Dive Brief:
- The Tennessee senator, who helped push the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), has recommended the formation of state coalitions consisting of teachers, principals, superintendents, and legislators in order to craft a new state education plans.
- Stressing the need for better implementation than its predecessors, Alexander said the Senate education committee will hold at least six hearings this year on oversight and implementation of the new education law.
- He announced that ESSA is “placing accountability where it belongs—in the hands of states, parents and classroom teachers—[which will] inaugurate a new era of innovation and student achievement in our nation’s 100,000 public schools.”
Dive Insight:
It will be interesting to see how various states interpret accountability with ESSA's new flexibility and now that power has been returned from the federal government. One large change is in relation to how federal spending works under ESSA. It gives districts the ability to apply for waivers from states to use Title I money regardless of the percentage of low-income students, and some education experts have encouraged more creative uses of Title I and other funding.
In terms of accountability, one growing trend is the spreading use of tests like the ACT and SAT for assessment. In August 2015, Connecticut, New Hampshire and Arkansas scrapped Common Core-aligned state-designed tests in favor of college entrance exams for federal accountability measures. Since then, the trend has spread. Florida has proposed giving districts three options: using either the ACT, PSAT or NMSQT, or SAT for high school testing. Under ESSA, one single test is supposed to be used statewide.