After ten years at a standstill, education activists were thrilled on December 10, 2015 when the Every Student Succeeds Act was signed into law. The new law replaces No Child Left Behind, the current legislation in place that holds students and teachers captive to standardized testing. The intention of the law was the right one; find a way for students to be held accountable on a federal level. The standardized test ultimately fell short.
Anyone who has graduated from high school knows that the required testing is nowhere near an accurate reflection of what one learns in school. Therefore for one test to be deemed an accurate reflection of what we learn, let alone be the fate of our teachers employment status is unfair.
The pressure to do well on NCLB led to an insurmountable pressure on teachers and students. Class time revolves around preparing for the standardized test because teachers have to save their jobs and students need to stay in school and get into college. ESSA works to clear up some of the loopholes that this testing requirement created.
First and foremost, the law gives the power to the states, local districts, and most importantly, the teachers! Nobody knows better than them what goes on in the classroom, and how to help the students succeed. Within ESSA, the states decide what to do about troubled schools. Then, they develop their own methods for judging school quality. This gives more leeway to evaluate children beyond a testing lens. It has been proven that children learn differently. Through NCLB students that learn at slower pace or would benefit from different methods are put at a disadvantage by being forced to learn one way. ESSA gives states an opportunity to help these children.
Likewise, states will decide how to weigh test scores and evaluate teachers. States are still required to test annually in math and reading for grades 3-8, and once in high school. They then report the scores according to race, income, ethnicity, disability, and English-language learners. These tests are not a deciding factor, but they still act as one evaluator on the federal level. Each state then sets their goals and their plans as stated above, and then reports them to the Department of Education.
The Department of Education’s involvement, however is severely diminished. They simply serve as the final “yes” or “no” in a rigorous process drawn out by individual states.
The bill passed with strong bipartisan support. Giving the states control over their school districts is an opportunity to reform education. Teachers and administrators have an opportunity to get to know their students’ strengths and weaknesses and make a difference for them.
This is not the end for education, though. It is not even close. It is a strong step forward, and needs to be the first of many. Without strong students, there will be no strong jobs. It all starts when one kid gets inspired in a classroom.
