New Law That Evaluates Schools Gives More Importance to Student Growth

New law that evaluates schools gives more importance to student growth

ByAssociated Press, adapted by Newsela staff04.19.17 Word Count765

Former President Barack Obama met students working in a biomedical sciences classroom at Bladensburg High School in Bladensburg, Maryland, April 7, 2014. Now, state lawmakers plan to implement Obama's Every Student Succeeds Act. Photo by: Pete Souza/White House

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The government is looking at new ways to evaluate schools. How often do students miss school? Are they ready for college? Are they physically fit? Is their school a welcoming place?

State lawmakers are beginning to show the national government some new ways of looking at how well their schools are doing. The measures will do more than rely on standards such as test scores.

The plans are required under a federal education law. It is called the Every Student Succeeds Act. It was signed by former President Barack Obama in 2015 and takes effect in the coming school year.

Under the new law, states are focusing more on academic growth. They will look at more than just whether students have achieved a certain level in reading and math. They will also see whether students have improved over time.

Assessing A School's Success

Mike Petrilli is president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute. The group says its mission is topromote educational excellence for every child in America. Petrilli saidthe law brings big change from the No Child Left Behind Act, the previous education law. That law was signed by former President George W. Bush. Petrilli says Obama's law "will be a fairer way to measure school quality."

The new law gave states some choices in how they could measure their schools.Obama's government did give states some rules to follow. Now, lawmakers in Congress have changed and decided to get rid of some of the key guidelines. While most experts praised the new law, some think that removing these guidelines could bring difficulty. They fear that some states may overlook groups of students who need more support, such as students of color, students with disabilities and English-language learners.

So far, nine states and the District of Columbia have submitted their plans to the national Education Department for review, and seven states are completing them. The remaining states will submit their plans in September. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos will decide whether to accept or decline them. DeVos was picked for education secretary by President Donald Trump. She has said her goal is state and local flexibility in education. She might use the process to make it easier to pass school choice laws.

Voucher System Is Being Considered

School choice might include a voucher system. These coupons allow parents to use government money to send their students to private schools and home schools in addition to public schools. Normally, this government money would only be given to public schools.

When checking school quality, states are experimenting with new indicators. Almost all of the early states have adopted ongoing absenteeism as a key measure. It countshow many students miss more than 10 percent of the school year.

Connecticut and Delaware also will track college preparation. They will look at whether high school students are taking advanced classes and how well they do on college admission tests like the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT).

Tennessee wants to give every public school in the state a grade from A to F.Candice McQueen is theState Education Commissioner. She says it would give parents better information about schools. The grade will consider such things as how well English language learners are doing and whether disabled students are being served. The schools will also be graded on absence rates and if students are ready for college or the military. Graduation rates also will count.

Nevada plans to check test scores, English language skills and graduation rates.

How Well Are High Schools Preparing Students For College?

In New Mexico, the state will track the need for additional tutoring in college and link it to high schools where the students studied. The state also will look at how students do in science.

Vermont and Connecticut want to make physical fitness another sign of school quality.Connecticut also believes that whether art classes are offered should be another measure.Illinois wants to conduct surveys asking whether children feel they are in a safe and welcoming place.

States are involving parents, teachers and community members in the plans.

Marc Magee is chief executive officer of 50Can, an education nonprofit group. He expressed concern. He said that if everyone does not do their part, we could go back to a time "where certain populations of students become invisible inside schools even if they are struggling."

Lindsey Tepe is an education law expert. She said there are so many differences in how states want to examine their schools that national comparisons could be difficult. "There isn't really a recipe to follow," said Tepe.

Quiz

Which detail would be MOST important to include in a summary of the article?
Tennessee's state education commissioner plans to give schools a grade from A to F.
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos wants local flexibility in education decision-making.
The No Child Left Behind Act was signed into law by former President George W. Bush.
The Every Student Succeeds Act gives states choices on how they grade schools.
What is the summary of the introduction [paragraphs 1-4]?
To move beyond using just test scores to evaluate schools, a new federal law is focusing more on student growth and achievement.
States are required to develop plans that determine how often students miss school, if they are ready for college, and if their schools are welcoming.
The Every Student Succeeds Act is a federal education law signed by former President Barack Obama in 2015.
Because state lawmakers are showing the national government new ways to see how schools are doing, a new federal law will take effect next school year.
Who would be MOST likely to agree with the idea that removing key guidelines from the Every Student Succeeds Act could pose some problems?
Mike Petrilli
Betsy DeVos
Candice McQueen
Marc Magee
The author MAINLY explains that states have a choice in how they measure schools by:
mentioning the role of parents, teachers and community members
describing the voucher system adopted by some states
discussing what specific states have included in their plans
highlighting that Betsy DeVos has the power to accept or decline individual plans
Short Answer: On the left page, create an argument for how your school deserves to be rated. Include all of OREOS in your argument, as well as specific details from the article to support your answer.