The Aspen Institute’s Commission on No Child Left Behind is the latest organization to issue recommendations for the reauthorization of the main federal K-12 education law. Here is how the commission’s ideas compare with proposals from the Bush administration and others, including members of Congress and interest groups.
Academic Standards
Commission on No Child Left Behind
The commission would assign the National Assessment Governing Board the task of developing national standards and exams that are based on the National Assessment of Educational Progress.
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Bush Administration
The Bush administration has no proposal for national standards.
Other
A bill in Congress would set up a process using NAEP as the guide for potential national standards. More than 40 education groups support it.
Teacher Quality
Commission on No Child Left Behind
The commission recommends incorporating student achievement data into decisions about teachers’ quality. Using data systems to be developed under the proposal, teachers would be rated based on the growth in their students’ test scores.
Bush Administration
The plan would expand the Teacher Incentive Fund, which rewards teachers whose students’ demonstrate academic growth with pay raises and bonuses. The administration also said it would offer pay incentives for teachers and principals who choose to work in schools with the greatest academic needs.
Other
Democrats in Congress have introduced the Teacher Excellence for All Children Act, or TEACH Act. The bill would offer financial incentives for experienced teachers to improve their skills and to mentor new teachers. The chairmen of the House and Senate education committees have sponsored the bill.
Choice and Supplemental Services
Commission on No Child Left Behind
The commission would require districts to ensure that at least 10 percent of students eligible to leave schools failing to make adequate yearly progress would have spots available to them in another public school in the district.
Bush Administration
At schools that failed to make AYP for five consecutive years, students would be eligible for a $2,500 federal voucher to use at a private or public school. The voucher would be supplemented by the schools’ per pupil allocation under Title I.
Other
Democrats in Congress have announced their opposition to the Bush administration’s choice proposal.
High School Testing
Commission on No Child Left Behind
The commission would craft a 12th grade exam that states would use to determine the AYP status of schools and districts.
Bush Administration
The Bush administration would require states to devise new high school tests that measure students’ preparedness for college or the workforce. The tests would not be used in AYP calculations.
Other
The Business Coalition for Student Achievement, which includes the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Business Roundtable, has proposed an exam that measures students’ preparedness in the workplace.
SOURCE: Education Week