Heidi Alexander: “I ask unanimous consent that a copy of my remarks at the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing…”

“I ask unanimous consent that a copy of my remarks at the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing yesterday be printed in the Record. There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows: Fixing No Child Left Behind: Innovation To Better Meet the Needs of Students This is the 27th hearing in the last six years about fixing No Child Left Behind or a related elementary and secondary education issue. I hope we are not far from a conclusion-- from moving from hearings and discussions to marking up a bill. From the beginning of our work on No Child Left Behind, we concluded it would be better, rather than start from scratch on a new Elementary and Secondary Education Act, to identify the problems in the law and try to fix them. Generally speaking, we agree on the problems, and on several solutions we are not far from reaching consensus. We still have some work to do on accountability. And by accountability, I mean goals, standards, annual tests, disaggregated reporting of test results, and defining success or failure for teachers and schools as well as the consequences of that success or failure. On some of these things, we pretty much agree, like the need for a new goal. On other things, we still have some work to do, like whether or not to keep the 17 annual federal standardized tests.…”