CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A state leader in education believes that the new “Every Child Succeeds Act” will have a positive impact on classrooms in the Mountain State by reducing federal mandates.
“I think it’s going to be good for West Virginia’s students,” said Christine Campbell, president of the West Virginia American Federation of Teachers. “I think that we have developed an evaluation system, standards, testing system that actually can work.”
The 1061-page legislation signed into law last week by President Obama replaces “No Child Left Behind” and received bipartisan support as a means of transferring educational decision-making powers back to the local level.
Campbell said on Monday’s “Talkline” that federal input is not necessarily a bad thing, as Washington D.C. provides states with funding.
Under the previous law, that funding was supposed to help identify struggling students, but she believes those students got lost in the shuffle when the government was looking everywhere at once.
“I think we lost sight of what that really means along the way,” she said. “Now, we have an opportunity for the state to develop their own plan based on our students’ needs and our teachers’ needs.”
After it’s passage, President Obama also praised the bill for creating educational opportunity for all students by:
-Holding all students to high academic standards that prepare them for success in college and careers.
-Ensuring accountability by guaranteeing that when students fall behind, states redirect resources into what works to help them and their schools improve, with a particular focus on the very lowest-performing schools, high schools with high dropout rates, and schools with achievement gaps.
-Providing more children access to high-quality preschool.
-Reducing the often onerous burden of testing on students and teachers, making sure that tests don’t crowd out teaching and learning, without sacrificing clear, annual information parents and educators need to make sure our children are learning.
The final point was of note to the AFT-West Virginia, as the state was already going beyond the mandate, leaving teachers little time to reach their own student achievement standards in favor of “teaching to the test.”
“We can stop testing every single grade, every single year with benchmarks and practice tests and test taking strategies,” Campbell said. “It’s just gotten out of hand for the students.”
If West Virginia takes the initiative provided in the new law, the major change students will notice will be fewer tests.
It will be up to everyone working on the local and state level to create a functioning system that works for its students rather than creating a new level of bureaucracy, according to Campbell.
“It’s an opportunity, but it’s not a home run unless the state really utilizes the resources on the ground, which are the teachers, and listens to what the students, what they’re saying.”
The full text of the “Every Child Succeeds Act” can be read here.