Blog Juice for Educational Technology

Press Release from the US Department of Education

FOR RELEASE:
November 18, 2005
Contacts: Chad Colby, Samara Yudof
(202) 401-1576

U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings today announced a pilot program where interested and qualified states can submit proposals for developing growth models that follow the bright-line principles of No Child Left Behind. As part of the pilot, the Department will approve no more than 10 high-quality growth models in 2005-06. Secretary Spellings made the special announcement during an address to the Council of Chief State School Officers’ (CCSSO) Annual Policy Forum in Richmond, Va.

Following are excerpts from Secretary Spellings’ announcement:

“A growth model is not a way around accountability standards. It’s a way for states that are already raising achievement and following the bright-line principles of the law to strengthen accountability.

“We’re open to new ideas, but we’re not taking our eye off the ball. There are many different routes for states to take, but they all must begin with a commitment to annual assessment and disaggregation of data. And they all must lead to closing the achievement gap and every student reaching grade level by 2014. This is good policy for all students and we must stick with it.”