Superintendent O'Connell has led a nationwide effort since 2004 to publicly urge the U.S. Department of Education to allow the use of growth models, such as the California Academic Performance Index system, in implementing the accountability provisions of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001. Instead of the "one size fits all" status model of NCLB, O'Connell advocates that states should be able to employ established growth models to determine whether or not their own schools and local educational agencies are making Adequate Yearly Progress. O'Connell determined a problem that is central to the execution of NCLB:
"All of us wholeheartedly agree with the goal of raising standards and expectations for academic achievement of all students. We concur that schools should be held accountable for results as they embrace this primary mission. A troubling issue, however, is that without any changes to the law, calculations suggest that within a few years, the vast majority of all schools will be identified as in need of improvement. Many of these schools will be given that designation despite having shown steady and significant improvement for all groups of students."
Jack O'Connell
State Superintendent of Public Instruction
March 24, 2004
The links below list in reverse chronological order, O'Connell's efforts to reform the federal law.
Correspondence
- June 4, 2007: Letter to California Congressional Delegation.
- January 26, 2007: NCLB Reauthorization Letter.
- February 22, 2006: Flexibility for States Under NCLB.
- October 2, 2006: Invitation to NCLB Public Hearings.
- August 22, 2005: California's Response to New NCLB Flexibility.
- March 24, 2004: Fight for Changes to the NCLB Act.
News Releases
- January 18, 2008: Spellings Visit and NCLB.
- June 5, 2007: Center on Education Policy Report Response.
- April 4, 2007: New Regulations on Testing Disabled Students.
- February 13, 2007: NCLB Reauthorization Recommendation.
- January 24, 2007: Pres. Bush's Revisions to NCLB.
- October 16, 2006: Public Meetings on NCLB Reauthorization.
- August 16, 2006: Federal Approval of Highly Qualified Teacher Plan.
- March 28, 2006: NCLB Study Response.
- November 18, 2005: Growth Model to Measure NCLB Progress.
- November 17, 2005: Federal Funding for California Schools.
- August 31, 2005: Gains in API, Mixed Results in AYP for 2005.
- April 7, 2005: O'Connell on NCLB Flexibility.
- March 8, 2005: O'Connell on Agreement With U.S. D.O.E.
- February 23, 2005: O'Connell on State Lawmakers Rebuke of NCLB.
- March 29, 2004: Calculating Participation Rates Under NCLB.
- March 24, 2004: Fight for Changes to No Child Left Behind Act.
- March 16, 2004: O'Connell on New No Child Left Behind Policies.
- February 25, 2004: NCLB Accountability Workbook.
- June 10, 2003: O'Connell on NCLB Accountability Workbook.
Other
No Child Left Behind Home Page
