Obama's ESEA Blueprint Continues Emphasis on Assessment
Once again invoking the mantra of school reform, President Obama this weekend released his new "Blueprint" for reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), calling for the transformation of American K-12 education into a "world-class" system that will "ensure that every student graduates from high school well prepared for college and a career." But even before its presentation to Congress Monday, the Blueprint received scathing criticism from one major education group--the National Education Association (NEA), which has 3.2 million-members.Called "A Blueprint for Reform: The Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act," the document outlines several means for achieving college and career readiness, the narrowing of the achievement gap, and the fostering of new programs to improve student outcomes, though it falls far short of the previously released draft of the National Education Technology Plan (NETP), which advocated far more sweeping changes to American education, such as the elimination of age-based grades.
The Blueprint, by contrast, focuses largely on principles found in the previous reauthorization of ESEA, known as No Child Left Behind (NCLB), but with some shift in emphasis. For example, like NCLB, the Obama Blueprint focuses heavily on "accountability" for students, teachers, and institutions through testing, but its stated purpose is for "rewarding success" rather than punishing failure. It calls for supports to help foster and develop "highly effective" teachers. It looks to make use of formative assessments to "inform classroom instruction." And it demands a shift in the focus of high-stakes testing to include standards for college and career readiness.
Overall, the Blueprint focuses on five stated objectives or priorities:
- Producing college- and career-ready students through higher standards for all students, improved assessments, and a more broad academic program;
- Developing and fostering more effective students and principals by "recognizing, encouraging, and rewarding excellence"; making access to effective teachers for equitable; and improving preparation, recruitment, and support for teachers and principals;
- Fostering equality and opportunity for all students through "rigorous and fair accountability"; providing rewards for improving student outcomes; and supporting programs to help better meet
