Educational triage

Let's say that instead of literacy as a goal, 5th grade teacher Ms Smith's mandate is to make sure all her students weigh 100 pounds at the end of the year - the 5th grade "weight" level. She weighs them carefully as soon as school starts and notes which ones are in the 85-99 pound range. If she wants to look successful, she will need to have as many students in her class weigh 100 pounds or more by spring, To maximize her chances of this happening, she will feed those just under the minimum weight the most. Those already weighing over 100 pounds don't need more food. The chances of the severely underweight gaining 15 or 25 pounds in a year are so small that giving food to them would be a waste. In practical Ms Smith's class both the heaviest and lightest kids will go hungry, but Ms Smith's odds of meeting the expectation of the state and federal government are better than they would be had she fed everyone.

According to Jennifer Booher-Jennings's "Rationing Education In an Era of Accountability" in the June 2006 Phi Delta Kappan this strategy is being promoted and applied not to weight gain, of course, but to learning in schools using data-driven decision making tools. The author lists two dilemmas schools using data face:

Dilemma 1. Data can be used to improve student achievement, but they can also be used to target some students at the expense of others.

Dilemma 2. It is unfair to hold schools accountable for the new students or for subgroups that are too small to yield statistically reliable estimates of a school's effectiveness; however the consequences of excluding some students may be to deny them access to scarce educational resources. 

A number of pundits have suggested that a better slogan than No Child Left Behind would be Every Child Moves Ahead. Think how much different Ms Smith's classroom resources would be allocated if instead of every child needing to weigh 100 pounds to be considered "successful," each child needed to gain 5 pounds or 10% of his beginning weight during the year. The kid who already weights 150 pounds and the 65 pounder would still be given resources since their increases would be considered as important as the "bubble" students.

Measuring individual student growth, often called "value added" assessment, is the only ethical approach to data-based decision-making. It's the only way every student will "count." Do any of our legislators get this?

___________

A second, equally scary/heart-breaking story in the June Kappan is "Handcuff Me, Too!" in which Mimi Brodsky Chenfeld describes what happens when a bright, enthusiastic 5-year-old enters an assessment-driven classroom where the first grade curriculum has been "pushed down."  

Please schools, don't turn the young fisherman shown in the picture at the left into a school-hater. Save the worksheets and tests for a year or two. The world will still go around.

Comments

[Diane]

I have observed this practised during the twice yearly meetings to examine our test scores and progress. The emphasis remains on the students who are near the high end of each range so we can "bump" them up. The lowest range receives a tremendous amount of attention as I facilitate the volunteers from corporations, senior citizen grant programs, etc. Who loses? The highest range. There are very few programs for them. They are not given additional opportunities. Some of our reading groups at 4th grade are divided by ability so only a group of 20 students receive the type of "quality and fun" programs that inspire learning.

When my oldest son was in 1st grade in Germany (after being homeschooled by me for K), his teachers suggested he be tested for gifted. Unfortunately due to my husband's military moves, we moved frequently and he wasn't at the same school two years in a row until 6th grade.

When I talked to his 2nd grade teacher immediately upon our move to Tennessee, the teacher told me he'd have to keep re-proving himself to qualify for testing at each school and that the process wouldn't occur until April. Then the principal said something that stuck with me telling me to continue to do the fun things at home that stimulate his interest. She said the most gifted child in school probably doesn't receive any better education than intelligent and involved parents can enable at home.

I wish that every child at school received a well-thought out, creative, and inspiring program to enhance their gifted qualities. But I have witnessed the dumming-down of education for students and for teachers. Opportunities for teachers to do creative technological projects have totally disappeared in my district as the great "EQUALIZER" effect has occurred. All must be the same so if you want to be innovative, look elsewhere.

[Rick]

When I started teaching in the 80's there was a lot of debate about how the effect of basic skills testing was dumbing down education. Since then our state went through a metamorphosis in education where learning and teaching became enjoyable and challenging. We devoted a lot of time to constructivist theories of learning and performance based education. Now we have come full circle where once again we teach the skills the students need to be successful on the test. I seem to spend more of my time finding or planning "gimmicks" to engage my students where as before the learning was inherently engaging. A new acronym to consider -- NCLI -- No Child Left Interested