2009-09-24

CASCD members attended the ASCD LEAP Legislative Institute in Arlington VA.  While attending the institute participants had the opportunity to meet with congressional staffers to learn about current federal educational initiatives under consideration; the most important being the re-authorization of ESEA (NCLB).  Following the Institute CASCD members visited five of our seven Congressional delegates, actually meeting with Congressman Courtney (Pictured left), Congressman Murphy, and Congressman Himes.  We also met with senior staff members of Congressman Larson and Senator Leiberman's offices.  After seveal attempts, we were unable to coordinate schedules with Senator Dodd's office and again this year Congresswoman DeLauro's office was not cooperative in scheduling time for us to discuss educational issues.

While visiting our Connecticut delegation we clearly identified portions of the ESEA re-authorization which we believe need revision to ensure educators remain focused on learning and teaching.   The information we shared is below.

 

Equitable Educational Opportunities

It is the mission of every education system—with the help and support of families, communities, and business partnerships—to prepare each student to be successful in an increasingly changing and competitive world. A student's abilities, talents, and interests—not personal circumstances—must determine these educational and career outcomes.
In accord with democratic principles and basic fairness, ASCD supports policies that expand educational opportunities for all learners and recognize that students' different abilities, circumstances, and needs require variable resources and multiple approaches to highly effective learning and teaching.
Equitable access to educational options and experiences—regardless of student background, socioeconomic status, race, or gender—requires adequate resources. Ensuring equity also demands creativity, varied organizational structures, diverse instructional expertise, unbiased expectations, and proactive and meaningful community engagement.
To succeed academically and thrive as individuals, all students must have access to

•    Innovative, engaging, and rigorous coursework with the supports that build on the strengths of each learner and enable students to develop to their full potential.
•    Vital educational technology and relevant career and technical programs.
•    Highly effective teachers supported by ongoing professional development.
•    Additional resources for strengthening schools, families, and communities.

 

Highly Effective Educators

ASCD recognizes that the two most important school-based factors affecting student achievement are the effectiveness of the classroom teacher and the effectiveness of the school principal. From the early childhood center to the university campus, we must build the capacity to support educators in gaining and sustaining the professional knowledge, skills, and training to address the evolving needs of students.
ASCD calls on Congress to support systemic approaches to the career development of educators, including their preparation, induction, mentoring, coaching, ongoing professional development, and evaluation. ASCD also encourages Congress to support teacher leadership as well as creative ways to retain and utilize effective, experienced educators and school leaders throughout their entire careers.
ASCD supports

•    A definition of educator effectiveness that includes, but is not limited to, indicators related to student growth and proficiency.
•    Incentives for school-university partnerships focused on innovative means to recruit, prepare, and retain teachers and school leaders.
•    Differentiated recognition programs, including locally determined incentive and merit pay programs tied to educator effectiveness.
•    Strategies that directly address the shortage of high-performing teachers and principals in high-need geographic and subject areas.
•    Professional opportunities that allow teachers to assume differentiated roles such as instructional and curriculum leaders, coaches, and mentors.
•    Professional development activities—such as study groups, action research, and data analysis—that promote both collaborative and self-directed continuous learning and focus on student needs, results, and best practice.

Multiple Indicators of School Success

ASCD believes that the current indicators for evaluating student learning are limited and do not provide a valid assessment of student skills or of overall school quality. Therefore, ASCD calls on Congress to expand allowable assessment options when determining adequate yearly progress (AYP) for all students, including English language learners and children with disabilities, as well as for entire schools and school districts.
 
