Georgia to feds: Free us from No Child Left Behind
Georgia is seeking a waiver from No Child. (Dean Rohrer/AJC file)
I also want to share this statement from DOE about Georgia’s formal request for a waiver from provisions of No Child Left Behind. (Now, I have to get back to my vacation, which today is devoted to ironing tablecloths for the wedding. This is the first time I have used this iron in five years, but I knew it would come in handy some day.)
For the English translation of this announcement, please go to this jargon-free AJC story.
U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) and State School Superintendent Dr. John Barge yesterday personally delivered Georgia’s request for a waiver to certain provisions of No Child Left Behind, and an alternative, to U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. Georgia is one of the first states seeking a waiver from some of the requirements within NCLB. The State requests permission to replace NCLB with Georgia’s College and Career Ready Performance Index for each public school, school district, and the state for the 2011 – 2012 school year.
This CCRPI determination will vary based upon grade levels. However, it will measure the extent to which a school, school district, and the state are successfully making progress on a number of accountability indicators such as content mastery, student attendance, and the next level of preparation.
Gov. Nathan Deal said, “The College and Career Ready Performance Index developed by Dr. Barge and his team at the Georgia Department of Education moves us in the right direction for 21st century accountability. Rather than focusing on one test given on one school day, the CCRPI takes a comprehensive look at the things that go into making successful elementary, middle and high schools. I commend Dr. Barge and Sen. Isakson for personally delivering this important request, and I’m appreciative of Secretary Duncan’s willingness to entertain accountability waivers from states. I wholeheartedly support Georgia’s request.”
“Through Georgia’s College and Career Ready Performance Index, we will be able to use multiple indicators to determine a school’s overall impact on our students”, said Superintendent Barge. “This approach will do more to ensure that the K-12 experience provides students with the academic preparation to compete globally, as well as the career development skills aligned with the evolving requirements of our workforce.”
The proposed CCRPI for high schools, middle schools, and elementary schools represents more than 18 months of work dedicated to continuing a rigorous statewide accountability plan that is more indicative of a focus on school improvement and students’ preparedness for the future than the current AYP calculations. The Georgia Department of Education has worked with a number of education stakeholders throughout the state including: district superintendents; K-12 principals, counselors, and teachers; higher education leaders; business/industry partners. Also, the formation of CCRPI has been guided by the U.S. Department of Education’s Blueprint for Reform, the Council of Chief State School Officers’ Roadmap for Next-Generation Accountability Systems, as well as technical advice from a number of other education partners.
The implementation of the CCRPI will yield an in-depth analysis of students’ college and career readiness, which is not currently provided by data collected for Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). Separate scores will be provided in three areas to capture the essential work of individual schools: Achievement Score (based upon current year data); Progress Score (based upon current and prior year data); and Achievement Gap Closure Score (based upon gap closure at the state or school level). The school-wide scores in these three areas will be weighted to produce the school’s Overall CCRPI Score.
“We have a unique opportunity to implement a state-specific performance index that communicates a clear pathway towards school improvement and transparent accountability and charts the course for ensuring that more of Georgia’s students are truly college and career ready,” said Superintendent Barge. “This index will give schools a score that better reflects their efforts to educate students and will be much easier to communicate to the general public.”
For the 2011 – 2012 school year, Georgia requests “stay put” permission relative to the current 2011 AYP determinations, Needs Improvement (NI) interventions as outlined in the Georgia Single Statewide Accountability System and in Georgia’s Consolidated State Application Accountability workbook, and consequence structure. The CCRPI calculations will be communicated to Georgia schools and school districts to establish baseline data for 2011-2012 within the context of a “hold harmless” consequence structure.
–From Maureen Downey, for the AJC Get Schooled blog
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78 comments Add your comment
jt
September 21st, 2011
12:16 pm
That is why Isackson should be fired…and anyone else who grovels at Arne Duncan’s feet when it concerns our state’s money and children.
.
There is no need for the great state of Georgia to ASK permission to leave a typically disfunctional Federal program.
