Student Success Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

H.R. 5 perpetuates the same serious flaw with the accountability
systems as in No Child Left Behind, which deters high-quality teachers
from joining low-performing schools. We need to remediate this problem.

The current accountability system discourages quality teachers from
joining low-performing schools because they are warned that if their
students are not considered proficient then they will suffer adverse
consequences.

As it stands, if a student starts seventh grade at a fourth grade
reading level, works diligently with their teacher, and then achieves a
sixth grade level by the end of the school year, that student will not
be deemed proficient, and both the teacher and the school would be
negatively impacted.

My amendment would change that. My amendment would require that
annual statewide assessments measure students' growth as a crucial
component of the achievement within the accountability system
established by the State.

It would leave it to the State to decide their own measurement of
growth, so they can measure an individual student's learning progress
and not give an entire school one score based on the amount of the
students who are deemed proficient in particular subjects.

I believe high-quality teachers would be more willing to join schools
composed of a significant amount of students not meeting proficiency
standards. My amendment, therefore, upholds the fundamental principle
of the original ESEA to encourage equality in the provision of
education, regardless of social economic status or demographics of the
student behind the desk.

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