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Smart List: 60 People Shaping the Future of K-12 Education
Firstly, I’m glad that the report said that data systems are “an obtainable goal,” not something that are ready for use. Without prejudging whether NCLB-type accountability, value-added evaluations, etc. are a good or bad idea, I noticed a pattern. Those approaches to longitudianl data, that seek to advance accountability, are being implemented faster. Again, without prejudging whether they are more good than bad, they obviously have trade-offs and unintended effects that would need to be addressed.
But what about data systems that simply help students, that are completely win win solutions? How much have we invested in those? There is no downside to tracking middle school achievement to see whether students are ready for high school, but only 12 states have adopted them. What about high school indicators to help kids prepare for college. Again, a technology wityh no down side has been adopted by only 10 states.
I’m reminded of the proposal to track and reach out to elementary students with severe absenteeism. Again, that is simply a technology for helping children?
Why can’t we show the same commitment to “win win” solutions, as we do for solutions that may produce good things for students, but which also may hurt students?
Maybe the devotees of data-driven accountability are right and you have to pick fights and you can’t make an omelet without breaking eggs. But where are their priorities? Have many of them have gotten so caught up in fighting teachers and unions that they forgot what are the means and what are the ends?
The Data Quality Campaign report overlooks one important data quality factor: whether the tests states administer cap student progress or whether they are “ceilingless” tests. Too many tests, under our NCLB, measure only whether students have achieved state proficiency standards and the extent to which they fall below it. If a bright or high-achieving child begins the school year at proficiency or even advanced proficiency levels (if such scores are available), those tests have no way of measuring whether that student has made any progress over the school year. While the school will be happy to report that student’s proficiency score at the end of the year, the score could mask the school’s failure to challenge the student or advance his or her learning at all. By requiring no measures of achievement once a child surpasses the proficiency or advanced proficincy levels, NCLB simply provides no incentive for schools to focus on ensuring that gifted students are challenged to reach their potential. By relying largely on these flawed diagnostic tools, the DQC factors also do little to improve instruction for gifted students.