ALBANY – The state Education Department has released a revised schools accountability proposal that’s slated to be considered for adoption in September.
The latest version of the plan, released Monday, includes proposals to use out-of-school suspensions as a measure of school quality and student success beginning in 2018-19; to cut down math and English language arts testing requirements for third through eighth graders from three days to two (something the Board of Regents already has voted on); and to revise benchmarks for schools educating English language learners.
In a noteworthy sign of the political times, the plan was revised to more explicitly highlight concerns about the implementation of a new state law to raise the age of criminal responsibility to 18, and its impact on educational services as minors transition out of county jails and take courses in secure and non-secure detention facilities and other voluntary placement agencies. That law, which raises the age from 16 years old, was approved as part of the state budget in April.
The federal Every Student Succeeds Act serves as a guiding document for accountability statewide. States were authorized to come up with such accountability systems under eponymous congressional legislation approved last year to replace the No Child Left Behind Act.
The state Education Department produced the initial draft in May. The plan includes proposals to rate schools based on student performance science and social studies in addition to English and math; on five- and six-year graduation rates instead of just on four-year numbers; and on students’ “civic readiness,” in addition to existing college- or career-readiness benchmarks.
The standards would be used to score schools and identify those that require state intervention and improvement plans.
The draft plan now goes to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has 30 days to review it, make suggestions for inclusion in the final plan, and choose to sign or not sign it.
A Cuomo spokesman said the executive will review the draft.
he Board of Regents is set to take action on the plan in September. With that, education officials can send it on to the U.S. Department of Education for final approval, with implementation to follow.
“Through ESSA, New York is poised to take a more holistic approach to accountability that looks at multiple measures of school and student success,” Board of Regents Chancellor Betty Rosa said in a statement. “This approach allows us to continually evolve and adapt so we can ensure that our systems are culturally responsive and place an emphasis on educating the whole child.”
The revisions to the plan follow a public comment period that drew more than 800 written comments and 270 verbal responses.
A full breakdown of changes to the plan can be found here. The full plan is here.