Pain and Gain Implementing No Child Left Behind in Three States, 2004-2006

by Stecher, Brian M.; Epstein, Scott; Hamilton, Laura S.; Marsh, Julie A.; Robyn, Abby

• ISBN13: 9780833046109
• ISBN10: 0833046101
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-12-16
• Publisher: RAND Corporation

Summary

The Implementing Standards-Based Accountability (ISBA) study was designed to examine the strategies that states, districts, and schools are using to implement standards-based accountability under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). This monograph presents information regarding the implementation of NCLB in California, Georgia, and Pennsylvania from 2003-2004 through 2005-2006, including the final results of the ISBA project.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. iii
Figures	p. ix
Tables	p. xi
Summar	p. xv
Acknowledgments	p. xxi
Abbreviations	p. xxiii
Introuduction and Methods	p. 1
Findings from the Previous Monograph	p. 1
The Current Study	p. 3
Overview of Standards-Based Accountability Under No Child Left Behind	p. 4
Study Approach and Methods	p. 6
Sampling	p. 6
Data Collection	p. 7
Survey Analyses	p. 8
How This Report Is Organized	p. 8
Technical Notes	p. 8
Implementation of SBA in California	p. 11
Background on California's the ISBA system	p. 11
California Findings from the ISBA Study	p. 14
How Did Districts, Schools, and Teachers Respond to State Accountability Efforts, Including State Standards and State Tests?	p. 14
What School Improvement Strategies Were Used, and Which Were Perceived to Be Most Useful?	p. 18
What was the Impact of Accountability on Curriculum, Teacher Practice, and Student Learning?	p. 22
What Conditions Hindered Improvement Efforts?	p. 26
Implementation of SBA in Georgia	p. 31
Background on Georgia's SBA System	p. 31
Georgia Findings from the ISBA Study	p. 33
How Did Districts, Schools, and Teachers Respond to State Accountability Efforts, Including State Standards and State Tests?	p. 33
What School Improvement Strategies Were Used and Which Were Perceived to Be Most Useful?	p. 37
What Was the Impact of Accountability on Curriculum, Teacher Practice, and Student Learning?	p. 40
What Conditions Hindered Improvement Efforts?	p. 43
Implementation of SBA in Pennsylvania	p. 47
Background on Pennsylvania's SBA System	p. 47
Pennsylvania Findings from the ISBA Study48
How Did Districts, Schools, and Teachers Respond to State Accountability Efforts, Including State Standards and State Tests?	p. 48
What School Improvement Strategies Were Used, and Which Were Perceived to Be Most Useful?	p. 53
What Was the Impact of Accountability on Curriculum, Teacher Practice, and Student Learning?	p. 55
What Conditions Hindered Improvement Efforts?	p. 59
Conclusions	p. 63
Common Themes Across the Three States	p. 64
States, Districts, and Schools Have Adapted Their Policies and Practices to Support the Implementation of NCLB	p. 64
Alignment Was a Major Focus of Efforts to Implement NCLB	p. 64
Educators Think That Test Results Are a Good Measure of Student Mastery and Provide Useful Information for Improving Curriculum and Instruction	p. 65
Most Educators Report That NCLB Has Had a Positive Impact on Teaching and Learning, Although Concerns Remain About Potential Negative Effects on Some Students	p. 66
Despite the Changes in Alignment and Instructional Planning, It Appears That Teaching Techniques Have Generally Not Changed	p. 66
Teachers Are Less Sanguine Than Administrators About the Validity of Test Scores and the Impact of NCLB on Students	p. 67
Districts and Schools Are Engaged in a Wide Variety of Reforms	p. 68
There Are Small but Notable Differences in Implementation Between Elementary and Middle Schools	p. 68
There Are Major Differences in Implementation Between the Subjects of Mathematics and Science	p. 70
Administrative Efforts Were Hindered by Lack of Funding and Lack of Time, Instructional Efforts Were Hindered by Lack of Time, Large and Heterogeneous Classes, and Poor Student Preparation	p. 70
Trends	p. 71
State Infrastructure for Accountability Has Improved	p. 71
State Reporting of Test Results Has Become Timelier and More Complete	p. 71
The Use of Progress Tests Is Growing, as Are Efforts to Use Test Results for Instructional Decisionmaking	p. 71
Educators Are Growing More Positive Toward Accountability Policies	p. 72
Concerns About Low Morale Continue, but Are Becoming Less Common	p. 72
Distinctive Approaches by States	p. 73
State Varied in Their Capacity to Implement NCLB	p. 74
Georgia Educators Were Relatively More Positive Toward NCLB Than Were California or Pennsylvania Educators	p. 74
Looking Ahead	p. 75
Appendixes
Sampling and Response Rate Tables	p. 77
Results Tables	p. 81
Bibliography	p. 143
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