Background
Massachusetts Education Reform Act of 1993
The Massachusetts Education Reform Act of 1993 demanded for dramatic changes in public education over a seven year period. Some of the major outcomes of the Act were greater and more equitable funding to schools, accountability for student learning, and statewide standards for students, educators, schools, and districts. Some of the major changes in the accountability proposed in the Education Reform Act included these requirements: a school council in every school, continuing education for educators, more authority for every principal, better defined roles for school committees, and clear, concise and measurable statewide standards for students and schools.
The Act was broken down into the following eight major provisions: State Frameworks, Statewide Student Testing, Graduation Standards, Foundation Budget, Charter Schools, Time and Learning, Teacher Testing, and District Performance. In terms of State Frameworks, the Act called for statewide curriculum frameworks and learning standards for all students in all core academic subjects. These learning standards could then be used by teachers for their daily lesson planning and by the district for curriculum planning. For Statewide Student Testing, the Act created the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) with the purpose of identifying individual students and schools which need to make improvements in particular areas or standards. In terms of Graduation Standards, the Act mandates that all students must pass the MCAS in tenth grade to recieve a diploma. A Foundation Budget was established to bring all schools a foundation level of spending which could differ depending on local demographics and economic factors. For Charter Schools, these schools must be open to all students and meet the same standards and testing requirements. The Act also addressed time and learning by requiring districts to have students studying core academic subjects for at least 900 hours in elementary schools and 990 hours in secondary schools. The Act now requires teacher testing, so all teachers must pass two tests to be certified to teach in the state. These two tests are taken on the subject area they wish to teach and communication/literacy skills. For District Performance, the Act allows the Board and Commissioner to formulate criteria to determine school and district performance (4).
President Barack Obama signs the Every Student Succeeds Act on December 10, 2015.
Every Student Succeeds Act (2015)
The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was signed by U.S. President Barack Obama on December 10, 2015. This Act reauthorized the 50-year-old Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) which is the nation's longstanding commitment to equal opportunity for all students. The ESEA was signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson in 1965 because he believed that full educational opportunity should be the nation's top priority. ESEA offered new grants to districts serving low-income families, federal grants for textbooks, funding for special education, and scholarships for college students from low-income families. Before the ESSA, the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act was enacted in 2002. NCLB held schools accountable for student progress and where students needed to improve by exposing achievement gaps. Over time NCLB's requirements revealed challenges for schools and educators, so the Obama administration worked with educators and families to create a better law, the ESSA. ESSA includes provisions that help to ensure school and student success. The Act upholds critcal protections for the disadvantaged and high-need students, requires that all students be taught to high academic standards, ensures students are taught to the high standards by giving students annual assessments, and maintains an expectation that there will be accountability and action to enable positive change in low-performing schools (9).