| re to educate our country’s most | | | | schools within the same demographics. If Dallas |
| disadvantaged students is the most glaring and | | | | schools perform lower than predicted, they earn a |
| abiding social and moral problem of the United | | | | low rating. |
| States. For nearly 20 years, our nation has | | | | Herbert Marcus Elementary, part of the Dallas |
| worked to improve our schools and student | | | | schools system, is the ideal candidate for the |
| achievement levels. The No Child Left Behind | | | | NCLB program. It is located in the inner city of |
| (NCLB) Act was to be the answer to this | | | | Dallas, the building and grounds are run down, |
| dilemma by holding all schools accountable for | | | | classes are overcrowded, and it is positioned on |
| student performance using high-stakes testing. | | | | the edge of a grimy industrial zone. With 1,140 |
| The error in thinking is the belief that the NCLB | | | | students, almost all are from low-income families |
| test ratings are fair and accurate. The system | | | | and two-thirds speak English as a second language. |
| does not factor out the disadvantages and/or | | | | Even the parents average a seventh-grade |
| advantages of wealth and demographics, creating | | | | education. |
| an inequity in the rating of schools. Low-income | | | | Under Principal Conce Rodriguez, the school has |
| schools must provide programs, such as | | | | done everything right in recent years — |
| preschool, tutoring, remedial classes, and bilingual | | | | students wear uniforms, teachers submit weekly |
| services, to their students, as well as the cost of | | | | progress reports on every student in every |
| more administration required by the state and | | | | subject, an expanded preschool program, teacher |
| federal grants that make up the largest | | | | attendance incentives, and a large tutoring |
| percentage of their budget. Wealthier schools that | | | | project, just to name a few. A community liaison, |
| primarily depend upon local funding (generally from | | | | hired by Rodriguez, has increased the PTA |
| property taxes) for their budget have few | | | | membership to 700 (the largest in Dallas schools) |
| government constraints, few low-income students | | | | and typically 50 parent volunteers daily at the |
| requiring special programs, and flexibility in how | | | | school. Student attendance is at 97 percent, one |
| their budget is used. This means wealthier schools | | | | of the highest in the Dallas schools system. |
| can provide more educational opportunities and | | | | Under the Dallas schools rating system, Marcus |
| enhancements (i.e. access to technology, fine arts | | | | placed 19th out of 206 Dallas schools, a significant |
| and music, extracurricular activities, teacher | | | | accomplishment with such difficult demographics. |
| professional training and improvements, and | | | | Under the NCLB mandated rating system, Marcus |
| teacher administrative support) that impoverished | | | | placed 76th as only “acceptable”, |
| schools cannot afford. | | | | one step away from being rated as failing. |
| The Dallas Schools have developed their own | | | | Needless to say, the Marcus educators, students |
| rating system that factors out these | | | | and parents are none too pleased with the NCLB |
| disadvantages/advantages, putting all Dallas | | | | rating system. Some teachers have left Marcus |
| schools on an even playing field. Available funding, | | | | from sheer frustration with the NCLB system and |
| government requirements, the educational level of | | | | gone to wealthier Dallas schools, where they |
| students entering kindergarten, and the | | | | believe their accomplishments will meet with some |
| demographics of the community are all factored | | | | recognition. A terrible loss to Marcus or any |
| out of the Dallas schools test rating metric. | | | | impoverished school, where quality teachers are |
| Under NCLB, all schools across the nation must | | | | scarce. |
| test children in reading and mathematics annually | | | | Other Dallas schools are being similarly penalized |
| between third and eighth grades. The state, using | | | | by the NCLB rating system. Dallas schools that |
| NCLB mandated measures for school | | | | ranked 2nd, 5th, 8th and 16th under the Dallas |
| performance, calculates the percentage of various | | | | schools rating system were ranked 94th, 77th, |
| student populations that annually meet or exceed | | | | 83rd and 107th, respectively, under NCLB. |
| the state’s academic standards. | | | | Additionally, the school that placed third under the |
| Otherwise, they must measure the progress of | | | | NCLB rating system in the Dallas schools ranked |
| student “groups” towards a | | | | 25th under the Dallas schools rating system. This |
| universal fixed point. | | | | shows the inequity of the NCLB rating system. |
| Dallas schools use a “value added” | | | | Since shortly after its passage, the NCLB has |
| school rating system that provides more accurate | | | | been under heavy attack by Congressional |
| information, measuring individual student progress | | | | democrats, Texas republican legislators, and |
| from a relative starting point. They then compare | | | | teacher unions. Though Dallas schools educators |
| the scores with the same student’s | | | | and parents support the high-stakes testing, they |
| scores from the previous year. Dallas schools | | | | see the unfairness of the rating system used. |
| score higher if students on average score higher | | | | They wish to see NCLB take a cue from the |
| than predicted by the previous year’s | | | | playbook of Dallas schools to accurately measure |
| test scores and if the schools’ overall | | | | improvement in student achievement and factor |
| performance is better than that of other Dallas | | | | out the demographics. |