The Every Student Succeeds Act, or ESSA, is replacing the federal No Child Left Behind laws for K-through-12 schools.
The State Board of Education is drafting a plan to implement next fall; it includes alternatives to measuring accountability and academic success.
DeKalb-area State Representative Bob Pritchard helped organize the listening session. He says developing the education plan is a complex issue for everyone.
“It takes people to think about it, study it a little bit," Pritchard said. "Certainly, it takes the experience of teachers and administrators that know how some of these programs work to be able to weigh in with opinions.”
Crystal Swan-Gravatt is the Special Education Director for the Sandwich School District. She shared her thoughts on ESSA during the event.
“And I just wish the focus was more on supporting schools working their own plan instead of it being more of a top-down kind of accountability system,” Swan-Gravatt said.
Similar events are being planned to gauge the community’s feedback.
