I think they would have built in measures for technology and other resource troubles. I however disagree that the system should take the home life, economic status, or IQ into account. This just builds in ready made excuses. They should catch anyone who has a mental disorder and place them in special classes. But the rest of the students have to tested against national standards regardless of their economic standing or family.
This is the problem with the educational system that we have now. We coddle kids from an early age. We make excuse for them. Oh tommy is poor so he obviously cant. Teacher pass him along and then he gets out of school and cant compete in this US job market. These excuses have allowed substandard teachers to be employed because it is always the kids fault. No, IMHO we need to say to both kids and to teachers that X is the standard and you need to live up to it. If you fail you fail. Teachers who fail should find new employment. And kids who fail need to realize just what that failure means to their quality of life and future.
i don't disagree with your post. but from what you indicate i was less that clear in my own comments. let me try again
if a school practices ability grouping of its students, then those teachers of the gifted class - based on raw performance scores alone, would be able to coast. for the most part, bright kids with homes where educational attainment is stressed, will teach themselves
in contrast, that teacher of the slow class, may have an array of low aptitude, under-disciplined, under-motivated students, who may not do well ... no matter how exceptional their teacher may be
which is why i would advocate using a measure of the progress each student makes during the year the teacher has had them, using last year's scores as the starting point
if those gifted students - as a group - did not show significant progress, then i might have basis to conclude the teacher was not very effective
on the other hand, if that low class - as a group - improved a full grade level above last year's scores, then that would indicate a basis to believe these challenged learners had a good teacher
but if raw scores alone were to be used, the teacher of the gifted kids would probably look better than the teacher of the slow class
and while i agree with you that those students whose issues tend to hold the entire class back should be alternatively taught, that is not the cureent circumstance. at least not in my community. here, the parent can object to alternative placement and insist their child - no matter how incapable - be mainstreamed with others of their chronological age. it amazes me how many parents of these kids are in denial and abandon special attention for their child who needs it, to instead "mainstream" them - subjecting the student to immense frustration