Summary Box: Study says federal reading plan hasn't helped

[DeclinetoState]

NO DIFFERENCE: The federal Reading First program failed to improve children's reading comprehension, an Education Department study says. There was no difference in comprehension scores between students who took part in the program and those who did not.

THE PROGRAM: Reading First was created as part of President Bush's No Child Left Behind lawMore (http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2008May01/0,4670,ReadingProgramSummaryBox,00.html)

Now that NCLB is all but shown to be an abject failure, why doesn't Ted Kennedy, who was as instrumental as Bush in forcing it upon us, ever get "credit" for having pushed it though Congress?

[Rhino]

Now that NCLB is all but shown to be an abject failure...Based on what?

Here in Ohio:

–Fourth-grade reading proficiency increased by 21 percentage points
–Fourth-grade mathematics proficiency increased by six percentage points
–The black-white achievement gap in fourth-grade reading narrowed by eight percentage points
–The black-white achievement gap in fourth-grade mathematics narrowed by 10 percentage points
–The Hispanic-white achievement gap in fourth-grade reading narrowed by four percentage points
–The Hispanic-white achievement gap in fourth-grade mathematics narrowed by four percentage points

Want to see the results for your state?

http://www.ed.gov/nclb/overview/importance/difference/index.html

[LivingDeadGirl]

Between 2002 and 2004 (latest data available):
–Fifth-grade mathematics proficiency increased by nine percentage points
–The black-white achievement gap in fifth-grade reading narrowed by four percentage points
–The black-white achievement gap in fifth-grade mathematics narrowed by seven percentage points
–The Hispanic-white achievement gap in fifth-grade reading narrowed by 10 percentage points
–The Hispanic-white achievement gap in fifth-grade mathematics narrowed by 16 percentage points
–The poor-not poor achievement gap in fifth-grade reading narrowed by three percentage points
–The poor-not poor achievement gap in fifth-grade mathematics narrowed by six percentage points (Illinois Report Card)

http://www.ed.gov/nclb/overview/importance/difference/illinois.pdf

Looks like it's doing some good in Illinois

[Wolfcounsel]

What type of Kindergarten class issues reading books to its pupils with crap like this (not word for word):

Rosemary, meet Lakeshi'a. Lakeshi'a, meet Hong Phat.

One of my granddaughters did, and the teacher was perplexed.

[LivingDeadGirl]

Unfortunately those who deal with larger cities. I am amazed at what some people will name their children!

[Wolfcounsel]

"Unfortunately those who deal with larger cities. I am amazed at what some people will name their children!" --LivingDeadGirl

I was pointing out the names in the reading book designed for kindergarteners. The first graders used to start reading like this: "See Jane. See Dick. Dick and Jane play with Spot. See Spot. See Spot run."
What type of Kindergartener (usually around 5 years old) can read those names I posted (Lakeshi'a, Hong Phat, Rosemary)?
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[Timberwolf]

Hell, I'm 47 and *I* can't read those feeglorkin' names!!!!

[DeclinetoState]

Originally Posted by DeclinetoState http://www.freeconservatives.com/vb/../images/patriot/buttons/viewpost.gif (http://www.freeconservatives.com/vb/showthread.php?p=675850#post675850)
Now that NCLB is all but shown to be an abject failure...
Based on what?

See link in OP. Or read anything about NCLB (http://blogs.nea.org/joel/) put out by the teachers' unions. But also note that all the blame for its failure (or "failure") is placed at the feet of George W. Bush, not Ted Kennedy, who wrote a lot of NCLB.

[Rhino]

See link in OP.Never trust the Associated Press to give you the whole story.

The present report is the first of two; it examines the impact of Reading First funding in 2004-05 and 2005-06 in 17 school districts across 12 states and one statewide program (18 sites). The report examines program impacts on students’ reading comprehension and teachers’ use of scientifically based reading instruction. Key findings are that:

• On average, across the 18 participating sites, estimated impacts on student reading comprehension test scores were not statistically significant.

• On average, Reading First increased instructional time spent on the five essential components of reading instruction promoted by the program (phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension).

• Average impacts on reading comprehension and classroom instruction did not change systematically over time as sites gained experience with Reading First.

• Study sites that received their Reading First grants later in the federal funding process (between January and August 2004) experienced positive and statistically significant impacts both on the time first and second grade teachers spent on the five essential components of reading instruction and on first and second grade reading comprehension. Time spent on the five essential components was not assessed for third grade, and impacts on third grade reading comprehension were not statistically significant. In contrast, there were no statistically significant impacts on either time spent on the five components of reading instruction or on reading comprehension scores at any grade level among study sites that received their Reading First grants earlier in the federal funding process (between April and December 2003).http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/pdf/20084019.pdf

Mixed results, to be sure, but hardly an abject failure. And as was shown earlier, the results have been quite good in some areas.

Or read anything about NCLB (http://blogs.nea.org/joel/) put out by the teachers' unions.That would be like asking Joseph Stalin how best to achieve a free market.

But also note that all the blame for its failure (or "failure") is placed at the feet of George W. Bush, not Ted Kennedy, who wrote a lot of NCLB.Par for the course.

[DesertFox]

Many teachers will sabotage something they dislike. Liberals are FAR worse about it than others, but others will also do it. Teachers as a breed don't like being told how or what to teach, and their resentment may take any imaginable form (and some that aren't imaginable). The longer I teach, the less I respect my, er, colleagues generally.

Here on the rez, most high school kids write coherently and read with comprehension. But when it comes to AIMS (Arizona's NCLB high stakes test), they don't do nearly so well and I'm convinced it's because the people who wrote the test made it unnecessarily complex just to spite George Bush. Admittedly, that's just my take on it.

I also have heartburn about math. With three years of high school math (thru Algebra II) I quizzed out of math in college. I've used none of it thru two professional careers. To my mind, business math is all the average kid will ever need; he shouldn't have to know esoteric graphs and formulas he'll never use, just to pass an NCLB test.

Moo, you're a math guy. What do you think?

[DeclinetoState]

To my mind, business math is all the average kid will ever need; he shouldn't have to know esoteric graphs and formulas he'll never use, just to pass an NCLB test.

Surely you jest, DF. (And yes, I will call you "Shirley.") Everybody should know how to find out the square root of five times a number if the number minus half of its own square root is equal to twice the original number.

Or something like that.

(sq rt(5x) if x-<SUP>1</SUP>/<SUB>2</SUB>sq rt(x)=2x)

[Timberwolf]

*twinch*

[Rhino]

Yeah, I really need to know that on a daily basis. Matter of fact, I don't think I ever knew that.

[LivingDeadGirl]

The most common complaint I have heard in my area about NCLB is that the testing does not separate the Special Ed kids from the non-Special Ed kids. Some teachers have kids in their class that will NEVER perform at grade level but because of their IEP's, they have to be in the class and they will pass because of the lower standards setforth in the IEP. (YAY for mainstreaming those that shouldn't be!! [/sarcasm]) This means that if a class or district has a higher than normal SE population, it will not meat the requisite testing scores.

I think the INTENTIONS of the program were good...it's the application that failed in some cases...

I do agree with trying to hold school districts more accountable.