Source Note: “Only 48% of California high schools met federal standards, even with easier measure”

January 29, 2009 in Research Project

Title: Only 48% of California high schools meet federal standards, even with easier measure (Los Angeles Times, 9/5/08)

Summary: Despite NCLB requirements that are actually less strict than those of some states, public schools are still having great difficulty just towing the line.

Topic: Should the Obama Administration reform the No Child Left Behind Act?

Category: Journalistic; Newspaper article

Publication Information: Los Angeles Times, September 5, 2008

Author: Howard Blume and Ben Welsh

Location: LATimes.com 

Accessed: January 28, 2009

Support:

• 2008 Los Angeles Times study: Found only 48% of high schools in the state of California met the federal standards imposed by NCLB, 300 of which were only passing due to exit exam scores.
• State education officials: Reported minor progress in bridging education gap between ethnic groups, and major increases on the state’s Academic Performance Index.
• Deb Sigman, Deputy Superintendent of Schools, State of California: Said high schools are evaluated solely on the exit exams because they are the only assessments that meet the federal requirements for math testing.
• Ed Zubiate, Principal, Fairfax High School, Los Angeles, CA: Believes the exit exams are valuable as motivational tools.
• Mike Escalante, Superintendent, Glendale Unified School District, CA: Feels the exams are too simplistic for the task at hand.
• Jack O’Connell, Superintendent of Schools, State of California: Says the broad application of the exit exams was politically necessary to get them introduced.
• Jim Lanich, President, California Business for Education Excellence: Believes the exit exams allow for too little emphasis on mathematics.

Audience and Agenda: In addition to being among the largest circulation newspapers in the country, the Los Angeles Times is also a major contender amongst regional newspapers. Its heavy coverage of state politics makes it a valuable tool in understanding how federal legislation dictates policy change on the state level.

Usefulness: This article can be utilized as support for both the necessity of proficiency testing requirements and their ineffectuality as implemented under No Child Left Behind.

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