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ESEA rewrite on track for Congressional action

Dec 02, 2015

A rewrite of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) is coming closer to being a reality with the release of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). It represents a bipartisan agreement between the House and the Senate. The U.S. House is expected to vote on it today, with the Senate following next week. The bill should reach President Obama's desk by the end of the year and he is expected to sign it.

This rewrite of ESEA is an improvement over the current law, giving states much more discretion in setting goals, in deciding what to hold schools and districts accountable for, and in determining how to intervene in low-performing schools. While test scores still remain a part of state accountability systems, states will have to incorporate other factors that impact student achievement. 

In one of the most dramatic changes, the federal government will have no role in teacher evaluations, and states would have greater flexibility in using student outcomes in evaluations. And in this new version, the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) "highly qualified teacher" requirement would be gone.  Read More