Spurred by the work of ASCD's High School Reform Advisory Committee, the Association's Legislative Committee has begun talks with leaders in the United States Congress about drafting and sponsoring What Works in High Schools legislation that would provide funding for multiple assessment options and other best practices to make high schools more effective.
The legislation would seek to expand states' flexibility under the terms of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act.
ASCD's efforts have caught the attention of several legislators, said ASCD Public Policy Director Dan Fuller. “We've received great feedback,” Fuller said, noting that Congress is beginning to embrace the concept of “changing instructional practices rather than merely measuring outcomes.”
Under the proposed legislation, multiple assessments would be used in a pilot program to determine adequate yearly progress but would not preclude states from continuing to use current testing systems. It would give states and districts access to a variety of models that promote and measure mastery of state standards.
Multifaceted Legislation
In addition to multiple assessments, the legislation would encourage use of personalized learning, flexible use of time and structure, professional development and school leadership, and business and community engagement.
The What Works in High Schools legislation would encompass several key elements, with the requirement that each shall provide at least as much public accountability as is required by the current law.
States and districts would be allowed to use interdisciplinary exams representing knowledge of multiple subjects; portfolio-, performance-, and project-based assessments; criterion-referenced end-of-course examinations; and other state-approved assessment measures.
ASCD board member Donald Davis noted that “the single high-stakes tests that are currently being used solicit from students responses that are usually at the lowest levels of learning.”
“These tests also usually do not allow for diversity of avenues through which students can best demonstrate their understanding of the content,” said Davis, of the Georgia Department of Education's Secondary Redesign Unit. “There are examples of existing successful multiple-assessment systems that allow students to demonstrate proficiency of a standard over an extended period. These plans use various methods of assessing that include projects, demonstrations, and presentations, with each component contributing to determining mastery by the student.”
In fact, the ASCD committee work leading up to the legislative effort was based largely on the success of existing systems, along with decades of accepted research. ASCD board member Wayne Sweeney pointed out, “All of the research of the past decade is really a compilation of 40 years of research, but the legislative effort has not been present in order for our high schools to implement changes based on that research. Many of the current restrictions get in the way of high schools being successful.
“ASCD is stepping up to the plate,” Sweeney declared, adding that legislation will help develop the necessary conditions for implementing meaningful changes to the U.S. public school system. “The legislation is critical because it creates the conditions whereby high schools can begin to be—and ultimately become—successful.”
Reflecting the Needs of the Whole Child
To that end, the Association considers the whole child theme central to its mandate of empowering schools to improve conceptual approaches toward revising content and curriculum. Committee members said their overriding goal is to develop students who are prepared for adulthood.
Joe DeMartino, president of the Center for Secondary Schools Redesign, agrees that the high school reform initiative is vital if the United States hopes to curb the “rising rates of high school dropouts.”
“Our high schools are failing,” DeMartino said. “We're only educating about one-third of the kids. They need more skills to compete in the 21st century, but we don't currently address those skills in our high schools.”
To support his position, DeMartino points to the American Diploma Project (ADP), which has established benchmarks for mathematics and English language arts curriculum development and testing. The ADP's benchmarks focus on improving students' knowledge and skills either as they enter the workforce immediately after high school graduation or as they enroll in college.
Although DeMartino offered high praise for the comprehensive list of cognitive skills in the ADP, he highlighted the notable absence of civic and social skills that are equally important if the United States hopes to develop young adults who are prepared to enter the professional ranks and contribute to their communities. DeMartino also pointed out that many of the benchmark strands present in current mandated assessments cannot be measured entirely with multiple-choice mathematics and reading assessments, or even extended-writing tests. “Look at the skills in that [ADP] study and ask yourself whether we can test all of them with current assessments,” DeMartino said.
- Classroom instruction
- Community learning
- Internships
- Service learning
- Online instruction
- Independent study
- Other state-approved instructional options
In addition to multiple assessments, ASCD's legislative proposal will promote four conditions necessary to ensure that every student has fair and flexible opportunities to learn, grow, and be mentored in an educational environment that is not simply about improving test scores.
- Personalized Learning: Every local education agency must implement policies and practices to create personalized learning environments.
- Flexible Use of Time and Structure: Districts should be granted great latitude to structure the school day and year so that success is the outcome for every student.
- Professional Development and School Leadership: Teachers, administrators, and community partners shall be afforded ample opportunities during the day to work together to enhance learning opportunities for each student. Traditional time structures inhibit professional development opportunities.
- Business and Community Engagement: The responsibility for student learning needs to be shared by the entire community through collaborative design and ultimate approval by the local school district.
Fuller anticipates having a bill ready for introduction in mid-November. If enacted, he said, “We hope to have 10 to 20 districts involved in a pilot program soon.”
