Our Public Policy team released a letter this week expressing serious concerns about the impact of a recent Elementary & Secondary Education Act reauthorization bill proposed by Senators Isakson, Alexander, Kirk, Rubio, Roberts, and Wicker on students with disabilities. 

While HELP Committee Chairman Tom Harkin and Ranking Member Mike Enzi continue to negotiate a bipartisan ESEA proposal, the bill introduced by the Members provides a key indication of Republican policy goals in an ESEA reauthorization.

The bill continues the current practice of alternate assessments and modified achievement standards for students with disabilities.  This is harmful to children with learning disabilities and many other underserved populations, as it allowed for them to be placed on a different track for success and not held to the same standards.

NCLD does not support this practice and highlighted that fact in the letter to these Senators  this week, while also thanking them for other inclusions in the bill, such as continued analysis of achievement by subgroups.

Also highlighted in the letter is the bill's limits on accountability to the bottom five percent in each State.  This would leave millions of students with disabilities and their schools with little if any oversight on their achievement. 

Our mission at NCLD is to ensure the success of all students, particularly those with learning disabilities. In that spirit, we will continue to follow the developments surrounding this bill and all other putting students with disabilities at risk.

Read NCLD’s policy recommendations for the Elementary & Secondary Education Act here.