Under NCLB, schools’ academic progress and teacher performances were measured based on their students standardized testing scores. He called the bipartisan bill a Christmas miracle.
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Today, on a vote of 85-12, the U.S. Senate approved the bill, known as the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). “It’s kind of a challenge and I think they’re up to it”, Durbin says.
“Fourteen years after No Child Left Behind (NCLB) became law, I’m pleased that Congress has finally come together to make important reforms to this outdated legislation”, said Senator Coons. In the new law, students will still have to be tested, but there will be flexibility in how states and school boards will administer the tests.
States will now be responsible for designing their own measures of achievement – Alabama has implemented Plan 2020 that is created to increase the graduation rate – and there’s some risk that states won’t shoot high enough, but state intervention will be required for the lowest-performing schools and in schools with achievement gaps.
“If the federal framework is going to be more friendly to what you’re also doing to satisfy all of your state and legal requirements, that’s going to be a good thing for us”, said Young.
Lima City Schools Superintendent Jill Ackerman says local school officials believe the control should rest with local communities, but they also know this will be a challenge for educators as the transition into a new curriculum after adjusting into the No Child Left Behind Program for the past 13 years.
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President Obama signs a new measure saying “every child, regardless of race, income, or zip code, deserves a shot at a great education”.
