New Responsibilities and Opportunities

In this issue:  State education policy grows more important | MCAS 2.0 and a new resource for parents | Looking ahead

As 2015 comes to a close, we want to thank you – our readers, supporters, partners and friends – for all you do to help us ensure our education system keeps pace with the demands of a rapidly changing economy and society.

We wish all of you a joyous and peaceful holiday season!

State education policy grows more important

A significant education milestone was reached on December 10^th with President Obama’s signing of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the long overdue reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, better known as No Child Left Behind (NCLB).

Calling the bipartisan agreement a “Christmas miracle,” the President acknowledged that the NCLB goals for high standards and accountability to close achievement gaps were “the right ones.” He agreed with most observers, however, that it was time to fix what wasn’t working. Generally, the key principles of NCLB for measuring results were retained while the law takes a less prescriptive approach concerning how goals will be reached.

Under ESSA, states will have much greater responsibility, and opportunity, to improve K-12 education systems. This has implications for employers who must ensure that the state’s public schools are preparing ALL students for a workforce that demands a high level of knowledge and skills. MBAE is ready and committed to representing employers and to heeding the words President Obama said when he signed ESSA:

“We’re going to have to have our young people master not just the basics but also become critical thinkers and creative problem solvers. And our competitive advantage depends on whether our kids are prepared to seize the opportunities for tomorrow. So we need to build on the momentum that has already been established. We’ve got to learn what works and do more of that, and we’ve got to get rid of the stuff that doesn’t work.”

We look forward to working with you in the coming year to make sure the Every Student Succeeds Act brings excellence, opportunity and innovation to Massachusetts schools so every student really does succeed!

Read more on the Mass Ed Forum blog.

MCAS 2.0 and a new resource for parents

Over the next year MBAE will be closely following and weighing in on the development of MCAS 2.0, a new testing system for Massachusetts.

We’ll be advocating for the design principles that were the basis for our support for PARCC:

• Honest, valid measures of whether a student is on track for college work without the need for remediation;
• Assessment of applied knowledge and skills needed to be ready to meet workforce expectations;
• Computer generated test that advances equity in digital literacy and supports effective use of technology for instruction and learning; and
• Cost-effective assessment that reflects great teaching and learning, not test preparation.

While the state works on test development, parents have received score reports for children who took PARCC last year. A free, online tool – GreatKids Massachusetts Test Guide for Parents – organized by grade and subject can help parents use these test scores to support their kids at home.

The Guide was developed by the national nonprofit GreatSchools, in collaboration with leading educators and state assessment designers. It provides specific, actionable information for parents, customized to the grade level of their children and is available in English and Spanish for grades 3-8. To learn more, and use the guide, visit www.massachusettstestguide.org.

Looking ahead

We need your help! The business community must be deeply involved in state education policy and action to realize the potential of the ESSA and new assessment systems. Employers will have to take a stand and raise their voice when high standards are threatened or efforts are made to weaken the gains Massachusetts has made over the past two decades.

MBAE is gearing up to fight the proposed “End Common Core” ballot question. We cannot afford to abandon the standards teachers overwhelmingly support and have been implementing over the past five years. We will also continue to advocate for the New Opportunity to Lead agenda to modernize our education system. This includes providing all children access to high quality learning by raising the charter school cap and expanding school autonomy that charters have successfully employed and that has proven critical for improving low performing schools. Join us!