Heidi Alexander: “Thank you, Mr. President. Every American knows that every American's job is on the line. Every American knows that…”

“Thank you, Mr. President. Every American knows that every American's job is on the line. Every American knows that better schools mean better jobs. We are ready to work with the President and with our Democratic colleagues to create an environment for better schools in this country by fixing No Child Left Behind. Mr. President, I yield the floor. Exhibit 1 Elementary and Secondary Education: How Has the Environment Changed Over the Past 10 Years? 1. Standards: All states have content standards in place for reading/language arts and mathematics. 44 States are working together in a Common Core state-led effort to improve their standards. 2. Assessments: All states are conducting annual assessments in reading/language arts and mathematics that are aligned to state standards and are publicly reporting their results. Two groups of states are working together to develop common assessments aligned to the Common Core standards. 3. Data: Disaggregation of data by states and districts provides greater information on how schools and students are performing by race, income, English proficiency and disability. This makes it easier to identify the achievement gaps and target efforts to address problems. 4. Auditing: All states are participating in the National Assessment of Educational Progress, NAEP/Nation's Report Card, which serves as an audit of the quality of state standards and assessments. 5.…”