Washington State May Be Forced To Revive No Child Left Behind
As states face mounting criticism for rushing to grade teachers based on students' standardized test scores, they confront a crucial choice: Move ahead full-speed on teacher evaluations, or slow down to calm teachers and ensure permanent changes take root.
But for those who choose to slow down, there likely will be consequences -- including the resurrection of a law whose name stirs fear in teachers nationwide. Most recently, these tensions peaked in Washington state -- and the resolution will show other states whether U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan is serious about holding states to their promises.
Earlier this week, Republicans and Democrats in Washington's state legislature killed a bill that would have brought it into compliance with the federal government's requirements for escaping part of the No Child Left Behind Act. Unless the state takes other action, it may face No Child Left Behind's cumbersome requirements yet again.
Current Washington law says new teacher evaluations can rely on state standardized tests. The bill that had been under consideration would have instead required teacher evaluations to use state standardized testing data, instead of local tests. The bill failed with bipartisan opposition -- despite the U.S. Education Department's warning that failing to expand the use of standardized testing in teacher evaluations may cause the return of No Child Left Behind.
Congress so far has failed to rewrite No Child Left Behind -- the George W. Bush law