Assessment in California: An End to NCLB?

Again this year California SBE requested and received a waiver from the federal government regarding the NCLB requirement to use new test scores for Annual Yearly Progress accountability. (EdSource provides an excellent summary on this topic, here.) The state received the exemption letter from Assistant U.S. Secretary of Education Deborah Delisle on May 19th. The letter listed six conditions with the one-year waiver.
 
But what will the actual impact of these conditions be on assessment and accountability in California? The Cabinet Report assessed the latest waiver and the impact it may have on California’s on NCLB requirements. Previously, California was the largest state still working within the NCLB mandates. However, in light of this new waiver the state is essentially free to ignore test scores when specifying Annual Yearly Progress.

What does this mean for assessment and accountability at a national level? The article quotes Jack Jennings, an education policy expert in Washington D.C. and past president and CEO of the Center on Education Policy: “I think each state will end up defining for itself what accountability will look like,” he said. “That’s what I’ve seen with the waivers I’ve read. There are no national standards – the waivers have allowed that and I think if reauthorization comes about, the legislation will confirm that.”