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Teachers: Test goal too high
Expectation called 'impossible'
published August 13, 2003
By MARCIA McGONIGLE
So your school didn't pass President Bush's newest test. And neither did the school across town.
That's a result of the test scores from the students in classes such as those taught by Laura Blair at Henley Middle School or Maxine Krowen's at Brixner Junior High.
Not enough of the students in their special education classes, and those of similar teachers across the county and state, passed tests required by Bush's "No Child Left Behind Act."
As a consequence, many of the schools in Klamath County got bad marks in the test results reported Monday by the Oregon Department of Education.
In the wake of the results, local educators say they've been asked to meet an impossible expectation: To teach students who have learning disabilities, brain injuries and other developmental handicaps so that they perform on standardized tests at the same level as all other students.
The consequences of failure are severe - losing federal dollars, a threat that could be realized as soon as next year.
Schools get a portion of their federal dollars based on income levels of students. The Klamath Falls City Schools last year received about $1.2 million in what are called Title I funds; the Klamath County School District didn't have a figure available today.
"It's totally ridiculous to expect that I'm going to be able to take 40 percent of my students who are at the bottom 10 percent academically to proficiency level in a single year," said Blair, an educational resource center specialist at Henley Middle School. "The learning curve would have to be vertical."
Krowen agreed.
"We need to do what is best for the child, and the best thing is to test them where they should be," said Krowen, an educational resource specialist at Brixner.
For example, an eighth-grader in the special education program who has achieved a fifth-grade level in math should be tested at the fifth-grade math benchmark, she said.
"Why would you frustrate them and give them a higher math test?" Krowen asked. "What is the purpose behind that?"
Half of the 28 public schools in Klamath County received an "in need of improvement" rating Monday because they failed to meet academic standards set by the No Child Left Behind Act.
In nearly all cases, local schools were marked down because not enough students with disabilities scored at a proficiency level in math and reading on state tests.
Of those who did pass, many did not have enough special education students to be statistically counted in the report. Those schools received an "N/A," or not applicable, in that category.
Twenty-two of the 71 special education students at Brixner took the eighth-grade state assessment test in English and language arts. Of those, none passed. The rest of the students took a state benchmark test aimed at their ability levels. Those students automatically received zeros on the "No Child Left Behind" report because they didn't take their grade-level test.
At Henley Middle School, 31 of 87 special education students took the eight-grade math exam. Four of those students met the proficiency requirement. In English, 32 of the students took the exam; four passed.
The story is the same across the state.
Some learning disabled students may pass in either English or math because they are learning disabled in just one of those areas, educators say.
But many developmentally disabled students will not get past the second benchmark test given in the fifth grade, said James Huntsman, director of special education for the Klamath County School District. And a certain percentage will never be proficient.
"For some kids, their mental abilities are never going to improve," he said.
Breaking the test scores into subgroups based on income level, race and developmental capabilities concerns some educators, who say certain students may be targeted because as a group they didn't score high enough on the tests.
"It's going to create a climate that's going to cause bigotry," Blair said. "If we have this specific population that's pulling us down, are we going to want them around?"
Huntsman is concerned as well.
"I feel this is an attack on our handicapped population," he said. "We're in a position here to be at a class disparity and that can't be tolerated. Do you measure progress, or do you compare segments of the population?"
The stakes will only get higher.
By 2014, 100 percent of the districts' special education students will be expected to score at or above proficiency levels in state math and reading tests or schools will face consequences. That expectation is an impossible goal, educators say.
In the Klamath County School District, there are 1,011 students enrolled in special education; in the Klamath Falls City Schools 553 students are enrolled.
About 90 percent are considered learning disabled, which means the child has a normal IQ, but academically is at least two grade levels below his or her peers in either math or English, Huntsman said.
The rest of the students fall into several categories, including autistic, emotionally disturbed, physically impaired, mentally retarded, health impaired and visually and hearing impaired. There also are categories for children who are both deaf and blind and for those who have traumatic brain injuries.
