Post by Moses on Jan 4, 2005 20:00:54 GMT -5
Senator Leads Fight to Dismantle AIMS
Much like a tired boxer leaning against the ropes, the state's AIMS test is gasping for air. In a few weeks, it will have to endure a body blow from the left and the right if it wants to survive as Arizona's graduation exam.
An unlikely alliance of conservatives and education groups wants to kill the school achievement test before thousands of students in the Class of 2006 are denied diplomas because they can't pass it.
Sen. Thayer Verschoor, a fan of conservative ideas such as school choice and private school vouchers, will lead the charge to dismantle the AIMS test when the Legislature reconvenes next week. He said the all-or-nothing exam has been a costly, time-consuming experiment that has taken away autonomy from local school boards.
"This should be a local control issue," Verschoor, R-Gilbert, told The Republic. "This should not be mandated by big government and a state school board. To me, we are saying that we don't trust our teachers."
Verschoor's plan would keep the test as a diagnostic tool but allow high school students to get a diploma if they could not pass all three sections of the test. Right now, the bottom line is this: Passing the AIMS test stands between 37,000 current Arizona high school juniors and their high school diplomas. That's about 57 percent of the Class of 2006, the first class in state history whose students must pass the reading, writing and math sections of the achievement test or they will not graduate. They have three more chances.....
Unlikely champion
Verschoor, a conservative, has emerged as an unlikely champion for those 37,000 students in the Class of 2006. Two of the most influential lobbying groups at the Capitol, Arizona's largest teachers' union and the Arizona School Boards Association, will support his bill.
State schools chief Tom Horne and others in the school accountability movement will try to torpedo the measure. The former legislator has touted AIMS as the key to ending "educational mediocrity."
"If a student gets all A's and can't pass AIMS, then teachers are promoting mediocrity," Horne said.
Verschoor will file his bill this week.
High school teachers have their own concerns about the test, including that questions don't provide a real-world context. Greg Rivers, an English teacher at West View High School, said the writing section is superficial because it requires students to keep their essays to five paragraphs.
"To me, the test has never really measured everything it should be measuring," said Rivers, a former sportswriter.
After nearly a decade of tinkering, the AIMS test is still being reshaped. It costs about $11 million a year to administer the test. And even some GOP legislative leaders concede that "something must be done" about the AIMS test.
"The reality is you can't flunk half of the senior class of 2006," said Senate Majority Whip Jay Tibshraeny, R-Chandler. "Something is askew. I'd hate to think, for me, that my whole graduation came down to one test."
Two weeks ago Horne and Gov. Janet Napolitano announced that they would be devoting $10 million to tutor students who are having trouble passing the AIMS test.
The X-factor in the AIMS battle is Napolitano. Since she ran for governor in 2002, she has never been a fan of the test. But with thousands of students facing the prospect of being denied a diploma, she is focused on helping students get through the AIMS quagmire.
"She doesn't favor high-stakes tests, but this is the law," said Jeanine L'Ecuyer, Napolitano's communications director, referring to the exam. "She has always said that we need to get the kids through this."
Napolitano, as is her custom, will not discuss specific bills until they are approved by the Legislature and reach her desk.
Dual diplomas
There is one point on which Horne and Verschoor agree. Neither wants a dual diploma system being floated by some education leaders. That idea would create a separate diploma for students who pass AIMS and another diploma for students who have not.
"The straw that broke the camel's back for me is when we started talking about dual diplomas," Verschoor said. "It waters down the diploma."
But the AIMS test still has plenty of support.
Mike Gregoire, a new member of the Deer Valley School Board, said AIMS sets a high standard.
"Without AIMS, there is no teeth to our accountability standards," Gregoire said. "There are so many other things the state can back off of. AIMS is a standard for our children."
But the Arizona PTA said one test should not stop a student from getting a diploma, something that's needed to get into the military or college. Lucy Ranus, president of the 27,000-member organization, said AIMS "isn't helping kids prepare for a global economy."
The AIMS test has been a victim of repeated political, technical and financial setbacks. In 1995, then-State Superintendent of Public Instruction Lisa Graham Keegan vowed to revive Arizona's education system with a tough new graduation exam that would force students to learn essential workplace skills. Originally, the Class of 2001 was expected to pass AIMS to graduate. Since then, education officials have faced parent demonstrations, charges of racism and tearful mothers who call the test unfair.
The Verschoor bill could be a uniting force for legislators with different viewpoints.
"Thayer Verschoor isn't the person I was expecting to do this bill," said John Wright, president of the Arizona Education Association, the state's largest teachers' union. "It goes to show that it's really not a matter of politics when it comes to education policy. People can be from all over the map and arrive at the same place."
Ohanian Comment: This is an "unlikely alliance" only because progressives have been so busy blaming conservatives for excessive standards and testing that they haven't seen the possibilities for alliances. If and when progressives stop ascribing "a conservative agenda" to every bad thing that besets public education, they will discover that joining with conservatives on the issue of federal rules about high-stakes testing could be productive. With such alliances we could win this.
Say it loud and say it often:
* NCLB is not a conservative agenda.
* State test requirements for a high school diploma are the brainchild of the Business Roundtable, not conservatives.
