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--- Wednesday --- March 10, 1999 --- Vol. 2 --- No. 8 ---
NATIONAL EDUCATION GOALS PANEL
NEGP Weekly
THE UPDATE ON AMERICA'S NATIONAL EDUCATION GOALS
In cooperation with the DAILY REPORT CARD
MAGNA THE MAGNIFICENT
The American School Board Journal announced the winners of the 1999 Magna
Awards, a program that honors school districts for outstanding programs that
advance student learning.
The West Hartford Public School District (West Hartford, Connecticut) is
the grand prize winner. Its program "Excellence Without Exception:
Extended Learning Opportunities K-5" is a comprehensive network of
after-school, weekend, and summer learning activities geared to increase
student achievement in grades K-5.
For more information, contact the National School Boards Association; 1680
Duke Street; Alexandria, Virginia 22314; 703/838-6722; www.nsba.org.
SPOTLIGHT
IS IT THE WATER?
Connecticut reigns supreme in the latest round of National Assessment of
Education Progress (NAEP) reading scores. It is the nation's highest
performing state in reading, with reading gains of 10 points since 1992.
"Connecticut has something that we need to know more about," said U.S.
Education Secretary Richard Riley. Riley surmises that the state's high
standards and teacher quality, to say nothing of its good teacher salaries,
may be Connecticut's secret for reading success.
============== QUOTE OF THE DAY ==============
"If we don't speak out for our kids, who will?"
Meredith Scrivner, a Wisconsin parent, who is challenging the state's
high-stakes graduation test as the sole criteria for issuance of a diploma.
_______________________________________________________________
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| 1255 22nd Street NW; Washington, D.C. 202/724-0124 |
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| Publisher: Barbara A. Pape |
|_______________________________________________________________|
============== TABLE OF CONTENTS ==============
GOAL THREE: STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND CITIZENSHIP
*1. READING REPORT CARD: THE COMEBACK KID
*2. MUSIC!WORDS!OPERA!: OPERA STUDY RAISES ACHIEVEMENT
GOAL FOUR: TEACHER ED/PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
*3. QUALITY FIRST: NEA'S BOB CHASE WELCOMES REVOLUTION
GOAL EIGHT: PARENTAL PARTICIPATION
*4. "MOMS' CRUSADE:" WIS. PARENTS ASSAIL GRADUATION TEST
===== GOAL THREE: STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND CITIZENSHIP =====
*1 READING REPORT CARD: THE COMEBACK KID
America's fourth-, eighth-, and 12-th grade students show some
improvement in their reading scores, according to the latest National
Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) report. Average reading scores
increased in 1998 for students in grades 4, 8 and 12. At the fourth-grade
level, the national average score was higher in 1998 than in 1994. At
eighth grade, the national average score was higher in 1998 than in 1994 and
1992.
The latest NAEP report provides state-by-state data and contextual
information gathered from the students, their teachers and administrators in
the schools they attend. Connecticut is the nation's highest performing
state in reading, with reading gains of 10 points since 1992. In other
words, 46% of Connecticut's fourth graders score at NAEP's "proficient"
level.
Following Connecticut with the next highest average 4th-grade scores
are: Department of Defense overseas schools, Iowa, Kansas, Maine,
Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, Wisconsin, and Colorado.
Forty-three jurisdictions participated in the 1998 state-by-state reading
assessment at grade 4.
For eighth-grade, forty jurisdictions participated in the
state-by-state reading assessment. The cluster of highest-performing
jurisdictions include Connecticut, Department of Defense domestic schools,
Maine, Massachusetts, and Montana.
"Connecticut has something that we need to know more about," said
Education Secretary Richard Riley. "My immediate observation is that
Connecticut's commitment to high standards and teacher quality - including
good salaries for teachers - is paying off in the classroom."
The 12 jurisdictions with fourth- and eighth-grade below the
national average are: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Delaware, Florida,
Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, and South
Carolina. U.S. NEW & WORLD REPORT credits "an accumulation of measures" for
the slight increase in reading scores, including standards, smaller class
size, and an emphasis on teacher professional development (Lord, 3/15). "We
believe strongly in using everything [to teach reading]," said Kathy Drogos,
principal of Appleton Elementary School in Grand Junction, Colorado. "You
can never not have phonics, and you can never have enough literature and
[sight] reading."
Other findings from the 1998 NAEP report:
At all three grade levels in 1998, female students had higher average
reading scale scores than their male peers, and the percentage of females
attaining each of the reading achievement levels exceeded that of males.
At all three grades in 1998, the average reading score for white students
was higher than that for black, Hispanic, and American Indian students.
At grade 4, the only significant increase among racial/ethnic groups was
observed for black students, whose average reading score in 1998 was higher
than in 1994.
Consistent with past NAEP assessments, students in 1998 who reported higher
levels of parental education had higher average reading scale scores.
In 1998, at all three grades assessed, students who reported reading more
pages daily in school and for homework had higher average scale scores than
students who reported reading fewer pages daily.
At all three grades, a positive relationship between writing long answers to
questions on tests and assignments that involved reading and student reading
performance is generally supported by findings from the 1998 NAEP
assessment. Students who reported engaging in this activity on a weekly or
monthly basis had higher average scores than students who reported doing so
only once or twice a year, or hardly ever.
Fourth-grade students who reported that their teachers gave them time to
read books of their own choosing on a daily basis had a higher average score
than their peers who reported being given time to do so less often.
