It’s a substantial education overhaul, and at the signing ceremony, Obama called the fact that Republicans and Democrats agreed on a new plan – and actually worked together to get something done – a “Christmas miracle”.
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At the Colorado State Board of Education meeting, CDE staff presented the board with an overview of the Every Student Succeeds Act. It received overwhelming bipartisan support in the Senate with a vote of 85-12.
Mr. Obama said the “Every Student Succeeds Act” focuses on ensuring that students graduate from high school and are prepared for college and their careers.
The new law is the culmination of years of lobbying by the UFT, the national teachers unions and parent groups to replace the controversial Bush-era No Child Left Behind law of 2002. James Lankford says the measure would return significant control over school accountability and testing to the states.
The new legislation places more power in the hands of state governments.
Fischer says the old system puts too much emphasis and importance of standardized tests with overly severe consequences for schools that don’t make the required test levels.
In a statement after the bill signing, state superintendent Sherri Ybarra hailed ESSA as a “fresh start” for Idaho schools. It also allows local jurisdictions more influence over setting goals, crafting school ratings and creating remedial solutions for struggling schools. “And our children deserve better, which is why I can not support this bill”.
She said the law affirms that education is a civil right, “and it will fuel our own promising efforts in Minnesota to close achievement gaps and improve outcomes for all students, no matter where they live or what their economic circumstance”. But the legislation also encourages states to set caps on the amount of time students spend on testing.
Under the new act, schools will still have to test students in third through eighth grades and again in high school, but teachers have more flexibility when it comes to doing the testing. But the act gives states the freedom to choose how to evaluate teachers and how to hold schools accountable for students’ performance on these tests.
Since then, Common Core has become the center of intense criticism from parents, students, teachers, educational groups and even some politicians across the country.
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“The governor has shared a few times he wants us to move away from the test-taking culture”, he said.
