Washington, DC, April 23, 2008 – Yesterday, U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings proposed new regulations to codify the adoption of uniform and disaggregated graduation rates no later than the 2012–2013 school year. The Secretary also proposed regulations addressing reporting and transparency issues, and the need for greater communications regarding the availability of supplemental education services and school choice.
The Council is pleased that the proposed regulations build on states' longstanding leadership on the graduation rates issue, by adopting the National Governors Association (NGA) Graduation Rate Compact as the benchmark for improving graduation rate reporting, so that educators can better address America's dropout crisis. The Council has been working for several years with its members and other state organizations, such as NGA, to address the dropout epidemic, and appreciates the Department's endorsement of the states' consensus approach to establishing a uniform rate. The Council also supports the proposed development of a National Technical Advisory Council to tap into state expertise in the areas of standards and assessment.
“The proposed regulations are an attempt by the Department to clarify misconceptions about the law and build greater transparency in our K–12 educational system,” stated CCSSO Executive Director Gene Wilhoit. “This is an important step as a result of Congress’ inaction on the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). It also sheds light on numerous issues states, districts, and schools are dealing with—and leading on—under No Child Left Behind (NCLB). It is now incumbent on us to carefully review these regulations to ensure we continue down the right path in the implementation of NCLB.”
The Council will continue to work with its members in providing comments to the U.S. Department of Education on several issues including minimum subgroup size, NAEP and state standards, and the data reporting burden on—and subsequent costs to—states, among other things. Wilhoit emphasized that, “chief state school officers look forward to working in partnership with the federal government to find the most educationally sound ways to build a stronger, more transparent education system.”
The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) is a nationwide, nonprofit organization of public officials who head departments of elementary and secondary education in the states, the District of Columbia, the Department of Defense Education Activity, and five U.S. extra-state jurisdictions. CCSSO provides leadership, advocacy, and technical assistance on major educational issues. The Council seeks members’ consensus on major educational issues and expresses their views to civic and professional organizations, federal agencies, Congress, and the public.
