MDE what is your position on this question?
I hope for all involved (students, teachers, districts) that whatever path is taken it is in the best interest of the children. Having the students affected by Katrina take the tests and they are not psychologically ready may do long-term harm.
If they do have to take the tests will they be included with the state students as one whole or will they be categorized so the data can be stratified for improvement opportunities.
I'm not sure (perhaps someone will answer), do the states teach different methods for preparing for their state and the federal tests?
updated 9/12/05
MDE spokesman Mr. Martin Ackley stated in today's Detroit Free Press that hurricane victims will be required to take the MEAP test because the federal government requires school s to test 95% of students. But their scores will not be counted towards the school's MEAP scores.
qualityg says... Hopefully this is good news, I would like to hear from some teachers. Comment here or send Email to qualityg@comcast.net. My gut tells me we should just welcome the students for now and integrate them into a caring and welcoming school system environment. Think big picture and not just short-term rules/goals. The object of school is to ensure "Joy of Learning," not how well I take a test after I've been uprooted from my home.
Please go to School Enrollment - Evacuee Students for the complete story.
updated 9/13/05
U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings (born in Michigan) said Monday that she will ask Congress for authority to "ease" aspects of the federal law governing the education of homeless children.
She has also pledeged to consider waiving parts of the "No Child Left Behind Act," including yearly testing and teacher quality.
For additional comments made by the secretary regarding Hurricane Katrina Students go to Welcome to "Ask the White House" -- an online interactive forum where you can submit questions to Administration officials.
Spellings - Secretary of Education
qualityg says... - This is good information. Teachers notice statement bold above (teacher testing), best get your unions working on this statement.
2 comments:
Do you know if anything official will be handed down to the teachers or posted on the state education web page regarding this subject.
Tests are coming soon, I just hope there isn't some "sub category" that will be created that will impact the overall score.
Anne from Ann Arbor
AAA,
I remember reading and seeing the numbers for sub-categories on the last results.
A number of these SCs caused the school to fail, not sure how many helped to pass.
Hopefully, the remarks and advice from Secretary Spellings will help solve this issue.
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