Good Mother
September 21st, 2011
12:22 pm
All of it sounds good to me. There is one element lacking here, that is not mentioned and that is how the state will ensure testing is secure. I realize the new plan is not putting all the emphasis on one test but they haven’t addressed or acknowleged the big 1,000 pound gorialla in the room — test security and teacher and administrator integrity.
Dr. John Trotter
September 21st, 2011
12:23 pm
No Child Left Behind was hopelessly flawed from its inception. It was fathered by two private school boys, Teddy Kennedy and George W. Bush. It should have been jettisoned years ago. I am glad to see Dr. Barge make this move. I wish Georgia had simply refused to go along with this insanity years ago. The only reason that Georgia had to go along with this hideous program was because Georgia continued to receive federal funds. Public education is a State matter, not a Federal one.
Beverly Fraud
September 21st, 2011
12:31 pm
No Child Left Behind? What, “DDFA” (Dumb Down For All) wasn’t catchy enough?
Dunwoody Mom
September 21st, 2011
12:32 pm
It’s a start. Hopefully, the waiver is granted.
Dunwoody Mom
September 21st, 2011
12:40 pm
Just a few thoughts from reading the documents on the GABOE webiste:
1. I agree with the GA BOE’s thoughts on focusing on the specific sub-groups within a school, rather than just painting a whole school as “failing”.
2. Agree with the elimination of curent SES structure and putting the control of that with the individual school districts and schools.
3. The proposed elimination of School Choice transfers will not make some happy, at least here in DCSS.
4. There are still some high-level goals with regards to SAT (1550) /ACT (22) scores, AP Exam Scores (3+), etc., but I think this is good.
Reality
September 21st, 2011
12:44 pm
I fear that this is the GA republican march towards vouchers. And, I violently disagree with vouchers. My tax dollars should not be used/given to someone with a child so that THEY can decide what to do with MY money.
It is just wrong.
Ed Rigdon
September 21st, 2011
12:58 pm
Two key flaws in NCLB are (1) the simplistic notion of emphasizing reward / punishment rather than measurement, and (2) using a rarely administered high-stakes standardized test as the sole measure, rather than employing a diverse portfolio of frequently administered assessments to monitor progress. If our schools made the necessary investment (yeah, right) in real measurement, while testing a wide range of innovations aimed at producing better results and measuring the impact of each one, you know that we would find ways to produce better outcomes. NCLB is a blunt instrument, but it appears that most states have already been beaten into submission, so maybe now we could try a different approach?
Mac
September 21st, 2011
1:06 pm
Just read it all – not convinced the cure will not be worse than the disesase.
Would love to see a list of the people involved in drafting this as that will tell us quite a bit regarding the true intent.
Mac
September 21st, 2011
1:07 pm
disesase should be disease
Oh Intown Writer...
September 21st, 2011
1:17 pm
Wasn’t dear Johnny just on the tv few weeks back defending NCLB and the testing mentality?
Mac
September 21st, 2011
1:19 pm
Big Question # 1
Who will all these new “School Improvement Specialists” be and where will the $$$$ to pay them be coming from?
Ernest
September 21st, 2011
1:19 pm
Good points Dunwoody Mom though I could support allowing School Choice transfers ONLY for those in the impacted subgroups. This should only be done if the impacted children have not demonstrated measurable growth over a predetermined length of time.
My takeaway from the article is that they will add more ‘data points’ to measure as a part of their score card. I’m guessing they will give weights to certain categories to come up with a grade for the school.
Dunwoody Mom
September 21st, 2011
1:21 pm
Ernest, I do agree with your thoughts on the transfers for impacted subgroups – makes a lot of sense.
Mac
September 21st, 2011
1:21 pm
Big Question #2
We didn’t have $$$ for Extended Learning last year or this year – how are we suddenly going to have it available all over the place?
