Every Student Succeeds Act Implementation Begins

States have begun the process of implementing the Every Student Succeeds Act (2015, ESSA). Many of their efforts to date include setting up labyrinth-like input methods that involve a wide variety of parties. Task forces, town halls, and meetings filled with parents, educators, politicians, and academic leaders will debate the best approaches to implement ESSA and provide concrete recommendations by spring 2017.

The new law focuses on the federal government’s relinquishing of controls created by the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB, 2002). No longer will nation-wide standardized testing be a part of the Department of Education’s mandates. Instead, states will be responsible for the creation of their own guidelines.

The core responsibilities for each state’s ESSA implementation include proficiency on tests, English-language proficiency, and graduation rates. There are intervention mandates for the lowest performing schools that rank in the bottom 5% for each state.

Criticism

The lack of federal oversight hasn’t come with all fanfare. US News and World Report offered a scathing criticism questioning the law’s ability to protect disadvantaged students. Says U.S. News & World Report, “ESSA, like NCLB, emphasizes K-12 accountability over root causes of educational inequality. And the new law flies against history’s lesson that federal oversight is a good thing for vulnerable children.”

The Atlantic also had its misgivings, not in favor of more federal oversight, but in ESSA’s lack of a solution to help children. “…For all the breathless hype, the legislation seems unlikely to produce many changes that are actually visible on the ground,” said The Atlantic’s Alia Wong.

Still the one size fits all approach of NCLB will soon be gone. With the new state driven ESSA, standards could vary greatly from state to state. The law still holds great potential for forward thinking states to empower teachers to engage students in a more pedagogical focus, rather than to punish them for poor test performance. And with an emphasis on professional development and training, ESSA can encourage states to invest in teacher development and mentoring.

The real judgment and outcome of ESSA will depend on the state that teachers and students live in. What do you think about the new law and how your state will implement it?