House passes Every Student Succeeds Act
U.S. Rep. Keith Rothfus broke ranks from most Republicans and his Southwest Pennsylvania colleagues when he voted against a bill Wednesday that replaces the much maligned No Child Left Behind Act by overhauling how American students and schools are evaluated.
While U.S. Rep. Tim Murphy, R-Upper St. Clair Township, Allegheny County, and U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Hollidaysburg, voted for the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESEA), Rothfus, R-Sewickley, Allegheny County, opposed the measure that easily passed 359-64.
“I had concerns with the previous House version of this bill because it did not provide complete flexibility for states and local school districts to opt out of federal mandates,” Rothfus said. “Those concerns were not addressed in this legislation.”
Rothfus’ comments were echoed by other conservative members who voted against the ESEA because they thought it did not diminish the federal government’s authority enough in testing and accountability.
“Although this legislation appropriately scraps the misguided, one-size-fits-all ‘adequate yearly progress’ mandates, it still requires states to seek approval from Washington, D.C., on the accountability measures it will adopt,” Rothfus said. “That should not be the business of Washington, D.C.”
Murphy said judging students and schools based on test results at a “single point in time” never made sense under No Child Left Behind, approved in 2002 under former Republican President George W. Bush. The resulting data, usually provided a year later, was “not reliable, not valid and not helpful for students or teachers,” he said.
The concept of No Child Left Behind was good, Murphy said, but its strict requirements and heavy emphasis on testing “wasn’t workable.” States and school districts will now have more flexibility in evaluating students and processing the data quicker, he said.
“The responsibility is back where it should be; on the states,” Murphy said.
Shuster said the ESEA eliminates 50 “ineffective and duplicative programs” and repeals the federally imposed adequate yearly progress, or AYP, mandate. He said it also prohibits the Obama administration from forcing states, such as Pennsylvania, to adopt Common Core standards, which have been widely criticized by educators and parents.
“Reforming our education system was necessary and I am glad that we will be sending a bill to the president’s desk that makes conservative reforms like rejecting Common Core and one-size-fits-all testing,” Shuster said.
The White House released a statement praising the House passage of the ESEA, saying it fixes the failures of No Child Left Behind while maintaining “high academic standards” for students.
The National Education Association, the nation’s largest teachers union, also supported the bill. The ESEA now goes to the Senate for consideration.