I like what Senator Adams has to say about LB 870. Schools should get credit for student growth, even if those students are not yet performing at grade level (proficient). I also support the need for Career Academies in Nebraska. But not specifically for the reason given by Senator Ashford. I have found that high school students who have a career goal are better students because they understand how what they are learning in their classes will help them later on.
Reprinted from the Nebraska Association of School Boards March newsletter
"Senators gave first-round approval to a bill that would provide a measure of student progress for schools rather than basing performance measures solely on universal benchmarks. LB 870, introduced by Sen. Greg Adams, would broaden the criteria used to assess a school’s effectiveness. Adams said the bill attempts to provide a more accurate picture of how a school is performing. Schools currently are held accountable for students’ results on content area assessments. LB 870 would add additional measures of performance beginning in the 2012-13 school year, including student growth and improvement on statewide assessments and graduation rates. Schools would be required to report the data annually.
“We may not like the method (proposed by No Child Left Behind), but there has to be accountability,” Adams said. “We can either sit back and complain, or we can take steps to make the Nebraska system better. We'd just as well make our system more reflective of the way we believe we ought to evaluate and assess school districts in this state.”
Adams said this approach broadens the picture of schools, because there's more to a school, or a school district, than test scores. “Some Nebraska schools -- mostly because of demographics -- may struggle to show the kind of proficiency on reading, math and writing tests that is expected of them,” he said. “But they should get credit for improvement.”
An Education Committee amendment, adopted 38-0, incorporated provisions of several other bills heard by the Committee. The amendment would:
• add language that would make data collected by the statewide accountability system available to all citizens;
• require that all probationary teachers — regardless of school classification — be evaluated once per semester (this is currently the standard in all but Class IV and V districts); and
• provide stronger authorization to the state Department of Education to create and support career academies.
Sen. Brad Ashford spoke in support of the amendment, saying the creation of career academies would benefit students who may not follow a traditional educational pathway. The provisions originated from LB 1144, a bill he introduced.
“I’m thoroughly convinced that if we can move forward with career academies, we’ll increase the confidence of kids that feel the system has given up on them,” Ashford said.
Senators advanced LB 870 to Select File on a 36-0 vote.
