Agenda - 03-16-2004-6a - Laserfiche WebLink

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la NCLB's high expectations of special-needs students also help illustrate another concern we have identified with the federal laws accountability model: the federal law contains no component for rewarding or recognizing individual student growth. This is true for students at all ends of the learning spectrum, from the students with special needs who we discussed above, to the highest achievers in our schools. In fact, since so much time and resources must be focused toward helping subgroups with the lowest performance levels meet their AYP targets, school personnel may divert attention from high achievers who they expect will easily score above the AYP requirement. An unintended consequence may result, as our schools' top achievers are not challenged to reach higher levels. Prior to NCLB, the North Carolina accountability model recognized schools for the growth students showed each year, not whether they jumped over some hurdle. A high-performing student population was expected to continue to learn and grow. We think that an accountability model that focuses more on rewards and less on consequences is a better way to judge schools, since growth in student achievement is recognized and encouraged. Again, we offer an analogy. The business you operate has 5 percent of the market share. If you increase that market share to 10 percent, that is significant growth, It is important to recognize that improvement, even though your company may still only have one-fourth of the market share of the leading company in that market. Likewise, the barometer for school performance should focus on continuous improvement, and not on the performance observed at some snapshot in time. ISSUE: NCLB sets absolute expectations for children within specific subgroups, when the growth of these children, particularly those with special needs and those who are typically high achievers, would be a better measure of success. RECOMMENDATION: North Carolina's plan for compliance with NCLB be allowed to include growth as a significant part of the determination of progress and school success. The success we have achieved under North Carolina's growth-based accountability model brings us to another concern about the No Child Left Behind accountability model. Our greatest fear is that North Carolina parents will perceive their school or school system as failing under the new federal law, as opposed to succeeding under the nationally recognized North Carolina accountability model. A review of a school or school system's performance under North Carolina's ABCs plan is an apples-to-oranges comparison of performance under No Child Left Behind. But that is a confusing message for parents to understand. In connection with our concern about the public's perception of a school or school system's performance under NCLB, we are concerned about the impact that perception will have on our ability to staff our schools adequately with highly