Delaware’s one of three states the Trump Administration is sending back to the drawing board to revisit its Every Student Succeeds Act Plan.
The news came earlier this week for Delaware, Nevada and New Mexico.
Each faced different criticisms – and DelawareCAN Executive Director Atnre Alleyne says some of the feedback for the First State is a good thing.
“I was pleased to see some of the pushes, especially on expectations and goals," Alleyne said.
Federal officials think Delaware’s plan to have half to 2/3 of students proficient by 2030 isn’t ambitions enough, and Alleyne agrees.
Alleyne also agrees with the feds’ criticism of the state lumping some racial and ethnic groups together in parts of the plan.
But he questions other criticisms – including Delaware’s decision to include science and social studies as academic indicators.
That surprised Delaware State Education Association President Frederika Jenner, too.
“The one that really shocked me was the Feds dinging us because we wanted to use science and social studies as part of the indicators for student progress," Jenner said.
As a middle school science teacher, Jenner feels science and social studies should have similar – if not the same academic weight – as math and language arts.
But Jenner was surprised there was any pushback from the Trump Administration at all.
“The message that had gone out earlier was that the Feds would basically take anything, they would almost accept any plan," Jenner said. "So I think it’s a shock to the three states who were called out that they have to go back and make some fixes.”
The states have 15 days to address the issues.
Delaware ESSA Letter by Delaware Public Media on Scribd
