Curdled Cheese

Last week the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel ran an article about our recent report, Hot Air, which analyzed state performance reporting under NCLB and suggests that a lot of states are gaming the system by using their standard-setting flexibility to inflate the performance of their students, schools, and districts, with Wisconsin one of the worst offenders. The state Deputy Superintendant of schools objected, saying:

"The intent of the law wasn't to rank states on gaming the system. The intent of the law was to have no child left behind, and I believe absolutely it has brought a significant focus on that issue." He said the DPI[Department of Public Instruction] was committed to doing everything it could to close the gap in achievement between high performing and low performing schools and groups of students. He said everything Wisconsin has done has been approved by federal officials and "every district in the state has made a good faith effort to implement No Child Left Behind."

Technically he's right; the intent of NCLB wasn't to rank states on gaming NCLB. That was the intent of our report. It's great that he thinks every district in the state has made a good faith effort, but that's also beside the point--the report didn't address district compliance, it said that the state department of education, where he works, wasn't acting in good faith.

And while the department may believe it did "everything it could" to help close the achievement gap, let me add one thing it may have forgotten: identifying school districts with achievement gaps. Last year Wisconsin identified one (1) district out of 426 as not making adequate yearly progress under NCLB.

I also received this email from an irate Wisconsin librarian:

Regarding your opinion that the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction manipulates the "No Child Left Behind" mandates to side-step the law -- ludicrous. Wisconsin is a modern-day Utopia with high academic standards and success. Wisconsin high school students have had the highest ACT scores in the nation for years. Do you really think our education system is that flawed if our students are that successful? Wisconsin and Minnesota have the best educational systems and teachers in the nation. The students that they serve are hindered by the "No Child Left Behind" mandates. If you were that concerned about the students in this nation, you would make sure that the students in the private schools were meeting educational standards - oops, there are none!

I've spent some time working on education issues in Wisconsin over the last couple of years and this is rock-solid conventional wisdom up there--everything's great, we're the best, leave us alone. But ACT scores are a bad measure because the percent of students taking them varies hugely from state to state. Here's where Wisconsin ranks on the most recent NAEP tests (based on the average scale score):

Reading 2005:

4th Grade: 20th (tied with four other states)
8th Grade: 17th (tied with one other state)

Math 2005:

4th Grade: 15th (tied with four other states)
8th Grade: 7th (tied with two other states)

In other words, Wisconsin is above average, but it by no means has the best test scores in the country. Moreover, when we turn to low-income students, it looks worse. Here are the rankings for students who are eligible for free and reduced price lunch:

Reading 2005:

4th Grade: 30th (tied with one other state)
8th Grade: 26th

Math 2005:

4th Grade: 27th (tied with five other states)
8th Grade: 26th (tied with one other states

Mediocre at best.