U.S. Approves Georgia’s New Education Plan

Georgia’s State Every Student Succeeds Act or ESSA Plan has won approval from the U.S. Department of Education.

The federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) replaces the No Child Left Behind Act of 2002.

Georgia’s ESSA plan sets a new course for K-12 education in the state, moving away from an excessive focus on high-stakes testing to an education system that places the whole child at the center.

Teachers have long complained that under the No Child Left Behind Act, there was too much pressure on them to produce high test scores and less time to focus on real teaching.

Some of the highlights of the new ESSA plan include a redesiged College and Career Readiness Index testing program, rewards schools that make significant progress with underserved groups, and strengthens the State’s focus on the whole child.

The Georgia Department of Education brought together a State Advisory Committee and six working committees made up of educators, parents, students, and representatives of state/agencies to shape the State’s new ESSA plan.

They also hosted feedback meetings with students, teachers, and parents, as well as civil rights groups.

Georgia Department of Education spokeswoman Megan Frick says the State will now begin work to implement the new ESSA plan for the 2018-2019 school year.