However, at grades 8 and 12 this activity did not have a positive
relationship with average reading scores.
At all three grades in 1998, students who reported watching three or fewer
hours of television each day had higher average reading scores than students
who reported watching more television.
Most education leaders "heralded the new scores as proof some
progress was occurring but agreed much more work was needed," reported
EDUCATION DAILY (Fox, 3/5). "We are entering a new phase in education,
where progress is clearly measured and results are expected," said Bob
Chase, president of the National Education Association (NEA). "Decisions
and planning related to education are becoming more data-driven."
A copy of the NAEP 1998 Reading Report is available at:
http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard.
*2 MUSIC!WORDS!OPERA!: OPERA STUDY RAISES ACHIEVEMENT
Cleveland Opera, through its education and outreach wing - Cleveland
Opera on Tour, has introduced over 15,000 Northeast Ohio elementary school
children to opera through its curriculum program Music!Words!Opera!. The
program, begun in 1991, promotes children's cognitive, language, social and
physical development, while building their artistic talents. The children
study operas such as HANSEL AND GRETEL and THE MAGIC FLUTE.
"Children really benefit from their experience with the
Music!Words!Opera! project, especially those children who are not good with
traditional modes of learning," said Lissy Gulick, Cleveland Opera Music
mentor. "They learn to think creatively and to express themselves clearly."
Cleveland Opera on Tour recently commissioned Sherri Oden, senior
research associate from High/Scope Educational Research Foundation in
Michigan, to conduct an independent evaluation of the opera program. Oden's
study found "compelling evidence" that the program increased the academic
progress of participants. Quantitative results indicate that after
second-grade students participated in the opera program, their California
Achievement Test national percentile scores significantly increased,
compared to the non-opera students.
"Cleveland Opera on Tour won the 1998 Ohio Governor's Award for Arts
in Education - so there's never been a question about the quality of our
education program," said David Bamberger, general director, Cleveland Opera.
"We are just thrilled to have this new scientific evidence that our work can
make a real difference in helping children learn basic skills."
For more information: Cleveland Opera; Suite 1052; 1422 Euclid
Avenue; Cleveland, Ohio 44115-2001; 216/575-0903; www.clevelandopera.org
===== GOAL FOUR: TEACHER ED/PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT =====
*3 QUALITY FIRST: NEA'S BOB CHASE WELCOMES REVOLUTION
The National Education Association (NEA) should "lead, follow, and
get out of the way" of the "quality revolution underway in public
education," said Bob Chase, president of the NEA. In a speech before
journalists, educators, and policymakers, Chase urged teachers to take
personal responsibility for providing a quality education, including
involvement in peer assistance and review programs.
In some cases, that may mean "the NEA needs to get out of the way,"
allowing members to pursue their own vision of school quality and reform,"
declared Chase. "We need to liberate collective bargaining - to liberate
our whole way of thinking about our role and responsibility in any given
school district," he said.
Chase issued a new report, STEPPING FORWARD, HOW NEA MEMBERS ARE
REVITALIZING AMERICA'S PUBLIC SCHOOLS. The report features over 300
innovative projects, programs and initiatives at the state and local level
designed to boost both teacher quality and student achievement. During his
remarks, Chase stressed the importance of teachers taking charge of their
profession by working for positive change. He specifically highlighted
programs mentioned in STEPPING FORWARD that describe mentoring, peer
assistance, peer review, and professional development experiences as
evidence that change is underway in many schools nationwide. STEPPING
FORWARD is available on-line at www.nea.org/newunion/stepfwd.
==== GOAL EIGHT: PARENTAL PARTICIPATION ====
*4 "MOMS' CRUSADE:" WIS. PARENTS ASSAIL GRADUATION TEST
In what is being described as a "moms' crusade," Wisconsin's
state-mandated graduation test may not remain the only criteria used to
determine whether a high school student earns a diploma (Rohde, MILWAUKEE
JOURNAL SENTINEL, 3/1).
"The tide in the Legislature has definitely turned," conceded Senator
Alberta Darling. "And I think it was largely the result of parents around
the state who have done their homework and are speaking up for their
children and the quality of education. They are the heroes in this.
The state Department of Public Instruction (DPI) agrees that the
test should be only one criteria for graduation, calling for the inclusion
of grades and school attendance. However, (DPI) officials do not support
parents' call for establishing an opt-out provision that would allow parents
to decide whether their child takes the test or not. "We believe that every
child who is capable of taking the test should take it," said Greg Doyle, a
spokesman for the DPI. "The more students who opt out, the less valuable
the test will be."
Some parents argue that there is no one test to fit all students,
reports the paper. These parents also point to studies that suggest
retaining a student does more harm than good. Earlier this year, Governor
Tommy Thompson said he would be willing to let each school d strict decide
to use their own alternative to the high school graduation test "but added
that the rigorous test should e taken by all graduating public school
seniors," writes the paper. Milwaukee Public Schools is the only district
to use an alternative, basically due to cost issues.
Many of the parents who led the charge on the high-stakes test are
from high-achieving school districts, notes the paper. Meredith Scrivner,
founder of a grass-roots group, Advocates for Education, and another mom,
Connie Gavin, wrote an analysis of what is wrong with high-stakes testing in
the group's February newsletter. The two parents urged others to contact
Thompson and lawmakers.
"If we don't speak out for our kids, who will," said Scrivner.
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