Miller's NCLB Presser

California Rep. George Miller, Chairman of the House Ed Labor Committee and one of four original co-authors of the No Child Left Behind Act, held a press conference today at the National Press Club in Washington DC to announce in broad terms the changes he has planned for the landmark 2002 education law. In his speech and afterwards in response to reporters' questions, Miller indicated that he still hoped that both his committee and the full House will pass a reauthorization bill by the end of September. Sources familiar with the process suggested that Miller will introduce his legislation the second full week of September. NCLB will "expire" in September, although if no action is taken a one-year extension automatically carries the law through to the next year. After that, legislators may sustain the law by appropriating money for its programs. Ranking Member Buck McKeon said in release emailed from his committee office that although he was "disappointed in the pace of negotiations... the content of the legislation is far more important than the calendar."

Miller at once called for both "serious changes" and maintenance of the "integrity of the law through accountability". Recent support for the law from key civil rights groups and advocates for learning-disabled students is said to have impressed Miller and McKeon, who are engaged in what both called a "bipartisan process."

Miller outlined a handful of changes to the law:

• Allow states to use growth models to track individual student learning over time;
• Differentiated consequences "appropriate to the needs" of schools who fail to meet AYP by larger or smaller margins;
• Allow the use of multiple measures in determining AYP so that other statistics, such as high school graduation rates, can be included in determinations of AYP for schools that are "close" to succeeding on the standardized tests in reading or math;
• Provide for performance pay for teachers and principals "based on fair and proven models";
• Reverse the options available to students in failing schools by funding supplemental educational services (tutoring) before funding transfers;
• More flexible tests for English language learners and students with disabilities, "who will still be included in the accountability system."
  

Markedly absent in Miller's 30-minute speech was any discussion of STEM education issues. Science will not be joining reading and math as a test necessarily included in AYP calculations. However, if Miller makes good on his promise to include provisions from the TEACH Act in his committee's reauthorization proposal, STEM teachers may see some extra attention in the form of increased loan forgiveness, tax breaks, and bonus pay for teachers in high needs schools.

The text of Miller's prepared remarks is online, here, and a summary of his proposals is here. Check the Legisation Tracker for past updates on NCLB reauthorization.

Update: To clarify, Miller's suggestion of "multiple measures" may allow states to add, for example, a science test to the calculation of AYP so that if a school did well on the science test, that would compensate for a "close" miss on a math or reading test. Under the current system states may include science or other tests in their AYP calculations, but doing so only adds "another way to fail." Current law requires that all targets for yearly progress be met for a school to avoid being designated as failing to meet AYP.