Every Student Succeeds Act Replaces the No Child Left Behind Act

BY MARIEL PADILLA | Miami University Journalism Student

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) will fully replace the No Child Left Behind Act in Ohio at the onset of the 2017-2018 school year.

The 2016-2017 academic year is a transition period that has caused dissatisfaction among local educators.

In 2015, President Obama signed the ESSA with support from both political parties. The bill shifted educational oversight from the federal level to the state and local officials. The hope was to enforce less standardized regulations in the education system, considering each child’s circumstances.

What is the ESSA?
According to the Ohio Department of Education’s website, the ESSA “gives states additional flexibility and encourages innovation, while at the same time holds them accountable for results.”

States are accountable for student learning. The state creates standards that monitor educational assessments, accountability measures, school improvement progress, educator effectiveness and student support.

“I believe the federal government realized that it had exceeded its role in state and local education policy,'' Hamilton City School District’s superintendent Tony Orr said. "As a result, we now have ESSA, allowing greater control of education by Ohio and the other states.”

The new policy prohibits any U.S. Secretary of Education from requiring states to adopt any additional standards or assessments.

Ohio’s Education Requirements
ESSA was intended to increase flexibility in regulation among public schools at the local level. But, it’s essentially going to be the same as NCLB in Ohio, said Talawanda School District’s superintendent Kelly Spivey.

“Ohio has virtually disregarded the intent of ESSA and has actually increased the amount of high stakes state testing and graduation requirements,” Orr said. “The ODE and the State Board of Education have held onto the idea that standardized testing is the holy grail of improving student achievement.”

But standardized test scores do not reflect that. In the past 20 years, ACT, SAT, and PISA scores have remained static or even declined in Ohio.

The state is measuring more student information than the federal law requires, Spivey said. The categories include: achievement, progress, gap closing, graduation rate, K-3 literacy, and preparedness for success. Ohio has three additional, required tests in social studies and science areas.

“These extra categories put undue costs on school districts and it’s also a burden when there’s far bigger issues going on,” Spivey said. “If 50 percent of Ohio learners are on free or reduced lunch, then why are we putting extra measures on them?”

Community Input
The ODE started getting local input in March 2016. They sent out a survey that asked Ohioans to voice their opinion on the state’s interpretation of the ESSA. Nearly 11,000 people responded.

“People are tired. There’s a fatigue with the changing target and all the testing coming about,” Spivey said.

This past summer, there were 10 regional meetings throughout the state, each with between 150-250 attendees, including educators and parents. Spivey attended one such forum in Dayton.

“It was a pretty good turnout for educational issues,” Spivey said, “and I think it tells you that every region is concerned about where Ohio is going on this subject matter.”

In September, the Greater Cincinnati School Advocacy Network wrote the state superintendent to help them plead with Ohio legislators and the ODE to require less assessments. The network asked for more local control, wanting teachers to have the ability to make decisions regarding their students.

Spivey said legislators should seek input from practitioners before legislation is created.

Orr put it this way:

“Ultimately we need to let our boards and administrators lead, let our teachers teach, and let our students learn without the interference of an overreaching, disconnected state government.”

Photo: A student’s desk with an apple sitting on top, which represents the millions of children and adolescents who experience the United States public education system. -- Photo by JJ Thompson; Unsplash.com