In addition to President George W. Bush’s speech and Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings’ “Great Expectations” document, the Bush administration has released a series of policy announcements on the 7th anniversary of NCLB.
• Spellings has approved the growth models of Colorado, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and Texas. Now, 15 states are using the growth models.
•Spellings has added Arkansas, Louisiana, and New York to the differentiated accountability pilot program. That brings the total number of states to nine. (No link available yet.)
•Spellings has sent every state an update on where they stand on the “cornerstones” of NCLB: Testing, accountability, AYP reporting, flexibility, and other issues. (Think of it as a 7th birthday present for every state chief.) It also includes a handy spreadsheet specifying where every state stands on these issues.