* Progressives must stop blaming conservatives for all offensive education policy.
Much like a tired boxer leaning against the ropes, the state's AIMS test is gasping for air. In a few weeks, it will have to endure a body blow from the left and the right if it wants to survive as Arizona's graduation exam.
An unlikely alliance of conservatives and education groups wants to kill the school achievement test before thousands of students in the Class of 2006 are denied diplomas because they can't pass it.
Sen. Thayer Verschoor, a fan of conservative ideas such as school choice and private school vouchers, will lead the charge to dismantle the AIMS test when the Legislature reconvenes next week. He said the all-or-nothing exam has been a costly, time-consuming experiment that has taken away autonomy from local school boards.
"This should be a local control issue," Verschoor, R-Gilbert, told The Republic. "This should not be mandated by big government and a state school board. To me, we are saying that we don't trust our teachers."
Verschoor's plan would keep the test as a diagnostic tool but allow high school students to get a diploma if they could not pass all three sections of the test. Right now, the bottom line is this: Passing the AIMS test stands between 37,000 current Arizona high school juniors and their high school diplomas. That's about 57 percent of the Class of 2006, the first class in state history whose students must pass the reading, writing and math sections of the achievement test or they will not graduate. They have three more chances.....
Unlikely champion
Verschoor, a conservative, has emerged as an unlikely champion for those 37,000 students in the Class of 2006. Two of the most influential lobbying groups at the Capitol, Arizona's largest teachers' union and the Arizona School Boards Association, will support his bill.
State schools chief Tom Horne and others in the school accountability movement will try to torpedo the measure. The former legislator has touted AIMS as the key to ending "educational mediocrity."
"If a student gets all A's and can't pass AIMS, then teachers are promoting mediocrity," Horne said.
Verschoor will file his bill this week.
High school teachers have their own concerns about the test, including that questions don't provide a real-world context. Greg Rivers, an English teacher at West View High School, said the writing section is superficial because it requires students to keep their essays to five paragraphs.
"To me, the test has never really measured everything it should be measuring," said Rivers, a former sportswriter.
After nearly a decade of tinkering, the AIMS test is still being reshaped. It costs about $11 million a year to administer the test. And even some GOP legislative leaders concede that "something must be done" about the AIMS test.
"The reality is you can't flunk half of the senior class of 2006," said Senate Majority Whip Jay Tibshraeny, R-Chandler. "Something is askew. I'd hate to think, for me, that my whole graduation came down to one test."
Two weeks ago Horne and Gov. Janet Napolitano announced that they would be devoting $10 million to tutor students who are having trouble passing the AIMS test.
The X-factor in the AIMS battle is Napolitano. Since she ran for governor in 2002, she has never been a fan of the test. But with thousands of students facing the prospect of being denied a diploma, she is focused on helping students get through the AIMS quagmire.
"She doesn't favor high-stakes tests, but this is the law," said Jeanine L'Ecuyer, Napolitano's communications director, referring to the exam. "She has always said that we need to get the kids through this."
Napolitano, as is her custom, will not discuss specific bills until they are approved by the Legislature and reach her desk.
Dual diplomas
There is one point on which Horne and Verschoor agree. Neither wants a dual diploma system being floated by some education leaders. That idea would create a separate diploma for students who pass AIMS and another diploma for students who have not.
"The straw that broke the camel's back for me is when we started talking about dual diplomas," Verschoor said. "It waters down the diploma."
But the AIMS test still has plenty of support.
Mike Gregoire, a new member of the Deer Valley School Board, said AIMS sets a high standard.
"Without AIMS, there is no teeth to our accountability standards," Gregoire said. "There are so many other things the state can back off of. AIMS is a standard for our children."
But the Arizona PTA said one test should not stop a student from getting a diploma, something that's needed to get into the military or college. Lucy Ranus, president of the 27,000-member organization, said AIMS "isn't helping kids prepare for a global economy."
The AIMS test has been a victim of repeated political, technical and financial setbacks. In 1995, then-State Superintendent of Public Instruction Lisa Graham Keegan vowed to revive Arizona's education system with a tough new graduation exam that would force students to learn essential workplace skills. Originally, the Class of 2001 was expected to pass AIMS to graduate. Since then, education officials have faced parent demonstrations, charges of racism and tearful mothers who call the test unfair.
The Verschoor bill could be a uniting force for legislators with different viewpoints.
"Thayer Verschoor isn't the person I was expecting to do this bill," said John Wright, president of the Arizona Education Association, the state's largest teachers' union. "It goes to show that it's really not a matter of politics when it comes to education policy. People can be from all over the map and arrive at the same place."
Ohanian Comment: This is an "unlikely alliance" only because progressives have been so busy blaming conservatives for excessive standards and testing that they haven't seen the possibilities for alliances. If and when progressives stop ascribing "a conservative agenda" to every bad thing that besets public education, they will discover that joining with conservatives on the issue of federal rules about high-stakes testing could be productive. With such alliances we could win this.
Say it loud and say it often:
* NCLB is not a conservative agenda.
* State test requirements for a high school diploma are the brainchild of the Business Roundtable, not conservatives.
* Progressives must stop blaming conservatives for all offensive education policy.