|
|
|
 |
Archives |
Accountability Key to School Equity and Closing Achievement GapsThis article is the third in a series recapping the themes and issues most relevant to the future of the educational publishing industry, as told by the slate of expert speakers at AEP's June Educational Publishing Summit. This installment presents perspectives on the education market from the state and local levels. In terms of NCLB accountability, educators and administrators agree that tracking student progress is an important step toward creating school equity and closing achievement gaps, but there are challenges and unintended consequences of NCLB that need to be addressed. This was the consensus among panelists last month at the Focus Forward Town Hall Meeting, held on the second day of AEP's 2006 Educational Publishing Summit. The theme of the meeting was "Know Your Customer," and speakers presented attendees with perspectives from the state, district, and local levels. The panel was moderated by Mark Stevens, Kids Online Education Director and General Manager at AOL@SCHOOL, and included Nikki Barnes of the National Education Association; John English, Assistant Superintendent of Fairfax County Public Schools; and Mary Ann Wolf, Executive Director of the State Educational Technology Directors Association. According to English, one of the most problematic issues in Fairfax County is school choice, the NCLB provision that gives students in failing schools the option to attend another school that has made adequate yearly progress. "If a school goes to choice, it means Fairfax County has to provide busing for kids to leave that school and go to a nearby school. Guess who gets on the bus and goes to the other schools - it's not the kids who didn't pass the test...So we end up spending a lot of money busing kids that are making 'pass/advance' on our state tests," said English. To this end, Fairfax County has appealed to the Departments of Education at both the state and national levels to make supplemental education services the first step in failing schools. Mary Ann Wolf agreed that NCLB implementation has presented some challenges, but feels important progress has been made as a result of the law. "While some of the details of the law have proven very difficult, I think the motivation [NCLB] has provided and the discussions it has started have led to some very positive changes in schools," she said. Wolf pointed to the development and implementation of benchmarking products as a step toward more effective instruction. Immediate feedback allows teachers to make adjustments and remediate instantly, which leads to more individualized instruction, she said. Nikki Barnes, providing input from the educators' perspective, also expressed support for NCLB accountability, noting that the best way for a teacher to measure his or her effectiveness is to measure student achievement. In addition, she appealed to publishers to create professional development materials that help teachers assess their own lessons and progress in addition to the progress of their students. "We know that a teacher who analyzes his or her practice is a better teacher," said Barnes, "but I don't see components that promote teacher reflection in the resources that [publishers] are producing right now." According to the panelists, other products that are in demand include formative assessments; benchmark testing; and programs that help track, organize, and assess student data. Questions, ideas, or in need of more information? Please contact Stacey Pusey at 302-295-8349. |
For more information on the market demand for data-tracking tools, see The Arizona Republic article, "Teachers use data to tailor education" |
|
© 2011 The Association of Educational
Publishers |
||
