Ok, so it’s not the traditional 5th anniversary gift of wood, but this is the kind that could keep on giving. With NCLB nearing its 5th anniversary, NSBA has joined 99 education, civil rights, religious and civic groups in signing the “Joint Organizational Statement,” which calls for major changes in federal education legislation.
NCLB, which became law on January 8, 2002, is scheduled for Congressional review and reauthorization this year. The statement lists 14 recommended changes, including:
- Moving away from over-reliance on standardized tests to using multiple achievement measures in order to provide a more comprehensive picture of student and school performance;
- Replacing arbitrary proficiency targets with ambitious achievement targets based on rates of success actually achieved by the most effective public schools;
- Authorizing interventions that enable schools to make changes that result in improved student learning instead of sanctions that do not have a consistent record of success;
- Enhancing state and local capacity to improve the knowledge and skills of teachers, administrators, families, and communities to support high student achievement;
-Increasing NCLB funding to cover a substantial percentage of the costs that states and districts will incur to carry out thses recommendations and to cover all eligible students.
To view the complete statement and the list of 100 organizations endorsing it, visit the Forum for Educational Accountability Web site. And check out NSBA’s efforts on improving NCLB here.
