The new law says that students are not judged by their standardized testing scores but by their overall performance in school. Well, the new act certainly passed with bipartisan support, meaning at least that many members of Congress and their constituents are excited to usher in a new era. “We still need changes in state law”, says Pat Barber, President of the Manatee Education Association, Teacher’s Union.
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The Every Student Succeeds Act was signed by President Obama on Thursday.
Despite the revisions to NCLB, children in grades 3 through 8 will still be required to take an annual reading and math test. High school students would have to take one test as well.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow is anticipating a brighter future for K-12 education in Wyoming, thanks to the passage of the federal Every Student Succeeds Act.
Heinrich also included provisions to strengthen programs to better assess the needs of English learners after they have tested proficient in English and no longer need acquisition assistance.
ESSA shifts much of the oversight and responsibility for schools from the federal government to the state – including how accountability is determined and how to define and improve low performing schools.
“I think of any state that’s thrilled about the passage of this law, its South Dakota because…they were going to take our waiver away”, South Dakota Secretary of Education Melody Schopp said.
The new law will let teachers find each student’s strengths and weaknesses and what works for them to succeed. “And then various states had their various teacher certification requirements at the same time, so it was kind’ve a double target for folks to shoot at”.
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“We know the early years can make a huge difference in a child’s life, so this law lays the foundation to expand access to high-quality preschools”, President Obama said.