All special education students are required to take a state test unless a parent indicates otherwise. The No Child Left Behind bill requires at least a 95 percent participation level for each school.
Most educators agree that testing is a good way to hold schools and students accountable. However, many disagree with expectation that schools will ever reach a 100 percent student proficiency level. There are simply too many factors out of a teacher's control, they say.
Some of those are environmental. Children come to class without a good night's sleep or without breakfast and sometimes dinner the night before. Others are facing disruptive home lives and even abuse.
And then there's the issue of how the ratings are determined.
Klamath Union High School was ranked as a needs improvement school overall because the number of students who took the tests - 93.58 percent - didn't meet the No Child Left Behind requirement of a 95 percent participation level.
Academically, the school's more than 900 students met the English and math proficiency levels. The overall rating for the school, however, automatically indicates students in several categories were not proficient because of the participation level, said Ray Crawford, superintendent of Klamath Falls City Schools.
"Everyone has to be there on test day, and we have made a real effort to get 100 percent of our students tested," he said. "But it's a hard task, and in high school it gets even harder. This is something we really have to work on."
Dave Davis, superintendent of the Klamath County School District, said the district is using the "No Child Left Behind" report as a tool in school improvement plans. It is one of several evaluation processes the district uses to determine how schools are doing.
But Davis admitted that the federal expectations may pose some difficulties.
"Under the act, all students who take the test by the year 2014 are expected to be at the standard," he said. "That's a pretty hefty goal. The idea behind it - I don't know if it fits logically - but the idea behind it, is that all students can learn and meet a certain standard."
Blair and Krowen both said they hope teachers never get to the point where they only teach to tests.
It's more important for special education students, especially, to learn life skills and attain measurable progress than it is for them to pass a test, Krowen said.
Blair agreed.
"I need to teach to a student's individual needs," she said. "I hope that there doesn't come a time every teacher teaches toward a test. That would devastate our educational system.
"And we have the best system in the world," she added. "We educate everybody."
published August 13, 2003
By MARCIA McGONIGLE
So your school didn't pass President Bush's newest test. And neither did the school across town.
That's a result of the test scores from the students in classes such as those taught by Laura Blair at Henley Middle School or Maxine Krowen's at Brixner Junior High.
Not enough of the students in their special education classes, and those of similar teachers across the county and state, passed tests required by Bush's "No Child Left Behind Act."
As a consequence, many of the schools in Klamath County got bad marks in the test results reported Monday by the Oregon Department of Education.
In the wake of the results, local educators say they've been asked to meet an impossible expectation: To teach students who have learning disabilities, brain injuries and other developmental handicaps so that they perform on standardized tests at the same level as all other students.
The consequences of failure are severe - losing federal dollars, a threat that could be realized as soon as next year.
Schools get a portion of their federal dollars based on income levels of students. The Klamath Falls City Schools last year received about $1.2 million in what are called Title I funds; the Klamath County School District didn't have a figure available today.
"It's totally ridiculous to expect that I'm going to be able to take 40 percent of my students who are at the bottom 10 percent academically to proficiency level in a single year," said Blair, an educational resource center specialist at Henley Middle School. "The learning curve would have to be vertical."
Krowen agreed.
"We need to do what is best for the child, and the best thing is to test them where they should be," said Krowen, an educational resource specialist at Brixner.
For example, an eighth-grader in the special education program who has achieved a fifth-grade level in math should be tested at the fifth-grade math benchmark, she said.
"Why would you frustrate them and give them a higher math test?" Krowen asked. "What is the purpose behind that?"
Half of the 28 public schools in Klamath County received an "in need of improvement" rating Monday because they failed to meet academic standards set by the No Child Left Behind Act.
In nearly all cases, local schools were marked down because not enough students with disabilities scored at a proficiency level in math and reading on state tests.
Of those who did pass, many did not have enough special education students to be statistically counted in the report. Those schools received an "N/A," or not applicable, in that category.
