The bill reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the chief federal law addressing K-12 education, and reforms numerous broken policies from No Child Left Behind, the previous version of the bill.
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President Barack Obama tagged it a “Christmas Miracle”, due to its overwhelming bipartisan support.
It does seem as though Every Student Succeeds will continue to flag underperforming schools, such as those with high dropout rates or where a certain section of the student population is struggling. But they could weigh factors other than test scores and student performance – such as teacher engagement – to determine whether schools are meeting standards. But, the law passed Congress with wide bi-partisan support.
Cook-Robinson said the new legislation puts the federal government in a role of supporting and strengthening education, and gives control back to states.
The new law won praise from Minnesota Education Commissioner Brenda Casselius. According to Politico, fellow senators and presidential hopefuls Marco Rubio and Bernie Sanders didn’t vote either; Rand Paul, who also is still running for president, voted against it. She plans on looking towards teachers, administrators and educators when deciding on what shape the new state standards will take. It allows states to set their own goals and strategies and legally bars the USA education secretary from influencing state decisions.
If students aren’t tested and their results can’t be compared, parents can’t hold schools and states accountable. But he said that will have no bearing in Vermont, which has refused to apply for the federal waivers under NCLB, which tied test scores to teacher evaluations.
“The risk is by giving it back to the state, many states will fall back in that same train of thought where they don’t have to worry about having high standards or holding all those students to the same expectations”, Scott said.
While Pres. George W. Bush perhaps had good intentions with No Child Left Behind, it soon became a bloated, bureaucratic program.
“They’ve said, ‘States – you decide what it takes for a teacher to be certified and in a classroom.’ And in a state like ours, where we’ve got a thousand teacher shortage, we need that flexibility”, Owens said.
Earlier this year, Michigan students took the Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress, a new assessment to measure their grasp of core subjects.
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Associate Superintendent YUHSD, Jamie Sheldahl said, “Local school boards will have greater input into how the new law is implemented”.
