--those who were not in their current school for at least 12 months and those who were not enrolled in any U.S. school for at least three years. However, Gifford said, "it's not reasonable that within three years (immigrants) would have the same English proficiency and content skills as other students." Some students coming into PSD have had very little formal schooling at all, so language is not their only challenge.

Immigrants and English language learners in PSD include children from many different countries, noted CLPE principal Steve Schiola. Perhaps the most visible population is children who have emigrated with their families from Mexico. However, many people associated with Colorado State University are from other countries, and when they bring their families with them, their children are English language learners as well.

Gifford also has a problem with the fact that PSD was left way behind in terms of funding. While there is a federal budget for No Child Left Behind, the local district got "zero dollars" to implement improvements, Gifford said. That's because funding is allocated on the basis of local income, and the Fort Collins area is well off compared with many other areas of the country.

Consequences cited

Schiola explained what happens if a school fails to make the AYP grade. The first year, the school must inform parents and pay for tutoring to help students who are not proficient. The second year, the school must provide transportation to another, close-by school if parents opt to move their children. "It's a very negative, punitive thing," he said.

All three principals pointed to issues of fairness in the education bill. For one thing, only schools that receive federal Title I funds receive consequences for failing to make AYP. In PSD, 12 of the 29 elementary schools are in that category. For another, all states are different in the way they test students.

Some small states, Gifford said, are saying, "Keep your federal dollars --we aren't going to do this." That really isn't an option in Colorado, she said, where federal funds make up a big share of school budgets.

Karbula is president of the Colorado Association of Elementary School Principals, and was in Washington, D.C., this past summer lobbying on some of the troublesome issues in No Child Left Behind. He expects changes to be made in the law, but not before the general election this fall.

"We need a whole series of conversations about what the law says and means," Karbula said.