Bipartisan deal on K-12 education law unveiled
WASHINGTON — The federal government would no longer label schools successful or failing based on student test scores under bipartisan legislation introduced Tuesday by two key senators.
The long-awaited rewrite of the federal K-12 education law is a compromise crafted by Sens.Lamar Alexander , R-Tenn., and Patty Murray, D-Wash.
It would replace the 2001 No Child Left Behind federal education law, which expired in 2007. The law had grown increasingly unpopular because of its reliance on high-stakes standardized testing and the strong role played by the federal government.
Alexander and Murray scheduled a vote on their bill for April 14 in the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.
"Basically, our agreement continues important measurements of the academic progress of students but restores to states, local school districts, teachers, and parents the responsibility for deciding what to do about improving student achievement," said Alexander, the committee's chairman. "This should produce fewer and more appropriate tests. It is the most effective way to advance higher standards and better teaching in our 100,000 public schools."
Murray, the committee's top Democrat, said the proposal would improve state and local control over how schools are assessed without totally eliminating Washington's role in education.
"While there is still work to be done, this agreement is a strong step in the right direction that helps students, educators, and schools, gives states and districts more flexibility while maintaining strong federal guardrails, and helps make sure all students get the opportunity to learn, no matter where they live, how they learn, or how much money their parents make," Murray said.
The bipartisan agreement offers a contrast to a House education bill written by Republicans. Democrats and the White House oppose it partly because it would allow federal dollars to be redirected away from poorer school districts.
The Alexander-Murray bill does not include that provision, but Alexander originally supported letting Title I money follow students from one school to any other school, so it could be offered later as an amendment.
The Senate compromise bill does contain other elements geared toward school choice. Those include new competitive grants for charter schools and incentives for states to authorize more charter schools.
The compromise would maintain the current regimen of reading, math and science tests between grades 3 and 12, but it would let states decide how to use those test scores for accountability purposes.
Alexander, in particular, was adamant about preventing the federal government from setting national academic standards, or making federal funds dependent on acceptance of certain standards.Bipartisan deal on K-12 education law unveiled:
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