New Act Gives More Power To Local Districts In The Classroom

“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. The bill passed the senate by a vote of 85 to 12.

Balow explained that under No Child Left Behind schools were scored based on testing factors, specifically the percentage of students who got proficient scores on annual tests. Administrators say that will allow students to focus more on their work, keep them from getting so nervous during testing, and help them succeed in school.

Douglas Schools Superintendent Alan Kerr said, “Districts all over the country are in unique situations”.

“It really gives our state a little bit more control over the design of our education system and how it treats our schools, how it treats our teachers and most importantly how it treats our kids”.

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. “The ESSA aligns with the premise of Louisiana Believes trusting those closest to the students to make the best decisions for them.”, White says.

In a move that overturns President George W. Bush’s landmark No Child Left Behind Act, President Obama signed a new education bill into law on Thursday. When schools failed, it mandated a one-size-fits-all approach for struggling schools that ignored the unique needs of local communities. But the administration of testing will be controlled by the states and districts. “If we don’t get this right, the rest of what we do doesn’t matter much”.

“Classrooms will no longer be micromanaged by the U.S. Department of Education”, Kline said. “We have more work to do and more opportunities to deliver real results for the American people”. To what do you attribute the bipartisan support this bill has had?

The law also uncouples test scores from teacher evaluations. It served as an update of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965.