From WEA...
Wow! When was the last time you recall getting a pleasant surprise out of Washington D.C.? Earlier today, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said he will allow flexibility to delay the high-stakes testing consequences for up to two years. We think this is good news, but as many of us know, the devil is in the details. We are working to find out what those details are and will keep you posted as we learn more.
At first blush, we read this as meaning high school students' results on the SBAC won't affect graduation, but we still have state end-of-course exams in place. According to the state Superintendent of Public Instruction's Office, this doesn't affect the Adequate Yearly Progress letters being sent out now, but we will investigate more about if or how this policy change relates to our teacher evaluation program and ESEA waiver loss. Tomorrow, WEA President Kim Mead will be sending more information about those "AYP" failing schools letters along with information about how to talk with parents about them.
Stay tuned.