Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Will rule change leave kids behind?

Some observers say Florida's new flexibility under No Child Left Behind dilutes the goal of bridging the achievement gap.

By RON MATUS
Published May 21, 2005

Last year, Dale Mabry Elementary School in Tampa didn't meet federal standards for success because its black students - who make up 6 percent of the school's population - didn't score high enough in math.

Its white students did fine. So did its Hispanic, low-income and disabled students.

But under federal rules, if one subgroup falls short, the entire school is deemed in need of improvement.

This year, Dale Mabry Elementary won't have that problem.

Thanks to a Florida-specific change approved this week by U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings, at least 150 Pinellas and Hillsborough schools no longer face federal penalties if their black or Hispanic students struggle.

Some education observers say the amendment amounts to a retreat on No Child Left Behind, the sweeping federal law that aims to bridge the achievement gap between white and minority students. But backers insist the change won't blur the state's focus on a school's lowest performers.

At issue is one tiny, bureaucratic tweak.

Pushed by Gov. Jeb Bush and state Education Commissioner John Winn, the change alters the way Florida determines whether its schools are making "adequate yearly progress," the benchmark for progress under No Child.

Under the old system, any school with 30 or more students in a particular subgroup - blacks, Hispanics, students with disabilities and others - must make sure those students succeed or the entire school is deemed in need of improvement. That way of calculating success - making sure minority struggles are not cloaked behind a school's overall achievement - is key to No Child.

Until this week, Florida had one of the most stringent subgroup rules in the nation. But now, only subgroups that encompass 15 percent or more of a school's total population will figure into the No Child formula.

The difference is huge.

In Pinellas, at least 77 schools - nearly half of the district's total - will no longer have black or Hispanic subgroups that count under the federal system. In Hillsborough, the number drops by at least 76 schools, or about a third of the total.

The change "seems contrary to the heart of No Child Left Behind," said Raul Gonzalez, the legislative director for the National Council of La Raza, a Hispanic advocacy group based in Washington, D.C. "None of this added flexibility will improve instruction and improve outcomes. It's going to allow the state to report that it's doing better."

Just how much better is unknown.

Unlike Dale Mabry Elementary, many Florida schools fail to meet federal standards because several subgroups don't make the cut. Beyond that, students can appear in more than one subgroup.

Earlier this week, Winn said 400 more schools statewide would have passed last year - of 2,200 that failed - given the change in subgroups and one other amendment approved by Spellings.

Florida wanted the change in the worst way. Last year, nearly 80 percent of Florida schools failed to meet No Child standards, even though the vast majority were A and B schools under Florida's grading system. Meanwhile, other states with less stringent subgroup rules appeared to shine.

Sanctions were another motivator: Schools that don't make adequate yearly progress face a series of increasingly stark directives, from paying transportation costs for children who want to transfer to the possibility of a state takeover. Yet the federal law makes no distinction between schools that miss the standard by a hair and those that aren't even in the ballpark.

"The stakes are too high to rely on that one cell," Winn said.

But Winn rejected the idea that schools would abandon minority students.

The state grading system won't let them, he said.

It puts a premium on how much progress is made by a school's lowest performing students, who in many cases are low-income or minority students. It also comes with sanctions of its own, including the stigma of a low grade and the offer of private school vouchers for students in the worst schools.

"You have to take both of these accountability systems together," Winn said.

Under the state system, "you can't ignore anybody," agreed David Mosrie, chief executive officer of the Florida Association of District School Superintendents, which supported the change.

No Child forces a focus on minority students in other ways.

It requires all students to be proficient by 2013, with a bar that regularly moves higher until then.

It also says school districts as a whole must meet standards, and schools aren't going to let minorities slide knowing the districts could suffer, said Patricia Sullivan, director of the Center on Education Policy in Washington, D.C.

"You care about what your boss cares about," she said.

Spellings' approval for the Florida change was announced in the midst of mounting criticism from several states that No Child is underfunded, inflexible or both. But Sullivan said Spellings' decision to give Florida flexibility wasn't a sign of buckling.

No Child is "sort of maturing," she said. "You've got to modify your state system to accommodate it, and it's taken states a while to figure that out."

Times staff writer Matthew Waite contributed to this report. Ron Matus can be reached at 727 893-8873 or matus@sptimes.com

Under federal No Child Left Behind rules, if one group of students falls short, an entire school is deemed in need of improvement. But now in Florida, only groups that encompass 15 percent or more of a school's population will figure in.

[Last modified May 21, 2005, 01:09:22]