Schools’ Lack Of ‘Progress’ In 2001–02 May Indicate Flawed Legislation

By Larissa Lytwyn

A recent state report cited Newtown as “not making adequate yearly progress” under the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) in its 2001–02 test scores. Local school officials say that the designation was the result of below-95 percent participation rates in the Connecticut Academic Performance Test (CAPT) and Connecticut Mastery Test (CMAT) “subgroups,” although overall participation rates were 98 percent or higher for both tests.

A memo released by Superintendent of Schools Evan Pitkoff to the school board explained that the state determines participation rates on the total number of students who take on-grade level tests divided by the total number of student enrolled in the grade.

Subgroups include students of minority ethnic groups, students with disabilities, and males and females. If any group has as many as 20 students and the participation rate for that subgroup falls below 95 percent, the district can be cited as not making “annual yearly progress.”

Approximately 86 percent of students with disabilities took the 2001–02 (CAPT) in math; 90 percent took the CAPT reading portion. While 96 percent of males took the CAPT test’s reading portion in 2001–02, a below-level 94 percent took its math portion.

The CAPT test, derived from the curriculum and first distributed during the 1997–98 school year, is an optional test taken by high school sophomores. The test will be mandated for graduation beginning in the 2004–05 school year.

In contrast, 98 percent of students with disabilities took the 2001–02 (CMAT). The CMAT is a required test for all state fourth, sixth, and eighth graders.

One of the primary reasons for the low rates among students with disabilities is that some have an option to take an off-level test (such as a tenth grade student taking an eighth grade test); a provision not accepted in 2001 by the federal government after testing occurred.

Another factor, said Assistant Superintendent of Schools Alice Jackson, was that both the CAPT and CMAT tests are administered during a two-week “window” with a one-week makeup period available in the spring. The 2001–02 scores drew only from the fall’s two-week test period.

The Connecticut Education Association (CEA) is currently lobbying to amend the No Child Left Behind Act. According to CEA President Rosemary Coyle and David Larson, executive director of the Connecticut Association of School Superintendents, the concept between the NCLB of “universal proficiency” is “fundamental,” a mantra educators “live their entire professional lives.”

A statement by Ms Coyle and Mr Larson available on the CEA website notes, “NCLB forces a one-size fits all approach for measuring performance no matter the student, no matter the background and no matter the learning disability.”

For more information on the NCLB visit the CEA at www.cea.org or the US Department of Education at www.ed.gov.