Measuring Academic Proficiency Under the No Child Left Behind Act: Implications for Educational Equity

Abstract

The accountability requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 place high-poverty schools and racially diverse schools at a disadvantage because they rely on mean proficiency scores and require all subgroups to meet the same goals for accountability. In this article, student achievement data from six states are used to highlight differences in the demographic characteristics of schools identified as needing improvement and schools meeting the federal adequate yearly progress requirements. School-level data from Virginia and California are used to illustrate that these differences arise both from the selection bias inherent in using mean proficiency scores and from rules that require students in racially diverse schools to meet multiple performance targets. The authors suggest alternatives for the design of accountability systems that include using multiple measures of student achievement, factoring in student improvement on achievement tests in reading and mathematics, and incorporating state accountability ratings of school performance.

Leading with Heart: Urban Elementary Principals as Advocates for Students

“…Principals play a key role in defining the contexts of their schools. Although there is a plethora of information about school change, accountability, and NCLB (Darling-Hammond, 2004;Fuller, Wright, Gesicki, & Kang, 2007;Kim & Sunderman, 2005;Spillane, Diamond, Burch, Hallett, Jita, & Zoltners, 2002;Spillane, Hallett, & Diamond, 2003), there are gaps in our understanding regarding how urban elementary principals define these terms within the context of their schools and communities. Understanding how principals develop and maintain definitions about what constitutes student success through the accountability movement within the specific context of their schools is essential to consistently improve the capacity of schools as environments where student academic needs are nurtured and supported.…”

The “Equity Waltz” in Canada: Whiteness and the informal realities of racism in education

“…What do Ministry of Education and national reports, such as the Pan-Canadian Indicators Program, say about equity? How does the formal structure for assessing achievement reconcile the indisputable need for equity (Kim & Sunderman, 2005)? Do educational-systems have frameworks in place to effectively cultivate a social justice experience?…”

“…Accountability within the neo-liberal context has often focused on standards, which avoid addressing social justice or concrete spending and administrative milestones that are oblivious to the notion of inclusivity, power-sharing, democratic learning and the contextual reality for marginalized groups (McLaren, 2007;Kim & Sunderman, 2005). The Ontario example highlighted in this paper underscores the superfluous commitment to accountability when it comes to antiracism education.…”

A Longitudinal Exploration of the Relationship Between Oral Reading Fluency and Reading Comprehension Achievement Among a Sample of Diverse Young Learners

“…In reading, this rich and elaborate background, Stanovich (1986) (Gamse et al, 2008;Kim & Sunderman, 2005). As evidenced in this report, widening of the achievement gap has continued through high school.…”

“…Considered one of the most controversial public educational reforms to date, an early major effect of the National Reading Panel Report was the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965 (Kim & Sunderman, 2005).…”