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The U.S. Department of Education (ED) announced that 20 states have submitted growth-based accountability model proposals. The states that have applied to incorporate a growth measure into their accountability system for the current school year include: Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Utah. Six additional states-Maryland, Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and South Dakota-have asked to join the pilot starting in the 2006-2007 school year.
In selecting proposals, the U.S. Department of Education has designed a two-step review process that will rely on a panel of outside experts to make recommendations about which proposals should be selected by the Secretary. By the end of March, an initial review will be completed to determine if state plans meet key criteria for participation in the pilot.
ED has also announced that 11 new outside peer reviewers have been chosen to evaluate the growth-based accountability models submitted by the 20 states. While continuing to meet the goals of No Child Left Behind (NCLB), states participating in this pilot program are able to receive credit for student improvement over time by tracking individual student achievement from year to year.
The peer reviewers, who represent academia, private organizations and state and local education agencies, will review each proposal based on the Peer Review Guidance issued by ED as a road map for developing the models. To access the list of reviewers please view ED's Press Release for February 22, 2006.
States have long sought changes in the way adequate yearly progress (AYP) is calculated, contending that it is fairer to measure the improvement in individual students than in different cohorts of students. Currently, schools must show improvement in successive grades of students, with more of this year's fifth graders, for example, proficient at reading and math compared with last year's fifth graders.
Earlier this year Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings announced a pilot program where interested and qualified states may submit proposals for developing growth models for determining whether schools make adequate yearly progress under the No Child Left Behind Act. As part of the pilot, ED will approve no more than 10 high-quality growth models in 2005-2006. These models could enable states to credit schools for the academic growth of individual students even if their test scores fall short of state standards.
In order for states to participate in the pilot program, states must demonstrate that all students will reach proficiency by 2013-2014, and set annual goals to ensure that achievement gaps are closing for all students, including those with disabilities. States also must have received approval from the department for the 2005-2006 year for its system of standards and assessment. States must have at least two years of test data in reading and mathematics in each of grades 3-8 and once in high school, as required by the NCLB.
For more information, please visit www.ed.gov/admins/lead/account/growthmodel/peer-review.html or contact Catherine D. Clarke, ASHA's Director of Education and Regulatory Advocacy, by e-mail at cclarke@asha.org or by phone at 800-498-2071, ext. 4159.
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