Twenty-two of the 71 special education students at Brixner took the eighth-grade state assessment test in English and language arts. Of those, none passed. The rest of the students took a state benchmark test aimed at their ability levels. Those students automatically received zeros on the "No Child Left Behind" report because they didn't take their grade-level test.
At Henley Middle School, 31 of 87 special education students took the eight-grade math exam. Four of those students met the proficiency requirement. In English, 32 of the students took the exam; four passed.
The story is the same across the state.
Some learning disabled students may pass in either English or math because they are learning disabled in just one of those areas, educators say.
But many developmentally disabled students will not get past the second benchmark test given in the fifth grade, said James Huntsman, director of special education for the Klamath County School District. And a certain percentage will never be proficient.
"For some kids, their mental abilities are never going to improve," he said.
Breaking the test scores into subgroups based on income level, race and developmental capabilities concerns some educators, who say certain students may be targeted because as a group they didn't score high enough on the tests.
"It's going to create a climate that's going to cause bigotry," Blair said. "If we have this specific population that's pulling us down, are we going to want them around?"
Huntsman is concerned as well.
"I feel this is an attack on our handicapped population," he said. "We're in a position here to be at a class disparity and that can't be tolerated. Do you measure progress, or do you compare segments of the population?"
The stakes will only get higher.
By 2014, 100 percent of the districts' special education students will be expected to score at or above proficiency levels in state math and reading tests or schools will face consequences. That expectation is an impossible goal, educators say.
In the Klamath County School District, there are 1,011 students enrolled in special education; in the Klamath Falls City Schools 553 students are enrolled.
About 90 percent are considered learning disabled, which means the child has a normal IQ, but academically is at least two grade levels below his or her peers in either math or English, Huntsman said.
The rest of the students fall into several categories, including autistic, emotionally disturbed, physically impaired, mentally retarded, health impaired and visually and hearing impaired. There also are categories for children who are both deaf and blind and for those who have traumatic brain injuries.
All special education students are required to take a state test unless a parent indicates otherwise. The No Child Left Behind bill requires at least a 95 percent participation level for each school.
Most educators agree that testing is a good way to hold schools and students accountable. However, many disagree with expectation that schools will ever reach a 100 percent student proficiency level. There are simply too many factors out of a teacher's control, they say.
Some of those are environmental. Children come to class without a good night's sleep or without breakfast and sometimes dinner the night before. Others are facing disruptive home lives and even abuse.
And then there's the issue of how the ratings are determined.
Klamath Union High School was ranked as a needs improvement school overall because the number of students who took the tests - 93.58 percent - didn't meet the No Child Left Behind requirement of a 95 percent participation level.
Academically, the school's more than 900 students met the English and math proficiency levels. The overall rating for the school, however, automatically indicates students in several categories were not proficient because of the participation level, said Ray Crawford, superintendent of Klamath Falls City Schools.
"Everyone has to be there on test day, and we have made a real effort to get 100 percent of our students tested," he said. "But it's a hard task, and in high school it gets even harder. This is something we really have to work on."
Dave Davis, superintendent of the Klamath County School District, said the district is using the "No Child Left Behind" report as a tool in school improvement plans. It is one of several evaluation processes the district uses to determine how schools are doing.
But Davis admitted that the federal expectations may pose some difficulties.
"Under the act, all students who take the test by the year 2014 are expected to be at the standard," he said. "That's a pretty hefty goal. The idea behind it - I don't know if it fits logically - but the idea behind it, is that all students can learn and meet a certain standard."
Blair and Krowen both said they hope teachers never get to the point where they only teach to tests.
It's more important for special education students, especially, to learn life skills and attain measurable progress than it is for them to pass a test, Krowen said.
Blair agreed.
"I need to teach to a student's individual needs," she said. "I hope that there doesn't come a time every teacher teaches toward a test. That would devastate our educational system.
"And we have the best system in the world," she added. "We educate everybody."
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