Assessments

ASCD supports policies that evaluate students and schools using a comprehensive assessment system that incorporates multiple indicators of performance, including measuring student progress toward proficiency over time. Using such growth models to measure student progress presents a more accurate portrayal of student achievement. Effective and accurate growth models can include a combination of state assessments, teacher-developed assessments, portfolios, and performance assessments such as essays and projects.
ASCD believes that accurately assessing student achievement requires more than results on standardized tests in two or three subjects. Failing to incorporate multiple indicators yields unreliable results and may unfairly penalize students, educators, schools, and school districts.
ASCD encourages Congress to

•    Provide schools and school districts with the flexibility to measure progress among subgroups, as well as entire schools and school districts, while ensuring accountability and comparability beyond the adequate yearly progress indicators currently required under the No Child Left Behind Act.
•    Consider allowing indicators like student growth, graduation rates that recognize high school completion can take more or less than the traditional four years, grade point averages, number of students taking advanced placement and international baccalaureate courses, and number of students taking dual-enrollment courses as ways to measure AYP at the building or district level.

 
Accountability and Improvement

ASCD calls on Congress to change the current rigid measurement model to a differentiated system that distinguishes between schools or districts with dramatically disparate performance results. Such a system should also allow better apportionment of improvement assistance to where it is needed most and give greater discretion to local district educators—in partnership with parents, businesses, and community entities—who are best positioned to determine appropriate interventions for the unique needs of their students.

ASCD supports greater flexibility in the selection of research-based interventions and the use of available funding streams to meet locally identified needs to ensure student success and support.
 
English Language Learners and Children with Disabilities

ASCD believes English language learners will demonstrate annual progress through state language proficiency assessments. Based on research on second language acquisition, ASCD recommends English language learners be given a minimum of three years, and up to five years, to make AYP. During this time, states should be free to use state language proficiency assessments instead of state reading tests until proficiency is met.
ASCD recommends that a student with disability's individualized education program team develop the benchmarks for reading and mathematics that are aligned to standards measured in state assessments. Students must make annual progress under the state's growth model.

Innovative Educational Redesign

ASCD supports ongoing educational redesign to meet the lifelong learning needs of today’s students. In a seamless and integrated educational system, these 21st century skills must be imparted at all levels of schooling.
ASCD calls on Congress to support the efforts of states and local education agencies to improve educational outcomes by using research-based approaches that ensure young children are well-prepared for school, students successfully transition from elementary to the secondary grades, and high school graduates become productive and engaged citizens prepared for success in a global society.
 
Early Childhood Education

ASCD supports access to and funding for high-quality prekindergarten programs for all children. Early childhood learning activities are a cost-effective, research-based approach to ensuring all children enter school ready to learn.
 
Elementary Education

ASCD supports student learning in an intellectually challenging environment that provides the foundation for future educational achievement. Each student is actively engaged in learning and is connected to the school and broader community.
 
Middle-Level Education
ASCD supports a middle-level curriculum that is relevant, challenging, interactive, and exploratory and that responds to the unique nature of middle school students. Instruction should reflect high expectations and include multiple teaching and learning approaches that engage students.
 
High School Reform

ASCD supports high school redesign that includes rich and rigorous curriculum, meaningful and relevant learning experiences, and relationships with caring adults who know students well.
To achieve this systemic continuity, ASCD proposes

•    School settings that are physically and emotionally safe for every student and adult.
•    Personalized learning opportunities that engage students in relevant curriculum and challenging educational plans leading to proficiency, achievement, and ultimately graduation.
•    Mentoring programs where every student is supported and encouraged by an adult mentor in the school building.
•    Flexible use of time enabling schools to develop alternative approaches to fulfilling graduation requirements, other than the Carnegie Unit, the traditional school year, and other antiquated conventions that inhibit 21st century learning.
•    Supporting business, community, and family engagement by providing incentives to businesses and community services that align with expanded student learning opportunities and innovative programs for earning credit.
•    Incentives for school-university partnerships to articulate and align curriculum between secondary to post-secondary education to increase college readiness.
•    Alternative opportunities for students who are not succeeding in traditional high school programs.
•    Enactment of the Secondary School Innovation Fund Act (formerly the GRADUATES Act) and the Graduation Promise Act.