Once Again
September 21st, 2011
1:30 pm
NULLIFICATION – It was used by Wisconsin to nullify the Fugitive Slave Act and it should be used by every state to nullify unconsitutional and improper federal legislation. Tell the feds to shove it and free the children of GA.
cris
September 21st, 2011
1:33 pm
hmmmmm…Barge was a Career Tech teacher……CTAE classes have been killed by NCLB…..Johnny’s friends are losing jobs…OHHHHHH let’s add CTAE to the mix of testing and accountability, that way my friends will have jobs on the backs of academic electives, PE and fine arts! Sounds like a plan……
Mac
September 21st, 2011
1:35 pm
“Birth to work Pipeline” is what we keep hearing – the new Socialism?
RustyHingis
September 21st, 2011
1:50 pm
@ Reality
September 21st, 2011
12:44 pm
I fear that this is the GA republican march towards vouchers. And, I violently disagree with vouchers. My tax dollars should not be used/given to someone with a child so that THEY can decide what to do with MY money.
Let’s modify your statement for acuracy…you just don’t want your tax dollars going to a program you don’t support. I don’t want my taxes going to support the “earned income tax credit” which gives refunds to people who have paid no taxes.
DeKalb Mom
September 21st, 2011
1:57 pm
Thrilled to hear that the plan eliminates School Choice Transfers. This provision of NCLB has played a huge role in the destabilization of DeKalb high schools and communities with absolutely no indication that the transferring students benefited from the transfer. It has also had negative impacts in other urban cities such as Miami and Chicago. More focus should be directed to the individual students who are struggling – perhaps more tutoring, smaller classes, summer and after school programs that enhance learning.
@Reality
September 21st, 2011
2:03 pm
Reality, you’d rather a government bureaucrat decide what to do with your money, than the taxpaying public decide how best to spend their own money?
DC Dawg
September 21st, 2011
2:13 pm
At the risk of offending the Tenth Amendment freaks who frequent this blog, I must point out that the federal governement has not imposed ANY federal mandates on the states relating to public education. To the contrary, the feds have offered the states a contract, which every state has accepted. The terms of this voluntary contract are simple: if a state wishes to receive federal education funds, it must agree to abide by certain rules. A state is perfectly free to rid itself of federal education mandates by rejecting federal funds, which typically make up about 8% of a state’s public education funding (a higher percentage in poor states like Mississippi).
If the good Republicans who now run my state want to rid Georgia of federal education rules, they need only say “no” to federal funding. Among other things, this means that states would not have to comply with NCLB, IDEA (which requires schools to provide disabled students with a free and appropriate education), or Title IX or Title VI(which ban sex and race discrimination in schools respectively). Georgia would also not have to provide free lunches or remedial educational services to poor students under Title I. (Yes, I’m a lawyer who works in this field.)
So don’t whine and complain about mythical federal education “mandates.” It is simply a contract, nothing more, nothing less. We can have a reasoned debate about whether the burden of complying with federal education rules is worth the federal education money that Georgia receives. But don’t blame the feds for education “mandates”; blame the spineless politicians who can’t or won’t wean themselves from the federal teat. After all, to do so would likely require raising state and/or local taxes, which, of course is now an offense punishable by death.
Mac
September 21st, 2011
2:18 pm
Thank you DCDawg!!
So true!!
Beverly Fraud
September 21st, 2011
2:18 pm
If we can rigorously reform the reform with rigorousness, we will be able to revise the revisions in such a way that will bring rigor to the revision process, all while reforming the revisions in a way that will reform the revisions in a rigorous way.
Why can’t we just apply simple common sense solutions like the one above?
jt
September 21st, 2011
2:29 pm
DC Dawg
.
Tenth Amendment freaks?
.
At the risk of offending Government Lawyer Parasites…………………who was whining about “mandates”?
.
Project much?
.
We WILL wean ourselves from the federal teat, and in doing so, shrugg off parasites such as you.
.
Ron Paul 2012.
.
catlady
September 21st, 2011
2:32 pm
Mac, it will be the same shoddy way it is now. One or two will get to go, then “redeliver” it to everyone else. There will be little expense, and teachers will be expected to stay after school, unpaid, to “complete” it.
