Science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education reform continues
to be a high priority on Capitol Hill this spring, driven by the need
to reauthorize the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), and by the recognition
that excellence in STEM education is an important factor in the nation's
ability to remain globally competitive. Some developments are highlighted
below.
Reauthorization of No Child Left Behind:
Beginning with the 2007-2008 school year, No Child Left Behind requires
states to conduct assessments in science as well as reading and math.
In its FY 2008 budget request, the Administration proposed that science
be included with reading and math in states' "adequate yearly progress"
calculations.
NCLB, which authorizes K-12 education funding to states from the Department
of Education (but not NSF or other science departments or agencies)
was originally enacted in December of 2001, and is now due for reauthorization.
Since its inception, it has received criticism on many fronts. In February,
the Commission on No Child Left Behind, an independent, bipartisan group
of 15 education leaders, issued a series of recommendations designed
to improve the law when it is reauthorized. "Our work has uncovered
shortcomings in both the implementation of the statute and in some tenets
of the law itself," the Commission states in its report, "Beyond
NCLB: Fulfilling the Promise to Our Nation's Children." As
one example, it notes that, "by allowing states to set their own
content and achievement standards, [NCLB] has respected the long-standing
tradition of local control over education. However, this has resulted
in unacceptable variations in what constitutes proficiency.... And there
are growing concerns that state standards do not match what students
need to know and be able to do to succeed in college and the workplace.
Clearly, many states are demanding too little of their students."
The Commission's report contains about 20 recommendations addressing
issues such as teacher and principal effectiveness; improvements to
the accountability system by using growth models; maximizing the options
for students in poorly-performing schools; improving the fairness and
accuracy of assessments; establishing high standards that prepare students
for college and the workplace; and improving states' data systems.
"In 2007," the report says, "when young people in Milwaukee
and Atlanta are competing with young people in Beijing and Bangalore,
it is difficult to understand why Wisconsin's definition of proficiency
should be different from Georgia's and why both would differ significantly"
from that of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).
In its discussion of standards, the Commission advocates "the development
of voluntary model national content and performance standards and tests"
in science, math and reading, based on the NAEP. "A distinguished
national panel, including members of the National Assessment Governing
Board (NAGB), should be commissioned to create the standards and tests,
extrapolating from the form and content of NAEP frameworks.... In addition,
the panel would ensure that any standards and assessments it produces
would be aligned with college and workplace expectations." For
accountability purposes, states could adopt these national standards
or continue to use their own. However, the Commission recommends that
the U.S. Secretary of Education "periodically issue reports that
compare the rigor of all state standards relative to the national model
standards using a common metric." Information on the Commission
and its work, including the full report (222 pages) and an executive
summary, can be found at http://www.nclbcommission.org
.
Several bills have been introduced that address aspects of national
science standards and science assessments. The SPEAK Act, introduced
by Rep. Vern Ehlers (R-MI) in the House (H.R. 325) and by Sen. Christopher
Dodd (D-CT) in the Senate (S. 224) would add science to the biennial
NAEP assessments of student achievement in grades 4, 8, and 12; require
the NAGB to develop voluntary national content standards in science
and math; and authorize competitive grants to states for adopting such
standards. Sen. Ted Kennedy's (D-MA) SUCCESS Act (S. 164) would require
increased NAEP science assessments and encourage development and adoption
of and alignment with challenging standards. Ehlers' Science Accountability
Act (H.R. 35) would amend No Child Left Behind to incorporate science
achievement measurements into states' accountability metrics. Summaries
and text of these bills can be found at http://thomas.loc.gov/
.
AIP and Member Society Support of Education Initiatives:
Suggested improvements to No Child Left Behind were also issued by
the STEM Education Coalition. The American Institute of Physics and
four of its Member Societies (the Acoustical Society of America, the
American Association of Physicists in Medicine, the American Association
of Physics Teachers, and the Optical Society of America) signed a STEM
Education Coalition letter to the relevant authorizers. This letter
advocated that, as part of the NCLB reauthorization, Congress should
strengthen the Education Department's Math and Science Partnership program;
authorize grants for the establishment or strengthening of state-based
P-16 Councils; authorize programs to hire and train K-8 Master Teachers
in science and math; provide dedicated funding for STEM teacher professional
development; support after-school programs that emphasize STEM areas;
promote STEM specialty high schools; and dedicate funding for improved
elementary and middle school math instruction. (The complete text of
the letter can be viewed at http://www.aip.org/gov/stem_nclb.pdf
).
AIP, ASA, AAPM, AAPT and OSA also signed onto two other recent STEM
Education Coalition letters. One letter supported Rep. Ruben Hinojosa's
(D-TX) PALS Act (H.R. 524) to authorize a pilot program at NSF for improving
secondary school science laboratories and instrumentation. Another letter
supported House S&T Committee Chairman Bart Gordon's (D-TN) "10,000
Teachers, 10 Million Minds" bill (H.R. 362), which would expand
NSF's Noyce Scholarship program to attract STEM majors to teaching;
authorize centers for the improvement of undergraduate STEM education;
and revise the NSF Math and Science Partnership program to prioritize
teacher training, which could include summer institutes, workshops,
and master's degree programs for teachers.
Report on Effectiveness of NSF Math and Science Partnership Program:
In January, NSF released an evaluation of its MSP program, which brings
together STEM higher education faculty with school districts, states
and other partners to improve K-12 STEM instruction. Since 2002, 52
partnerships have been funded through this program, involving 150 higher
education institutions, more than 550 school districts (and more than
3,300 schools) in 30 states and Puerto Rico, and over 70 businesses,
informal science organizations, community-based organizations and state
education organizations. According to an NSF press release, an analysis
of 123 schools participating in the MSP program showed, over a three-year
period, "significant improvements in mathematics proficiency, with
a 13.7 percent increase for elementary, 6.2 percent increase for middle-school,
and 17.1 percent increase for high-school students. Science proficiency
at each level showed marked gains as well since 2002, with a 5.3 percent
increase for elementary, 4.5 percent increase for middle-school, and
1.4 percent increase for high-school students." The 10-page NSF
MSP National Impact Report can be found at http://www.nsf.gov/news/newsmedia/msp_impact/final_msp_impact_report.pdf
.
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