Policy Update

Policy Update

Issue:

Bill to Rewrite No Child Left Behind Act

http://www.aota.org/advocacy-policy/congressional-affairs/legislative-issues-update/2015/no-child-left-behind-signed-law-every-student-succeeds-act.aspx

Service Delivery:

The service delivery involved with this issue involves both the educational and political systems. The new bill had to be put into place by the political and governmental systems but largely affects the educational system. Without the political systems putting this bill into place, it would be difficult to assess the progress that students are making each year in the educational system. These systems are very distinct yet are both involved and necessary for educational bills to be signed into law.

Policy:

I reviewed an article that describes a new policy, “Every Student Succeeds Act” (ESSA) that has replaced “No Child Left Behind” (NCLB). NCLB was created based on the original “Elementary and Secondary Education Act” (ESEA) that was signed into law in 1965. The president signed the newest bill (ESSA) into law on December 10, 2015. This policy is supported by Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Barack Obama, and 37 liberal civil rights and education groups.

I am excited for the potential of this new law but I believe that as the new law is implemented, they will find aspects that work better and things that still need improvement. Issues with NCLB were brought out in discussions early on, but it took from 2001 when it was signed into law until the end of 2015 when the new bill, ESSA was signed into law to replace NCLB. It is evident that changes in the political system will take time so it is important to advocate for our profession during the rewriting of such bills. When first beginning my masters program, I did not see the importance of having a policy and advocacy course in the curriculum. However, after only 3 short weeks of the course, I see the value and importance in this course.

Data:

The new bill, ESSA, passed both chambers of congress with strong bipartisan support. ESSA repeals the requirement that schools achieve annual progress in their student testing. One of the main issues with NCLB was that teachers began only teaching for the test in fear that if their students did not pass these tests, they would be fired. The test consists of multiple-choice reading and math questions, but as occupational therapists we understand the importance of a well-rounded curriculum as well as providing children with freedom for creativity. With the pressure of having a high pass rate, teachers focused most of their time on reading and math, limiting the time spent on other important subjects such as art, science, and physical education. Furthermore, students learn in a variety of ways and teachers should have the autonomy to teach in a way that best matches their students’ learning styles and preferences. Another issue was that all students were held to the same achievement standard (with the exception of students who had severe mental of physical disabilities) despite their varying SES, ability level, and native language.

Implications:

AOTA had two main priorities during the rewriting of this bill. Their goals were to improve the recognition that occupational therapists should be more involved in school-wide initiatives and classroom supports and maintaining accountability for students with disabilities. The new bill introduces a new term “specialized instruction support personnel” (SISP), which includes occupational therapists, and any related services under IDEA. It is required that schools, local education agencies, and states include SISPs in their planning of new programs and provision of testing accommodations. The new bill provides states with a lot of flexibility in how they implement their programs and standards for each school. This poses a challenge for occupational therapists as each school has the potential to have different accountability systems. This could be beneficial as the students in each school may have different needs, but difficult for the occupational therapists to stay up to date on each school’s programs and systems. As previously mentioned, it is important that occupational therapists advocate for the profession as well as our clients. This course is teaching us the different ways in which we can accomplish that.

Resources

http://drrichswier.com/2015/12/16/every-student-succeeds-act-common-core-by-a-new-name-and-on-steriods/

http://www.carleton.edu/departments/educ/vote/pages/Pros_and-Cons.html

http://www.ed.gov/essa