Policymakers, attorneys, and scholars will debate and analyze the constitutional and social issues surrounding high-stakes standardized testing at the Santa Clara Law Review’s 2007 Symposium, scheduled for February 9, 2007 at Hotel Valencia in San Jose. The symposium is free to law students and faculty.
Entitled “The Future of High-Stakes Testing in an Era of Educational Standards and Accountability,” the day-long symposium hosted by Santa Clara University School of Law brings together experts from various viewpoints for three panel discussions and a keynote address by California Assemblymember Loni Hancock (D-14th). Hancock, who serves on the Assembly Education Committee, has authored legislation targeting the high school dropout rate and school accountability, and is the former head of the U.S. Department of Education’s Western Regional Office.
The symposium comes five years after the No Child Left Behind Act was signed into law by President Bush, who recently called for its renewal and encouraged further educational reform in his State of the Union Address. The original Act created a federal framework for holding states accountable for student achievement by mandating nationwide performance-based assessment standards and the implementation of sanctions against school districts that fail to meet yearly progress benchmarks.
Proponents of the No Child Left Behind Act cite the law’s value in increasing schools’ accountability for their students mastery of critical skills. However, opponents argue that the high-stakes testing the law implements disproportionately impacts minorities, English language learners and under-funded schools – thus denying equal protection under the law.
Panelists critical of such exams include plaintiffs’ attorneys Aturo J. González and John Affeldt, who participated in the recent case concerning the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE), Valenzuela v. O’Connell. Brought by non-graduating seniors in mostly underperforming high schools, Valenzuela challenged the constitutionality of the CAHSEE. Additionally, in his capacity as managing attorney of Public Advocates, Affeldt brought the first lawsuits to enforce teacher quality provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act.
Along with critiques of the current system, the symposium will explore alternatives to high-stake testing and prospects for local, state and federal reform aimed at eliminating inequities among public schools
For registration information go to: http://law.scu.edu/lawreview.
