The news was startling for many. Despite having arguably the highest learning standards in the country, Maine had recently failed an NCLB review. Even more startling was the idea that federal officials were threatening to withhold money from the Maine Department of Education because of potential compliance concerns.

The specified reason for the potential compliance issues involved Maine's formal assessment process of its learning standards. According to Michael Sentance, a regional NCLB representative, the State had failed to demonstrate that its achievement test process truly assessed those learning standards.

Under the No Child Left Behind Act, a state may theoretically select any test it chooses as long as that test measures the specific learning standards set forth by that state. However, Maine now has 20 days to rebut the claims that Maine's assessment system, particularly its use of the SAT for eleventh graders, does not measure student achievement of the Maine Learning Results.

On April 1 Maine's entire eleventh grade class took the SAT for the first time. The move came after a year of debate regarding the state's dropping the MEA for the longstanding college aptitude test.

From the moment that the change was proposed, the move was controversial. But Commissioner Gendron pushed forward, focused on her belief that the move to the SAT was yet another part of a concerted effort to encourage more Maine students to seek post-secondary school options.

Clearly, to make such a drastic change, there had to be a documented alignment between the SAT and the Maine Learning Results. To determine if there was a realistic alignment, the College Board contracted with an independent assessment consultant to conduct an alignment study. The results of that study indicated a very strong alignment between the MLR and the content tested by the SAT.

Though the move was controversial, for Maine schools there were two immediate positives with the change. First, educators had continuously expressed their concerns over student motivation for the prior Maine Educational Assessment tests. Because the MEA test had not had any bearing on a student's ability to graduate from high school, students previously had essentially no incentive to do well. A strong test effort came based only on a student's intrinsic desire to succeed. However, with the switch to the SAT, those students with college aspirations knew that the SAT was a critical part of the post-secondary selection process, meaning those students had every incentive to do their best on the test.

Second, the challenging MEA tests had previously been given over the course of several days as the exams tested students in a number of areas. The very act of giving those exams served to disrupt an entire high school as educators attempted to create appropriate test environments for the group being tested. The logistical demands led to numerous disruptions and significant loss of learning time for the entire school. The change to the SAT, a single exam given on a Saturday morning, eliminated the week long interruption of a high school's learning environment.

In the face of the lack of compliance charges, Commissioner Gendron has remained resolute. Gendron indicated she was confident that new data being collected by State officials will demonstrate that Maine's choice of achievement tests does effectively measure student performance.

Gendron also appeared to question some potential partisanship coming out of Washington, particularly since she had discussed the move with federal officials prior to making the switch and was not made aware of any specified concerns with the ability to the SAT to measure achievement. Gendron spoke of her concerns about the fair application of compliance rules and whether or not such rules were being consistently applied to all states.

Interestingly enough, Maine may use the SAT according to Sentance, if it proves the test measures progress toward the state's learning standards. However, Sentance indicated that $113,000 will be withheld from the State because of the current lack of compliance. In further indication of the punitive nature of NCLB, the federal representative also stated the United States Department of Education could withhold even more funds if Maine does not come into compliance.

The next few weeks will prove critical for the state and for Commissioner Gendron. With hundreds of thousands of dollars on the line, much is riding on the recent data collection and its ability to support Maine's move to the SAT test.

Year end awards presented

Wiscasset High School students were recognized for their achievements at several different events at the end of the 2006 school year.

George Mitchell Scholarship, $4,000, Lindsey James; MELMAC Scholarship, $1,000, Ashley Soule; Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship, $6,000, Leah Lemont; Cameron Haggett Scholarship, $500 each to Stephen Bailey, and Justin Kramley; Sara Leone Scholarship, $1,500, Kate Riser; Harold Campbell Memorial Award, $500, Letitia Munson; Gardiner Savings Institution Award, $1,000, Jonathan James; Daniel P. Leeman Scholarship, $500, Daniel Ellison; Lincoln County Community Theater, $500 each to, Justin Zang, and Letitia Munson.

Chewonki Foundation Scholarship, $500, Kate Riser; Huntoon Hill Grange Scholarship, $500 each to, Seth Mihalik, and Stephen Bailey; Garden Club of Wiscasset, $100, Lucas McConnell; Mid-Coast Transition, $500, Amanda Gann; Maine Masonic Award, $500, Letitia Munson; Renee Nichols Award, $500 each to, Adam Snell, Bryant Dodge, and Devin Hannon.