Mac
September 21st, 2011
2:41 pm
@catlady
Not what it says in the document – plan calls for “School Improvement Specialists” going to the schools that work for the GADOE. It also mentions a lot of after school, before school and Saturday tutoring.
Don’t miss the first statewide CCGPS ’sit and get’ from the GADOE at 3!
Beverly Fraud
September 21st, 2011
2:57 pm
How can we in good faith ask for a waiver, if we haven’t rigorously pursued the rigor with rigorousness?
Plus, can we in good conscience say that we have focused on the focus?
I think not.
Curious One
September 21st, 2011
2:59 pm
On politicians like Senator Johnny can call and spin terrible legislation which he co-authored which had horrible outcomes can now call it a success and time to move on – pure rubbish and they should be ashamed of what they have done to public education in Georgia and the rest of the USA.
used to teach
September 21st, 2011
2:59 pm
How much does Maureen get to do this job?
She lights a match, waves it around and boom. We all start bickering over things that won’t change.
No Child may go away but what is coming next is much worse………………………………
DC Dawg
September 21st, 2011
3:03 pm
jt — I am in private practice, and I have never worked for the federal government.
Rather than attacking me, why don’t you express your views on the substantive question whether Georgia should turn down federal education money and live with the consequnces. There can be an intelligent debate on THAT question. But there are no federal education “mandates,” only the offer of a contract, which states are free to accept or reject.
President Paul?!? Really?? You are delusional.
Beverly Fraud
September 21st, 2011
3:10 pm
Must you, DC Dawg speak of the voluntary nature of our acceptance of federal education funds, and remind us that we the people are even bigger idiots than we could have possibly imagined, when we weren’t busy numbing ourselves with American Idol?
GeeMac
September 21st, 2011
3:21 pm
While I like the idea of looking at three areas, as opposed to only one, I am concerned about the career readiness component. My tiny little school system only offers 3 career pathways and we routinely only have maybe 4-5 seniors (out of 30) who go on to a post-secondary program (either technical or community).
GeeMac
September 21st, 2011
3:23 pm
Just seems like the smallest, poorest systems in our state will still lag due to lack of resources and opportunities and continue to be bound to the dictates of the state DOE.
OedipusTax
September 21st, 2011
3:34 pm
My kids have HATED the nclb. Dumbed downed tests that waste their time. Testing is not teaching. Thirty of the 180 days involve testing in public schools. Besides, what does the Federal Department of Education do besides spend money, live rich, employ thousands of liberals that accomplish NOTHING, and vote for Obama or the next big spender?
Ole Guy
September 21st, 2011
3:36 pm
Just another example of a mindless, pie-in-the-sky “initiative” oozing from the previous administration. Anyone for more pie upon the face?
Atlmom
September 21st, 2011
3:44 pm
dc dawg: where do you think the funds that the federal govt gets come from? so now you’re saying that I should be taxed TWICE, once by the feds, to send GA money to the other states for education (and the feds don’t know what they are doing wrt education, btw) and then AGAIN, because you think we need to be taxed more than we already are. Is that what you’re saying?
I don’t think that that is a good thing.
Are you thinking that NCLB was great legislation? I don’t know anyone who thinks that. It wasn’t written by anyone who is in education.
As for ‘I don’t want my tax dollars to go where people think they should go’ – is the education system working so wonderfully that you think it should be left as is? Tweaking it will not work, we’ve seen about 50 years of that, and it hasn’t worked worth an ounce.
Atlmom
September 21st, 2011
3:50 pm
nclb is not a very good idea. really…my kid is pretty bright, so when you give him a test that is multiple choice, well, he’s pretty good at figuring it out. Especially since things are drilled into the kids, and many kids get bored. but we apparently don’t care about those kids anymore, because those kids will most certainly pass the tests.
