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Q: Bush/Paige and/or White House Quote ( Answered 5 out of 5 stars,   1 Comment )
Question  
Subject: Bush/Paige and/or White House Quote
Category: Reference, Education and News
Asked by: educationquestions-ga
List Price: $30.00
Posted: 06 Apr 2004 12:56 PDT
Expires: 06 May 2004 12:56 PDT
Question ID: 326171
I need a quote from either Bush, Paige or someone ranking relatively
high in the Bush White House Education Department to the effect that
testing/assessment helps teachers know what thier students actually
need and where the teacher's weaknesses actually lie.  This must be
related to No Child Left Behind, and the quote(s) must be direct, have
a clear source, relate very closely to the idea that testing and/or
assessment 1) helps teachers to know what their students need and 2)
help teachers to know where/what their own weaknesses are.

Request for Question Clarification by pafalafa-ga on 09 Apr 2004 10:06 PDT
Is this the type of quote you're looking for..?

=====

Optimally, tests should be used to inform instruction. The best
feedback is real-time feedback. Online tests can provide fast,
real-time data that is usable and informative and that can guide
instruction. With online tests, teachers and parents can have the
results in their hands within 24 hours. They can then use those
results to change lesson plans, identify areas for additional work and
tailor a more appropriate learning strategy. The power of online
assessments is one of the most promising examples of technology's
ability to accelerate the transformation called for by No Child Left
Behind.

Testing, of course, is just the first step. The next step is managing
the resulting data so that it can be used to improve instruction.
States must be prepared to manage large amounts of data that must be
collected and analyzed under No Child Left Behind. In doing so, states
must be able to make the data accessible and relevant, and package it
in a form that will be useful to teachers, administrators,
policy-makers and parents.

=====

If not, let me know what sort of additional detail you need.  Thanks.

pafalafa-ga

Clarification of Question by educationquestions-ga on 09 Apr 2004 11:43 PDT
Yes.  If this is from Bush or Paige or a top White House education
person, this is what I need.
Answer  
Subject: Re: Bush/Paige and/or White House Quote
Answered By: pafalafa-ga on 09 Apr 2004 12:20 PDT
Rated:5 out of 5 stars
 
Hello again,

Thanks for the feedback...Im glad to hear this is the type of quote
you were after.  The source is a recent speech given by Secretary
Paige, which can be found in full at the Department of Education
website at:

http://www.ed.gov/news/speeches/2004/03/03102004.html

==========

Remarks by Secretary Paige at the Technology Summit in St. Louis




Thank you for joining us here in St. Louis to talk about one of the
most important, yet under-appreciated components of making our schools
work for all students. Often when we think of education and
technology, we think of training our children for the
technology-related jobs of the future. Today, however, the Internet
and information technology also promise vast improvements in the way
we educate our children.

Some say that technology is too important to leave in the hands of
technologists alone. I agree. Technology first and foremost must be
understood and employed by leaders. Leaders must bear ultimate
responsibility for evaluating and using technology. The most effective
leaders recognize that technology is a means to an end.

This conference is the first in a series of three that will focus on
how technology can help all schools meet the goals of No Child Left
Behind. Our goal for this conference is to provide you the knowledge,
tools and contacts needed to help you become leaders in making
technology an every-day part of educating our young people.

Today, we will focus specifically on how technology can enhance
accountability and assessment. This conference will help you explore
opportunities to collaborate with other states on development and
procurement. It will help you to consider the power of online
assessments and to explore the resources that are available to support
the accountability requirements of No Child Left Behind. And it will
help you learn how to manage data so that you can meet the goals of No
Child Left Behind.

The fact is No Child Left Behind requires us to think about education
in new ways. In January, we celebrated its second anniversary. In this
short time, No Child Left Behind ushered in a new era of
accountability in our nation's schools. It created the framework for
giving every child a quality education. And it said loudly and clearly
that all children must be held to high standards.

