Congressional Letter

Congressman Garrett,

As a NJ educator, I wanted to take the time to address the pending status of the NCLB federal education program. NCLB has heightened school accountability, increased parental awareness of school performance, and moved towards a more standard U. S. education for children. I am a firm a believer that an equal educational experience for all students is a reasonable mandate and that such a standard helps to insure our democracy. While the principles behind NCLB are congruent with those of any educator, the measures for assessment are lacking. It is therefore my recommendation that NCLB legislation be significantly revised before renewal.

Unlike other professional careers, educators begin each year with the same circumstance, new students. The NCLB mandate presents a similar challenge in 100% proficiency expectation of all New Jersey students by the year 2014. This benchmark sets high expectations for teachers and students but does not recognize certain inevitabilities of education. While we can make some improvement on the abilities of students at every grade level it is unreasonable to expect such improvement to continue. Educators in successful schools throughout the state can expect to see diminishing performance margins as we approach 100%. Statistically relevant target groups dictate the use of financial and human capital. This is to say that certain students are receiving more attention and money than others.

Assessment of what makes a school successful is a hotly debated topic. If we gauge success on purely statistical data then we miss a significant portion of a school's function. Quantitative measures are functional, streamlined, and relevant, but it is the qualitative components of schools that lend themselves more directly to student success.
I would therefore propose the formation of a New Jersey Assessment Committee. This program would oversee the testing of students at every grade level. It would work jointly with the state Curriculum Office and the Department of Education. I would recommend the involvement of teachers, administrators, private test developers, and government officials. This committee could create a more standard state curriculum complete with formal and informal assessment measures for teachers, students, and school bodies. Working jointly, this committee can more clearly ascertain what makes schools successful and create reasonable criteria for assessment.

Public education has long been considered a social experiment. Both teachers and students have been willing participants in this endeavor. Unfortunately the instruments for analysis and criteria for evaluation currently provided by NCLB are not congruent with our shared educational aims. We can work better to provide for the education of New Jersey children. Please consider this message and vote against the renewal of No Child Left Behind legislation.

Regards,



Brian D. Hutchinson