Reality
September 21st, 2011
4:37 pm
CORRECTIONS:
I am forced to contribute to public education. I have no children. However, I am taxed in order to contribute. I understand that education is important and this is for our future…
However, I TOTALLY disagree with simply handing over MY money in the form of a voucher or anything like it to another citizen. This is just wrong wrong wrong in so many ways. This is shifting the wealth from people without children to people with children.
I am fine with contributing to the public education we provide for our kids. But you want to just hand over my money and ‘let them make decisions?’ Are you kidding me? Many of these folks haven’t even raised their own offspring properly to start with. Many of these folks don’t even have a high school diploma themselves. Many of these folks couldn’t think their way out of a paper bag. Yet, I am supposed to “trust” that they will “make the best decision” for their young’uns?????
Really – ARE YOU KIDDING ME?????
If public education is supposed to help all of our children, then let’s do that. But do NOT take MY money and simply place it in the hands of someone else just because they were able to reproduce!!!!!
Once Again
September 21st, 2011
4:52 pm
Reality – Yes, just take my money and spend it on the education of someone else’s kids JUST BECAUSE THEY WERE ABLE TO REPRODUCE!
Do you listen to yourself? You don’t mind being stolen from to pay unaccountable government bureaucrats and parasitic employees, but heaven forbid you are stolen from to allow that same money to be spent in the private competitive sector where performance and outcomes actually mean something and the quality is far superior.
Don’t get me wrong, I am against vouchers because I know that they will only bring about the destruction of the private sector and because they are still based on the theft of the school tax system, but saying that an individual is far less competent to decide how best to educate their child than the faceless unaccountable government just flies in the face of common sense. We saw how horrible food lines, etc. got when the Soviets controlled the food distribution and production system and we can see that food stamps make far more sense as they disrupt the process far less, but why doesn’t that logic work for vouchers (from your perspective).
SoGAVet
September 21st, 2011
5:22 pm
In reply to my letter to Sen. Isakson asking him to withdraw his support, he said,
As one of the authors of the No Child Left Behind law, I have a vested interest in this legislation and its impact on our nation’s education system. … I have been especially pleased with the increased accountability under No Child Left Behind. … I am supportive of Georgia’s decision to apply for a waiver from the AYP provision of the No Child Left Behind law.
There you have it, “Vested Interest.” Too bad he doesn’t have a vested interest in supporting his constituancy who pretty overwhelmingly see NCLB as bad legislation that needs to die an untimely death.
Kathy II
September 21st, 2011
5:45 pm
At the risk of taking something out of context…I want to share with you what the GDOE just sent me today in an email.
Anonmom: this explains a lot of what you and I posted. “This is the first in a series of livestreaming professional development sessions that cover the Common Core Georgia Performance Standards for English language arts, literacy, and mathematics. Subsequent workshops will begin airing January 2012.
http://www.gpb.org/education/common-core
I think Johnny Isaakson is a Johnny come lately on this one. Common Core State Perormance Standards VS> Georgia Performance Standards….for those of us who have kids in these grades, we better be paying attention…
Atlmom
September 21st, 2011
5:53 pm
reality: no vouchers won’t solve anything – if people aren’t invested in their kids’ education, you can’t force them…but perhaps maybe for some it will make the parents slightly more accountable when they actually have to DO something rather than just signing their kids up for the school down the street. I don’t have a lot of hope, either.
BUT why are you happy with the status quo? and for those of you who are ‘against vouchers’ please explain to me why. Don’t give me the ‘oh, it takes money away from the system’ stuff. Why *shouldn’t* we take money away from the system? The system is awful. All we seem to do to it is to tweak it and create more bureaucracy and don’t let teachers teach. What is your answer? MORE bureaucracy? it is NOT WORKING.
Kathy II
September 21st, 2011
6:17 pm
CCRPI is the UMBRELLA for the Common COre State CUrriculum that will be fully implemented NEXST year…..our kids and education process is in “transition”… The common core curriculum was accepted and being adopted by every state in the UNION, BUT Texas and Alaska.