No Child Left Behind is built on four pillars: the use of proven
teaching methods, more choice for parents, accountability for results,
and increased local control of federal education funding. By following
these four principles, we are taking meaningful actions to close the
achievement gap. And we are doing so by raising expectations for all
of our students. Let me be clear: No Child Left Behind focuses our
attention on those students most in danger of being left behind. But
at the same time, No Child Left Behind benefits all students.

Let me cite a few reasons why I am so optimistic that we are on the right path:

All 50 states now have accountability plans in place to show how they
will help all children learn to read and do math at their grade
levels. This is a huge improvement from just a few years ago, when
only 11 states were in compliance with the law.

Our children are now being tested regularly in math and reading. As a
result, teachers can use this new information to tailor instruction to
meet every child's needs. Administrators can make better-informed
decisions about targeting resources. And parents can better evaluate
their child's progress and the effectiveness of their schools.

Parents have new rights under No Child Left Behind. If their child
attends a school that is in need of improvement, then they have new
options. They can choose a better-performing public school. Or, if
they are financially eligible, they can choose extra tutoring for
their child at no additional cost.

Under No Child Left Behind, every child in America will soon be taught
by a teacher with proven mastery of his or her subject.

We are providing the resources to get the job done. President Bush and
Congress have provided more funding than ever before. Under the
President's latest budget, total education spending would increase by
36 percent since he took office, including massive increases for
disadvantaged students, teacher training, special education and
financial aid for higher education.

These changes are improving schools for the better. They are making
our schools more responsive to all children. Technology will and must
play a role in driving this transformation. One of the areas in which
it can have the greatest impact is in testing.

Testing is central to improving our children's education. It allows us
to measure where we are doing well and where we must do better. By
disaggregating the data, our schools can ensure that every child of
every race, ethnicity and income bracket is receiving the same quality
education. And when some children are falling behind, our schools can
identify them early and provide an appropriate intervention to help
them get back on track.

How we test matters as well. Paper-based tests, while effective in
measuring progress and strengths and weaknesses, also have
limitations. With paper-based testing, results sometimes come in
slowly and can go unused if not received in a timely manner.
Paper-based tests can be time consuming and expensive to administer.
Certainly, they provide important measurements of student progress.
But we can do better.

Optimally, tests should be used to inform instruction. The best
feedback is real-time feedback. Online tests can provide fast,
real-time data that is usable and informative and that can guide
instruction. With online tests, teachers and parents can have the
results in their hands within 24 hours. They can then use those
results to change lesson plans, identify areas for additional work and
tailor a more appropriate learning strategy. The power of online
assessments is one of the most promising examples of technology's
ability to accelerate the transformation called for by No Child Left
Behind.

Testing, of course, is just the first step. The next step is managing
the resulting data so that it can be used to improve instruction.
States must be prepared to manage large amounts of data that must be
collected and analyzed under No Child Left Behind. In doing so, states
must be able to make the data accessible and relevant, and package it
in a form that will be useful to teachers, administrators,
policy-makers and parents.

For many states, this need to manage data will require major changes.
At present, the states vary widely in their capability to manage test
data that is coming in. It is crucial for every state to identify how
it will collect, store, organize, sort and report data.

You, as education leaders, must drive this process. You must ensure
that your education agencies have the systems and people needed to
effectively analyze and distribute data. Our education systems must
become more focused on using data to create a performance-based
culture.

Let me give you just one example of how better information management
can benefit everyone involved in education.

Take, for instance, two third-grade math teachers in the same school.
Both teach children from a similar demographic group. Both classes
achieve above average test scores, but one class has slightly higher
scores. Using information technology, an administrator could isolate
the source of the difference in test scores. She might notice, for
example, that one teacher's students are doing considerably better on
fractions than the other's. Once that variable has been identified,
the teacher getting higher results can help train the second teacher
to bring up his children's scores as well.

