MEDIA
CONTACT: Matt Cardoza, GaDOE Communications Office, (404) 541-7358, mcardoza@gadoe.org
June 23, 2015 – Statement from Superintendent Woods on the
renewal of Georgia's ESEA Flexibility Waiver:
“I am pleased that
Georgia was granted continued flexibility from the overly prescriptive and
one-size-fits-all AYP system,” State School Superintendent Richard Woods said.
“However, I am still hopeful that Congress will reauthorize the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act so Georgia and other states have more flexibility and
autonomy over accountability measures for schools. States know what works to
improve education better than the federal government."
Superintendent
Woods expressed his intentions to continue evaluating the waiver.
“This extension
provided the needed time to review the details of the waiver request as I work
to ensure the alignment of all of Georgia's major
education initiatives. As I continue to review the alignment of our work, I
plan to reevaluate our ESEA flexibility waiver after a year.”
Highlights of the
waiver include:
• Identification
and exit criteria for Priority and Focus Schools now fully align to the College
and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI), making the system more transparent
to schools, parents and the public.
• Flexibility under
this waiver allows us to be held accountable for the work being done by our
schools to educate students, but from a more strategic vantage than the overly
prescriptive/one size fits all AYP system.
• Flexibility under
this waiver protects and expands Georgia’s right to make changes to and develop
its own standards.
Superintendent
Woods also expressed his confidence that the U.S. Department of Education will
approve an amendment concerning newly arrived English Language learners who
have received limited – if any – instruction in their home countries.
“Research has
proven that it takes several years to gain the English skills necessary to
begin to engage with academic content effectively. Our amendment request takes
a more realistic approach to assess English Language learners’ abilities than
the current requirement of showing proficiency the first time they take the
test (which takes place, for many newly arrived EL students, the second year
they are in school in the United States).”
More information:
Link
to waiver submission