Mrs. Mildred J. Howard Scholarship, $1,000, Chelsey MacDonald; Mr. Charles R. Howard Scholarship, $1,000 Ren Morse; Jon Rice Scholarship, $500, Benjamin Matzell; LeGarage Scholarship, $500, Hollyann Jost; LeGarage Scholarship, $250, Michael Rogers; Beta Sigma Phi Awards, $250 each to, Sara Gagnon, Jessica Oyster, and William Speed.

Patricia Stubbs Memorial Award, $200, Justin Zang; Wiscasset Lion's Club Awards, $500 each to Arianna Anestis, and Letitia Munson; Mark Perry Scholarships, $300 each to Evangeline Tegerero, and Geoffrey Garceau; Lloyd Lowndes Memorial Award, $500, Sydney Pontau; The late Brigadier General John French/ Mrs. Jeanette Haggett French Scholarship, $1,000, Jonathan James; Lawrence B. Haggett Memorial Scholarship, $500, Darci Day.

Marie E. Harrison Scholarship, $200, Kimberly Mullins; Friends of the Wiscasset Library, $200 each to, Leah Lemont, Justin Zang, Lucas McConnell, and Letitia Munson; Mid-Coast Hospital Auxiliary Scholarship, $1,500, Chelsey MacDonald; Hancock Lumber Scholarship, $250, Jonathan Hinman; Carl M.P. Larrabee Insurance Agency Award, $300, Cory Lagner; Anonymous Donor Scholarship, $1,000, Christina Jalbert.

Charles S. Sewall Scholarship $500, Laura Averill; Past Presidents' Scholarships, $400 each to Lindsey James, and Arianna Anestis; Lucille Shea Memorial Scholarship, $300, Kate Raiser; William A. Cumming Award, $500, Sean Maguire.

The Rotary Club of Bath presented the following scholarships at the Bath Regional Vocational Center each recipient received $500, they included: Audrey Averill; William Thayer; Douglas Engel and Daniel Ellison.

Wiscasset Senior Center Scholarship, $500, Douglas Engel; Ripon Society, $1,000, Christopher Ezzell; Central Maine Power Scholarship, $2,000, Letitia Munson, and MBNA America Scholarship $6,000, Devin Hannon.

Academic Awards were presented to the following students: Mechanical Drawing, Adam Snell; Video Production, Bryant Dodge; Introduction to Technology; Joseph Vincent; Problems In Democracy, Letitia Munson, Justin Zang, Lindsay Benner, and Kate Riser; Astronomy, Leah Lemont; Honors Chemistry, Leah Lemont; Math Awards, Leah Lemont, Caleb Bonyun, Lucas McConnell, and Kate Riser; Math Team, Sean Maguire, Mike Greenleaf, and Jonathan James.

Civil Rights Team, Letitia Munson, and Kim Mullins; Students for Social Action, Kate Riser, Kim Mullins, Bryant Dodge, Spencer Thompson, Coady Robson, and Leah Lemont; John Philip Sousa Award, Jonathan James; Patrick S. Gilmore Award, Justin Zang; Louis Armstrong Jazz Award, Jonathan James, and Justin Zang; National Choral Award, Ashley Soule, and Sara Gagnon.

Art, Brittany Greenleaf, Raymond Lemar, Wendy Curtis, Claudia Canales, and Jennifer Savage; Photography, Sara Gagnon, and Ashley Soule; Ceramics, Sara Gagnon, and Lindsay Benner; French, Justin Zang; Spanish, Jonathan James, and Caleb Bonyun; Perfect Attendance, Justin Zang, (four years), and Leah Benner (three years) William Speed (one year); Calculus (Introductory) Leah Benner; A.P. Calculus, Leah Benner, Caleb Bonyun, Lucas McConnell, and Kate Riser.

Future Business Leaders of America, Wendy Curtis, Chris Ezzell, Amanda Gann, Mike Greenleaf, Sean Maguire, Letitia Munson, Kyle Pendleton, Bill Speed and Justin Zang.

Yearbook, Nicole Babine, Kristy Chubbuck, Sara Gagnon, Janelle Haskelle, Shandel Sauvie, Jennifer Savage, Evangeline Tegerero, and Jacqueline Yatsko, and Justin Zang; American History, Claudia Canales, and Hitomi Kasai.