Adequate yearly diddily poop, part 4: let's do it right

[Catshrink]

The last of this great series on the problems of NCLB. (Part 3 was Alive 75 that suggested a doctor evaluation method similar to NCLB.)

"In “Adequate Yearly Diddily Poop” parts one, two, and three, we looked at the current system of evaluating schools based on adequate yearly progress, or AYP. Specifically, we looked at how factors inherent in our educational system can undermine the validity of AYP as it is currently defined.

We will now look at some of the outside influences that affect student performance, and as such also affect the validity of “adequate yearly progress” (or, as the case may be, “adequate yearly diddily poop”).

From birth to age 18, more than 90% of a student’s life is spent outside of school. Many factors in students’ lives outside school effect their achievement in school. Yet, the requirements of NCLB hold all schools accountable to the same level of student performance without regard to outside factors.

Like NCLB, the hypothetical Alive 75 holds all clinics to the same Annual Survival Standard regardless of location. It seems absurd, because we know it’s unrealistic to expect the same health and longevity of patients exposed to multiple carcinogens, lead paint, and air pollutants as we do patients living in pristine environments.

More:

http://www.examiner.com/x-29491-Topeka-K12-Examiner~y2010m4d15-Adequate-yearly-diddily-poop-part-4--lets-do-it-right