State Senator Joseph Griffo is calling upon the U.S. Secretary of Education to reconsider a proposed federal regulation that would require states to punish school districts that have too many students opt out of standardized tests.
Senator Griffo is also encouraging the public to submit comments online concerning the proposed regulation, before theAug. 1 deadline.
In a letter to Secretary John B. King Jr. of the U.S. Department of Education, Senator Griffo, R-Rome, described the proposed regulation as “disconcerting.” This move, Senator Griffo states, appears to be contradictory at a time when the new Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) suggested that the federal government was finally returning more control to states and local school districts over their education policies.
While the ESSA is seeking a 95 percent participation rate on standardized tests, Senator Griffo believes that Secretary King is pushing the law too far by requiring states to develop a mechanism through which school districts will be penalized if more than 5 percent of their students fail to take any of these annual assessments.
“When the Every Student Succeeds Act was signed into law, many education stakeholders believed that this was the moment when the federal government was finally going to empower states and, more importantly, local school districts to govern their own education systems,” Senator Griffo’s letter reads. “However, this proposed regulation seems to indicate that the federal government has no interest in getting out of the business of telling states, school districts, parents and their children what to do.”
Senator Griffo added, “This proposed regulation seems to fly in the face of the law’s intent.”
The public has also been invited to comment on this proposed regulation, and Senator Griffo is encouraging people to share their thoughts at the following link:
https://www.regulations.gov/
To submit an online comment, individuals can click on the “Comment Now!” button in the upper right corner of the website. All comments must be received by the deadline of Monday, August 1, 2016.
In the New York State Senate, Senator Griffo has firmly believed in a parent’s right and choice to opt their children out of taking standardized assessments. In fact, Senator Griffo has co-sponsored bipartisan legislation – known as the Common Core Parental Refusal Act, S4161A – that would further empower parents to opt out their children by requiring school districts to notify parents of this right.
In supporting parental choice to opt out, Senator Griffo believes school districts should not be subjected to punishments by the federal government if parents choose to exercise this right. And through ESSA, the federal government has signaled to states and localities that it was going to ease up on the burdensome requirements imposed through No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top.
It is now Senator Griffo’s hope that the U.S. Education Secretary will honor the spirit of the federal ESSA law that was enacted on behalf of our children, parents, teachers and other education stakeholders, and allow local communities to determine what’s best for their students.
A copy of the text in Senator Griffo’s letter to Secretary King has been included below, as well as an attached PDF of the letter:
July 15, 2016
The Honorable John B. King, Jr.
Secretary
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Ave, SW
Washington, DC 20202
Dear Secretary King,
Your proposed regulation §200.15 is disconcerting, to say the least. When the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was signed into law, many education stakeholders believed that this was the moment when the federal government was finally going to empower states and, more importantly, local school districts to govern their own education systems. However, this proposed regulation seems to indicate that the federal government has no interest in getting out of the business of telling states, school districts, parents and their children what to do.
Requiring states to develop a system to punish school districts by assigning a lower summative rating due to a lower than 95% participation rate on standardized assessments is not empowering states and districts. This is instead the federal government requiring states to do something that the federal government wants, not what states and its school districts feel is the right approach to education. This proposed regulation seems to fly in the face of the law’s intent.
Senator Lamar Alexander, author of the legislation in his house, stated at the bill’s passage: “The huge bipartisan vote in both the Senate and the House reverses the trend toward a national school board and makes clear that, in the future, the path to higher standards, better teaching and real accountability will be through states, communities and classrooms and not Washington, D.C.” Proposed regulation §200.15 runs counter to this statement by allowing the federal government to impose its will on states, communities and classrooms.
It is my sincere hope that you will embrace the original intent of this law and truly allow states and school districts to determine what is best for their students. New York has witnessed first-hand the deficiencies of federal involvement in education through No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top. Any continuation of that type of involvement will only continue to disrupt our education system.
I look forward to your response regarding this very important matter.
Sincerely,
Joseph A. Griffo
Senator, 47th District