Iowa and Ohio Join the Growth Model Pilot

On Thursday, The U.S. Department of Education (ED) announced approval of two more growth models states, Ohio and Iowa, bringing the pilot total to seven or the ten available pilot openings.

Iowa is immediately approved to use the growth model for the 2006-2007 school year. Ohio's growth model is approved on the condition that the state adopt a uniform minimum group size for all subgroups, including students with disabilities and limited English proficient students, in AYP determinations for the 2006-2007 school year.
All participants must abide by ED’s “bright-line” principles for the growth models:
• Ensure that all students are proficient by 2014 and set annual state goals to ensure that the achievement gap is closing for all groups of students;
• Set expectations for annual achievement based upon meeting grade-level proficiency and not upon student background or school characteristics;
• Hold schools accountable for student achievement in reading/language arts and mathematics;
• Ensure that all students in tested grades are included in the assessment and accountability system, hold schools and districts accountable for the performance of each student subgroup, and include all schools and districts;
• Include assessments, in each of grades 3 through 8 and high school, in both reading/language arts and mathematics that have been operational for more than one year and have received approval through the NCLB standards and assessment review process for the 2005-06 school year. The assessment system must also produce comparable results from grade to grade and year to year;
• Track student progress as part of the state data system; and
• Include student participation rates and student achievement as separate academic indicators in the state accountability system.
Resources:
“Secretary Spellings Approves Additional Growth Model Pilots for 2006-2007 School Year,” U.S. Department of Education, Press Release, May 24, 2007, http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2007/05/05242007.html