School Districts Call for Local Control & Reduction in Testing
Milford School District has joined other area districts that are members of the Greater Cincinnati School Advocacy Network (GCSAN) in voicing concern that state edicts continue to provide for extensive overreach in testing. More than 40 area school districts in GSCAN are sending a strong message to state legislators regarding implementation of the recent Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA): Let our teachers teach.
Currently, the federal testing requirements include reading and math in grades 3-8 and one high school test. The state of Ohio expands on those minimum requirements to include testing in reading, math, science and social studies in grades 5-8, and multiple end-of-course exams for high school.
“Collectively, we are sending the message to reduce testing in Ohio to the federal minimum requirements. We are asking our legislators to let our teachers teach; let our children learn; and give us back local control,” said Milford Superintendent, Nancy House.
The district wants to ensure our community’s voice is heard regarding Ohio’s implementation of ESSA. The Ohio Department of Education will be hosting several ESSA stakeholder meetings – with one in Cincinnati scheduled for 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 29. Click here to see full details for the event and to register.
ESSA is the federal education act that replaced No Child Left Behind. It builds on key areas of progress in recent years, made possible by the efforts of educators, communities, parents, and students across the country. In practice, ESSA was established in part to allow for more state-driven measures on student performance targets and school ratings, with state-developed identification and intervention for district accountability. To learn more about ESSA, click here.
