Check it out! MassINC’s Spring 2009 edition is here. Its cover story focuses on special education in Massachusetts–particularly its high cost (approaching $2 billion a year) and effect—“but there is little evidence that the state’s huge investment is paying off as hoped.” The article is found at:

http://www.massinc.org/index.php?id=732&pub_id=2452

It raises many challenging questions… as it follows the state over the past 10 years, when Massachusetts abandoned its “maximum feasible benefit” standard and moved to the (presumably, lower) federal FAPE standard–providing a free appropriate public education for students with disabilities. In spite of the fact that the change in law was expected to cut the numbers of students eligible for special education and reduce costs, and “prevent the spiraling costs of special education entitlements from derailing the state’s education reform effort,” this report highlights the fact that these goals are unmet.

Since then, the numbers of students receiving special education services has risen. Costs continue to rise, taking funds away from other programs. For example, in Boston, while schools cut budgets across the state, special education funds “escaped virtually unscathed.” One superintendent asked, “How do you set up a class of human beings who are entitled to an education [while] everyone else gets what’s left over?”

The article speaks about private school tuition costs (about a quarter of the state’s special education spending), transportation costs, disparities between communities, and other costs and asks the question: are we better off now than then? That is, have we succeeded in educating children with disabilities, are they passing the state’s graduation requirements, including the test, the MCAS, are gaps narrowing betweeen special and regular education students, are gaps between wealthy and poorer communities narrowing? Etc. The article concludes that our efforts are not paying off as hoped or planned.

A thought-provoking read. Your thoughts?

NAEP Update!

I am honored to let you know that I have been appointed as a member of the NAGB (National Assessment Governing Board) Expert Panel on Uniform Rules for Testing Students with Disabilities (SD) on the NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress). This test is often called ‘the nation’s report card.’ It’s supposed to be the common yard stick for measuring our nation’s students. The NAEP is a voluntary, representative test–given across the country at the 4th and 8th grade levels. Over the years, issues have arisen about HOW the test is administered to SD and to English language learners (ELL). These issues involve the exclusion of such students and the inconsistent use of accommodations on the test.

The Expert Panel is supposed to provide recommendations to the NAGB so that, in the future, the test can be given under uniform rules.

The work of this Panel is supposed to be completed by this summer. Any ideas? Pass them on to me.

Thank you and wish us luck! Our nation needs the NAEP to be a gold standard of validity and reliability.

It’s 2009. A high school student in a fine school district describes how classmates get disability diagnoses in order to take the SAT with extended time. The student asked the parents to be taken for testing. They refused.

What a sad chapter in the college application saga. It followed the College Board’s 2002 policy. The College Board no longer flags SAT scores. Thus, no one (such as a college admissions office) is told how SAT scores are achieved and which ones were achieved under the nonstandard condition of 50% or more extra time!

This all reminds me of the March 31, 2006 ABC News story. http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=1789267 It reported on this very situation, ways that some students get extended time on the SAT (and ACT), calling it ‘the rich kids’ loophole.’

This ABC News piece grew out of a story I wrote back in 2003, ‘Disabling the SAT.’ It described how the College Board decided to allow extended time on the SAT without marking the fact that the test had been altered. Henceforth, there would no longer be any flag to indicate that the test was not given under standard conditions and no one would know! It was a new day, ending test validity and transparency.

Among its many flaws, the College Board’s policy belies transparency. How ironic, since ‘transparency’ is everyone’s favorite word these days, from Wall Street to the schoolhouse.

You can find the story on my website, www.schoollawpro.com, or at
http://www.hoover.org/publications/ednext/3346301.html

Sam Abrams did a follow-up on the unflagged SATs, focused on Washington DC.
http://www.hoover.org/publications/ednext/3219551.html

This turn of events in the college application saga is so sad, unfair, and totally lacking in transparency.

You may enjoy seeing these stories.

In case you missed it, excellent front page story–

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/15/us/15immig.html?pagewanted=5&ref=education

Another thought about this. We now have about 1 in 10 students in US schools classified as English language learners! A huge increase of 60% between 1995-2005. Yet, schools are confused about how to teach these students and prepare them for life…. Policies are all over the place–no consensus nationally about how to tackle this challenge. And, in terms of long-range results, the story is not clear.

I still believe in immersion. See my last blog.

As well, the article mentions the use of accommodations for students on state tests–teachers reading test questions orally and recording student answers (so they don’t have to write them). I wonder: do these accommodations help students? or just lead to good scores on standardized tests. You decide.

The front page piece is at:http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/15/us/15immig.html?pagewanted=5&ref=education

My thoughts? Immersion in regular schools works. As a foreigner in a strange land four times (twice for me and twice for my children) having to learn a new language fast, I can tell you that immersion works best. Consider, in fifth grade in New Jersey in the 1950’s, I have been forever grateful that my teachers did not speak any Dutch. I learned English fast. As an immigrant to Holland two years earlier, I had learned Dutch fast–immersion in a regular school. As an adult, when my own children had a chance to learn French, my oldest went to a regular high school and learned French fast. The younger child was put into a separate elementary school class for French learners and learned far less French or anything else!

I have learned that children want to learn, make friends and fit in. Let them go. They will learn. Immersion works.

Your thoughts?

If—

There’s so much to write on this question–millenia of experiences–so I will resist the urge and just add a couple of ideas.

Yesterday, I visited a California charter school. It was lovely. It had great programs, students, teachers. Everything there seemedto be working on all cylinders.

During the tour, the elementary school principal then told us, “If I could get moms to put them to bed early.”

If…

If…

If… moms and dads would talk to their kids, what a huge difference that would make for children in school.

There is lots of research on this. If parents talk to children–about anything and everything–that experience makes a huge difference for children in school, especially for reading, vocabulary, readiness for learning.

See several examples:
http://www.enotalone.com/article/11082.html

And from the Nataional Institute for Literacy
http://www.nifl.gov/partnershipforreading/publications/reading_first2.html

And across the pond, see this BBC report on the importance of talking with children. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/6336221.stm

If…moms and dads would feed kids good stuff, and not just donut holes, sugars, and more carbs!

If…to quote our President, moms and dads would turn off the televisions and computers and help kids to do their homework.

If…

If…

If…what would you add?

Panel IV: Students with Disabilities and English Language Learners — Play Audio Podcast
(mp3 44.4 mb), Running Time: 49 minutes
Daniel Domenech: Executive Director, American Association of School Administrators
Miriam Freedman: Attorney and Author
Sharif Shakrani: Professor, Michigan State University
Martha Thurlow: Director, National Center on Educational Outcomes
(moderator) Mary Blanton: Attorney

Reading, ‘riting, ‘rithmetic and RESILIENCY!

That word, resiliency, has popped up in many conversations recently. In following my ears, I’m wondering how we foster resiliency in our students.

What are we doing to help students be resilient–to overcome difficulty; to see the sun on the other side; to become active learners; to move from “victim to victor” per Bill Cosby and Alvin F. Poussaint, M.D., book, “Come on People.” See earlier blog on that one!

I Googled “resiliency in children.” Check it out. Lots of good stuff.

http://www.google.com./search?hl=en&q=resiliency+in+children&aq=0&oq=resiliency+in

You may also wish to visit the following website, dealing with resiliency in adults.

http://www.kwtcommunications.com/

Yes, let’s move resiliency to the top of the class and make it the ‘4th R!’

Got ideas? Please share!