No revision left behind

COEUR d'ALENE — North Idaho school officials hope revisions to the federal No Child Left Behind Act — currently working their way through Congress — will make positive changes in local education.

Last week, the House voted in favor of overhauling the 2002 education law, and the 1,000 page measure is now headed for a Senate vote early next week with President Barack Obama expected to sign it. The new bill would return to the states the authority to decide how to use student test performance in assessing teachers and schools, and it would end federal efforts to encourage academic standards such as Common Core.

Post Falls School District Superintendent Jerry Keane told The Press his district hopes the changes will result in a more balanced approach to educational improvement. Matt Handelman, superintendent of the Coeur d'Alene School District, said although the goals of No Child Left Behind to have every student meet established standards were noble, the goals were unrealistic and the law was long overdue for a revision.

"The original was certainly helpful in shining a light on ensuring that school systems must work to meet the needs of every child and, I believe, spurred educators to understand and appreciate the power and value of tracking each and every student's progress," Handelman said. "However, the original law and goals had outlived their effectiveness, and too often were used as a hammer rather than true support."

Passed with broad support in Congress and signed by President George W. Bush in 2002, the No Child Left Behind Act has been due for renewal since 2007. But previous attempts to reauthorize the law have gotten caught in a broader debate over the federal role in public education.

The new legislation would maintain a key feature of the No Child law: Annual reading and math testing of children in grades 3 through 8 and once in high school. And it would require schools to make those test scores public, noting students' races and whether they are disabled, to help identify achievements gaps and struggling schools.

Principals, teachers, and others have complained for years about what they consider a maze of redundant and unnecessary tests and too much "teaching to the test" by educators. The legislation would encourage states to set limits on the total amount of time kids spend taking tests and would end federal efforts to tie test scores to teacher evaluations.

Both Keane and Handelman said their districts are in favor of reducing the amount of student testing. Lost instructional time, as well as "testing fatigue" experienced particularly in younger students are two major negatives associated with an increase in the standardized tests children are required to take.

"However, quality assessments, coupled with meaningful results, can be a powerful tool for learning," Handelman added.

Brad Murray, superintendent of the Lakeland Joint School District, said educators and administrators in his district support assessments that are developmentally appropriate and reasonable in terms of the length of completion time, with feedback and results given in a timely manner. During the fourth quarter of the school year, Murray said, schools in the district lose a significant amount of instructional time because of the time required to complete state assessments.

"During the testing window, our schools' computer labs are being used for testing," Murray added. "(That leaves) virtually no access to technology for students and teachers."

Under the bill, the Education Department would have a much-diminished role and no longer be able to sanction schools that fail to improve. Instead, states would be responsible for working with schools and local districts to develop achievement goals and accountability plans. Still, states would be required to intervene in the nation's lowest-performing percent of schools, in high school "dropout factories" and in schools with persistent achievement gaps — something Democrats insisted must be part of any education overhaul.

On Common Core, the bill says the Education Department may not mandate or give states incentives to adopt or maintain any particular set of academic standards.

Common Core college and career-ready curriculum guidelines were created by the states, but have become a lightning rod for those worried that Washington, D.C., has too much influence in public schools. Since 2012, the administration has offered grants through its Race to the Top program for states that adopted strong academic standards for its students.

The onus for creating academic standards has always been on the state, Keane said, with Handelman adding it will ultimately be the Idaho Legislature that decides if Idaho Core should be continued. Handleman said, in his opinion, the current standards are much better than those implemented in the past.

"We need to continue down the road of their implementation," he said. "Teachers have been working incredibly hard to learn the new standards and how to best teach to them for student success. Pulling them at this point would be a mistake — disheartening to teachers and a disservice to students."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.