Advocates for Spec. Ed., Gifted Weigh In on ESEA Rewrite - Education Week

Advocates for Spec. Ed., Gifted Weigh In on ESEA Rewrite - Education Week

May 5, 2015

Audience: Policy Makers, Educators, TAG & SPED Teachers and Families

Key Points: The United States Senate Education Committee on April 16 approved an amended and bolstered revision to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The next step is the Senate Floor. There would be an increased push for talented and gifted education funding and higher/better provisions for teacher support in TAG through federal funding of teacher training. It hopes to reduce the "excellence gap"
by bringing more underrepresented groups in to TAG resources. Special education would see more ability to track scores on standardized tests to better target specific need populations. It leaves a 1% cap on students who can take alternate assessments and be considered proficient. Sped advocates push more ability to use alternate assessments for sped students. There is an amendment that stipulates that states and districts cannot impede parents from having students opt out of state assessments.

Relevance: This article is germane to both general education and special education teachers. It could influence the testing of students, alternate assessments, funding in school and the increased training of teachers in both TAG and SPED arenas.