Paul’s words

OK, so the below article covers an interview with the new Secretary Education.  Secretary Duncan mentions that teachers should be provided better data management systems/strategies to monitor student progress.  I would agree that solid teaching requires solid ways of assessing student growth.  Hopefully these new systems/strategies acknowledge teachers’ time restrictions.  It is my impression that many teachers shy away from implementing some of the already existing data collection strategies because they are seen as too time consuming.

The following comes from PEN Weekly Newsblast. 

Arne Duncan on NCLB
In an interview with U.S. News & World Report, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan weighed in on the No Child Left Behind Act, the signature education law of the Bush years and a legacy he must contend with as he works to fix the nation’s ailing public schools. Duncan said that he supports the focus on accountability for student achievement, but he wants to make the law less punitive. He also wants states to adopt academic standards that are more rigorous and aligned with each other and with those of other leading nations. He is concerned about over-testing, and feels that fewer, better tests would be more effective. He wants to develop better data management systems that will help teachers track individual student progress in real-time, so that teachers and parents can assess and monitor student strengths and weaknesses. His bottom line: “I think we’re lying to children and families when we tell children that they are meeting standards and, in fact, they are woefully unprepared to be successful in high school and have almost no chance of going to a good university and being successful.” Duncan said he is open to ideas for renaming the law.
Read more: http://www.usnews.com/articles/education/2009/02/05/what-arne-duncan-thinks-of-no-child-left-behind.html