There are literally countless ways that information management can be
used: to identify trends in student achievement, to identify teacher
strengths and weaknesses, to provide an up-to-the-moment report for
parents on their child's progress, to better target resources. The
possibilities are indeed impressive.

And while information management represents a significant capital
expenditure, it can reduce costs in out years by eliminating
transportation costs, security costs and paper costs and by increasing
efficiency.

As you look at your technology needs, the Department wants to be a
full partner with you to make technology a substantial component of
educational improvements. This conference represents the first stage
of what we hope will be an ongoing dialogue about the role of
technology in education.

As we go forward, you will find that there are new resources available
to you. I would like to mention a few funding sources that, while not
available for infrastructure, can be used to enhance your use of
technology in instruction.

No Child Left Behind's "Enhancing Education Through Technology"
program has distributed more than $2 billion to states and local
school districts over the last three years. This funding must be used
for education technology to improve student achievement. And at least
a quarter of the total must be used for training and professional
development. President Bush has requested nearly $700 million more for
this program in his 2005 budget.

The new flexibility in the law makes every program in No Child Left
Behind an opportunity for technology funding since technology can be
used to help accomplish specific program goals. The Department is also
investing more than $54 million in 28 projects to measure the impact
of technology on student achievement.

I urge you to work with the Department to use every inch of
flexibility there is in the law and to take advantage of
technology-related grants and information that are available.

Finally, I would like to mention one other initiative. Under No Child
Left Behind, the Department is required to create a national
long-range education technology plan. We are in the process of
developing that plan now. To ensure that it represents the best
thinking from both experts and those on the front lines, we have
created a Web site where anyone can provide their thoughts on how best
to bring technology into our education system. I encourage you to lend
your expertise and experience. If you have a few free moments?and I
understand those free moments are somewhat rare?please go to
www.nationaledtechplan.org and participate in the plan before it
closes this Friday.

I would like to conclude today with a thought from the best-selling
author and management expert Jim Collins. In his book Good to Great,
he explores methods by which organizations can improve their operation
and achieve greatness. In it, he writes: "Technology and
technology-driven change has virtually nothing to do with igniting a
transformation from good to great. Technology can accelerate a
transformation, but technology cannot cause a transformation." In
other words, using technology is like stepping on the accelerator. It
will help us reach our destination with greater speed, but only if we
know where we are going.

Collins' characterization is true for No Child Left Behind. Technology
did not ignite the revolution. That was done by the leadership of
President Bush, Republicans and Democrats in Congress, and concerned
people all over the nation. No Child Left Behind gives us the mission
and the means to achieve it. But, technology?when employed by
visionary leaders?will help us fulfill the law's great promise.

I would like to thank everyone in attendance for taking the time to
join us for this important conference. I encourage you to make the
most of the resources available here, ask many questions and work on
your state's technology plan. And most important, I thank you for
embracing the bold vision of No Child Left Behind. With your continued
hard work, we will provide a quality education for all.

Thank you, and God bless you.

####

==========

I also searched the Dept of Ed website for other speeches by Paige
that might be relevant to your needs.  You can access the search
results at:

://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=teachers+testing+weaknesses+paige+site%3Awww%2Eed%2Egov

I would suggest having a look around at some of these speeches...there
may well be additional materials here that would be of use to you.

Let me know if you have any questions about the material I have posted
here.  Just post a Request for Clarification if I can be of further
assistance.

pafalafa-ga



search strategy:  searched the Department of Education website for:  [
teachers testing weaknesses paige ]
educationquestions-ga rated this answer:5 out of 5 stars
Great answer, good work.  Thanks!  Elizabeth

Comments  
Subject: Re: Bush/Paige and/or White House Quote
From: pafalafa-ga on 09 Apr 2004 19:34 PDT
 
Glad you liked it!

Thanks so much for the kind words (and the stars!).

pafalafa-ga

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