VT Criticizes US Dept. of Education Proposal on Defining Learning
August 18, 2016
Highlighting a letter to the Dept. of Education in July on the proposed ESSA regulations, the Vermont State Board of Education submitted commentary to a local state publication emphasizing their critique that the Dept.’s proposal “continues to use a narrow definition of learning and over relies on standardized tests.” They criticize ESSA’s mandate to collect data on “what we already can easily measure” rather than other outside factors, arguing that it “diminishes broad opportunities to learn and the skills necessary for a healthy society.” They lay out several other concerns with the current law citing continued federal overreach and a failure to “address the underlying economic and social disparities that characterize our nation, our state, our communities and our schools.”