If these data are accurate, it is now reported that the Chicago turn around only holds for the Illinois test and not for the NAEP.
I have just been reading a student paper discussing some of research concerning the effects of mastery learning. A similar criticism was raised. If the treatment group concentrates on a given set of objectives and the control group is taught by teachers who are not focused on those objectives, one finds similar results. An exam over the objectives shows an advantage for the treatment group. A general exam does not. So, which group learned more?
Isn’t this the general concern with NCLB – teachers stealing time from content topics not covered on the exams to focus on the content to be covered. I don’t think this is what Secretary Duncan means by “time, time, time“, but this is what happens when you only teach to some of your goals.