The challenging task of developing accountability plans in accordance with the Every Student Succeeds Act took center stage at the annual legislative conference of the National Association of State Boards of Education. The event featured workshops and a discussion about ESSA with U.S. Secretary of Education John B. King Jr. The new federal K-12 law, which will be fully implemented in the 2017-18 school year, grants states more flexibility in terms of school accountability systems and teacher evaluations, among other things. During the conference, King urged board members to incorporate social studies, the arts, and social-emotional skills into their accountability systems, emphasizing the importance of preparing students for the American dream.
As I mentioned last week, state boards are facing pressure from state legislatures, departments of education, and local school districts as authority over key aspects of K-12 policy is shifted from the federal to state level. According to Daniel Thatcher, a policy researcher at the National Conference of State Legislatures, at least 60 bills have been proposed this year that aim to either diminish or amend the powers of state boards. As part of the conference, NASBE released a paper in collaboration with the University of Kentucky’s Center for Innovation in Education, which reaffirmed the policy role of state boards and provided guidance on the types of questions board members should ask themselves, their departments, and educators across their states. The paper reveals that 31 state boards have authority over their state assessments and 45 possess constitutional or legislative authority over state standards. NASBE Executive Director Kristen Amundson stated during a session on boards reclaiming their power that "state legislatures have a very important job, and our job is to ensure that they stick to their own responsibilities."
Amundson and Gene Wilhoit, the executive director of the University of Kentucky’s Center for Innovation in Education, advised the board members to first address internal matters and lobby legislatures to maintain state boards’ control over state testing and standards. Wilhoit stressed the importance of taking charge of the conversation with legislatures. NASBE is recommending that board members ensure that their states consider the following questions when selecting a test: Who has authority over the state assessment system? What goals do you want your state test to achieve? How well does your state test align with state standards? Do the tests assess higher-order thinking skills? Are you adopting high-quality assessments? To whom and when will test results be reported? What level of flexibility does your state want to incorporate into its testing system? What is the capacity of schools and districts to administer the tests?