May 2003 — Special Feature
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10 Technology Funding Sources in NCLB
By Charles Blaschke
www.nsf.gov/sbe/srs/infbrief/nsf03301 to view a brief of Kulik's report titled "School Mathematics and Science Programs Benefit From Instructional Technology.") This kind of study should meet the definition of "scientifically based research" and help districts purchase these kinds of comprehensive instructional systems.
Aligning to state assessments and standards. A recent ED finding revealed that fifth-grade reading achievement levels increased when lessons and materials were aligned with state standards and assessments, as well as when teachers covered the material. Opportunities for technology-based alignment and teacher-monitoring tools are significant - this is not a task that can be done on paper. There is a particular need to align state standards to the "alternative assessments" that several states have developed (and others are in the process of doing) for some special education and limited English proficient students. In addition, the final regulations for Title I do not allow states to count students who passed the GED as high school graduates, because the GED is not aligned with state standards. A tool that would assist in developing additional items to fill in the alignment gaps, however, might qualify as a valid alternative assessment.
Diagnosis, prescription and intervention. Throughout Title I (particularly in the Reading First component), the requirement for individual student diagnosis, prescription and placement in intervention strategies is creating a great demand for instructional management systems. Federal funds may be spent not only on the systems, but also on teacher training. In the final draft of the Reading First official guidance from ED, instructional management system training was clearly labeled as "allowable," even though in the first draft it was not. In addition, distance learning and online instruction that provide remediation and instructional intervention strategies will be critical in implementing some of the supplemental service provisions, especially in rural school districts and American Indian schools that have been identified for need of improvement because they failed the state adequate yearly progress (AYP) criteria for three consecutive years. While the law refers to tutoring by groups in "close proximity to failing schools" as one alternative, the "Conference Report" and subsequent ED guidance on supplemental services and NCLB regulations explicitly state that online instruction is not only allowable, but might be the only possible alternative in certain situations for these rural and American Indian schools.
Accommodating special needs assessments. Over time, the use of computer-based testing will necessarily increase for a number of reasons. The first is that these systems can be designed to incorporate all the requirements for data reporting. Second, and equally important, computer-based testing can facilitate "reasonable accommodation" in assessments for certain groups of special education students and English language learners as required in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and now in NCLB. Disability rights advocates will pressure states to provide or allow such types of assessments.
