The National Education Association wants to see states and school districts make serious changes under the Every Student Succeeds Act, not just put in a few tweaks to the accountability plans that were already on the books under the No Child Left Behind Act and its waivers.
The union is especially concerned about places where leaders 鈥渂elieve that not much change needs to happen,鈥� said Donna Harris-Aikens, the union鈥檚 director of policy and practice in a call with reporters Thursday.
Some states, she said, might be 鈥渓ooking to add one or two more things to their state plans and calling it done. Our members are working so hard to make sure that鈥檚 not the case and not happening. 鈥�
NEA hasn鈥檛 written off any state yet, she added. "[We] presume at this point that every state is still an opportunity,鈥� because every state must submit a plan by next summer for implementing the law to the U.S. Department of Education, which will be under new management starting in January.
Once states get their plans approved, it could be tough to make changes, said Lily Eskelsen Garc铆a, the president of the NEA.
鈥淚t鈥檚 very hard to undo something that鈥檚 been done poorly,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why we鈥檙e pulling out all the stops on this.鈥�
The NEA has model legislation, regulations, and even school board resolutions for its affiliates to promote in their states. It鈥檚 also held webinars for its members and will now be holding them for the general public.
California Dreamin鈥�
The union held up a couple of examples of places that its leaders see as embracing ESSA鈥檚 potential, including California, which is developing an accountability system driven in large part by local districts.
The state鈥檚 approach includes a 鈥渄ashboard,鈥� which is aimed at giving parents and the public a sense of how a school is doing on a bunch of different measures鈥攆rom school climate to college readiness鈥攂ut has no overall score for a school.
It鈥檚 not clear if California鈥檚 proposed system will pass muster with the department, . But the state鈥檚 proposal doesn鈥檛 include plans for a summative score Eric Heins, the California Teacher Association president, said that would only 鈥渄rive up housing prices.鈥�
The NEA also spotlighted Mesa, Colo., which is seeking flexibility to create its own formative and summative assessments, possibly through a pilot program in ESSA, according to Heather O鈥橞rien, the president of the Mesa Valley Education Association.
And the union is dismayed that not every state seems to be taking seriously the law鈥檚 requirements to reach out to educators when crafting their plans, Harris-Aikens said. She singled out Alabama as one place where educators haven鈥檛 been given a prominent seat at the table.