ACSA has submitted comments and recommendations to members of Congress regarding the proposed reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act/No Child Left Behind.

While many of ACSA’s recommendations were adopted into the ESEA/NCLB Reauthorization Discussion Draft, there are still several concerns, such as ensuring flexibility.

“Overall, the amendments and reforms reflected in the draft are very encouraging. While we remain concerned with some of the details and prescriptive language, it is obvious the House Committee leadership has really taken into account the concerns and recommendations of the education community,” wrote ACSA Legislative Advocate Sherry Skelly Griffith in a letter to Congressmen George Miller, Howard “Buck” McKeon, Dale Kildee and Michael Castle.

One of the most important proposed reforms in the draft is the recognition that all student academic achievement growth should be recognized and acknowledged in an accountability system. Recognizing growth at all levels – from far below basic to basic to proficient to advanced – is crucial to student success.

“Only counting those at the ‘proficiency’ bar diminishes the tremendous work of students and teachers working daily to make progress no matter where a student starts,” Griffith wrote.

Another highlight is the requirement that as a condition of receiving Title 1 funds, states must have in place within the next four years a longitudinal data system. Best of all, the draft allocates funding to do just that.

“We are also very pleased to see the requirement that states must have a longitudinal data system and you have included a funding line item for this purpose,” Griffith wrote.

Other highlights include the addition of capacity limitations as an exception to school choice; extending the length of time to trigger Program Improvement from two to three years of not making Adequate Yearly Progress; allowing multiple assessments beyond English language arts and math; and counting English learners and special education students in their respective subgroups for three years after redesignation.

Recommendations to the draft include defining the performance level descriptor “basic” in addition to “proficient” and “advanced”; not penalizing schools or districts when parents opt their children out of assessments and the participation rate drops below 95 percent in states that legally allow parents to do so; allowing students with disabilities who use reasonable modifications to be counted under NCLB; and requiring Supplemental Educational Providers to have expertise to work with English learners and students with disabilities.

Other notable inclusions in the draft include a three-year “trajectory” for bringing all children up to the proficient level, beyond the 2013-14 mark; changing “Program Improvement” to “School Improvement”; and the development of a two-tiered system, consisting of “Priority Schools” and “High Priority Schools,” depending on the number of triggers.

Griffith said ACSA remains cautiously optimistic about the reauthorization, but notes that the proposal may change over time. ACSA will work diligently to ensure the law isn’t overly prescriptive and guarantees flexibility.

Most importantly, ACSA will work to ensure the reauthorized law allows the use of growth models. “This is just the first draft, and things could change drastically in the course of the next few weeks,” Griffith said. “We will remain optimistic; however, we will also remain vigilant that the reauthorization will focus on recognizing student growth over time.”

To view the discussion draft in its entirety, visit the House Committee on Education and Labor at http://edworkforce.house.gov.