Johnny Isaakson has NOTHING to do with this…it is ALL state initiated and created. In 2014, NCLB expires….
check out the link…
http://www.gpb.org/education/common-core
slp98
September 21st, 2011
7:16 pm
DC Dawg – Thanks for the explanation. Some people can’t read & don’t realize that you were providing factual information vs. expressing your own opinion.
AtlMom – Let’s say we go with vouchers & Johnny’s parents want to send him to an Islamic private school. I’m sure spending our tax money to send kids to a Muslim school would go over really well with the tea baggers. Likewise, I can name off at least a couple of schools in the area for kids with special needs that advertise using teaching methodologies that have been shown in research to be ineffective. Parents are spending upwards of $40k per year at a school where the leaders pull at their heart strings and provide emotional anecdotal stories about kids suceeding.
Until you can ensure that my tax money is not going to support religous education and/or schools that use ineffective teaching methods, I will not support vouchers. Remember that oldie but goodie – separation of church & state?
Atlmom
September 21st, 2011
7:30 pm
slp: what’s the difference between that and federal scholarships for college? The STUDENT chooses the school, and the feds pay (or state, or whatever). Your tax money already goes towards religious schools NOW, for college. Separation between church and state (which isn’t in the constitution) is maintained, UNTIL AND UNLESS the state forces you to go to a school that advocates a certain religion.
AND your tax money is ALREADY going to schools that use ineffective teaching methods. Unless you think APS is doing a bang up job (or insert almost any school system here).
—jewish mom of two kids in APS schools.
Kathy II
September 21st, 2011
8:05 pm
@DC Dawg: what is very unfortunate is the folks do not read the Title I provisions and/or the Unregulated madates of the Title I program which can be found: http://www2.ed.gov/programs/titleiparta/fiscalguid.pdf
Too many folks do not understand, No Child Left Behind targets the poor. THe Federal Title I money can go to any school that has at least a 35% free or reduced lunch…AND if that school is designated as a Targeted assistance Title I proram ….OR a School wide Title I program.
If a child attends a NON Title I,(NON title I) …AND if that school does NOT make AYP for two consecutive years;
it means NON Title I kids do NOT get federal money for tutoring, our kids do NOT get school choice due to NI status, and the PARENTS do NO Thave federal, state, or local laws, rules, or policies to involve parents. Parents whose kids do NOT attend a Title I school are NOT paid to be involved in their child’s education. (NCLB Title I mandates at least 1% of funds be used to involve parents) .Section 1116-1118 of NCLB.
Too many do not fully understand the fundamental concept of Title I funds: The more uneducated and poor (At Risk) students any given school produces, the MORE federal Title I (welfare dollars) the school system gets.
It is all online at the GDOE, under Data, Title I reports….. In FY 09, Georgia received almost 1/2 BILLION dollars for the poor….and what did we get? Less Title I schools making AYP….
Kathy II
September 21st, 2011
8:07 pm
correction: “unregulated guidelines” not unregulated mandates…I apologize for any confusion.
td
September 21st, 2011
10:37 pm
cris
September 21st, 2011
1:33 pm
hmmmmm…Barge was a Career Tech teacher
Sorry to bust your bubble but Dr. Barge an English/ Foreign language teacher. He was the Director of CTA at the State office for two years. Your theory sounds plausible until the truth is revealed.
td
September 21st, 2011
10:49 pm
DC Dawg
September 21st, 2011
3:03 pm
“Rather than attacking me, why don’t you express your views on the substantive question whether Georgia should turn down federal education money and live with the consequnces. There can be an intelligent debate on THAT question.”
You frame your spin (protecting federalism) very nicely but it has some serious flaws. The foremost flaw is we (the citizens of Georgia) are forced by the rule of law to hand over huge amounts of money to the Federal government and they in return decide how the state gets to us our own money. How about if the states are given the option to turn down the contract and as a part then the citizens of said state would not be forced to pay that amount of money to the Feds? The state could then raise taxes by that much money and be able to us the resources as its own citizens seemed best for its children?
How about that for 10th Amendment consideration?