RAMSTAD SPONSORS BILL TO LET STATES OPT OUT OF NCLB MANDATES

 

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Rep. Jim Ramstad (MN-03) joined 56 other Members of Congress in sponsoring legislation (H.R. 1539, the A-Plus Act) to allow states to opt out of the testing mandates of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law.

“I voted against the original legislation in 2001, and I continually hear from educators, administrators, parents and students that the mandates are unreasonable, unworkable and counterproductive to increasing student achievement,” said Ramstad.

“There’s too much federal intervention in education policymaking, and we need to give states and local school districts greater control and less red tape,” said Ramstad. “Among the 13 school districts I represent, a number of excellent schools have been adversely affected by NCLB. Once-innovative public schools have become captive to federal testing mandates, and quality education programs not covered by the tests have been eliminated,” said Ramstad.

“The A-PLUS Act ensures that states are accountable to parents, schools and the public for the academic achievement of all students, especially disadvantaged students, through local accountability plans rather than federal mandates,” said Ramstad. “A-PLUS would allow states to consolidate federal education funding and use those funds for state and local education initiatives. States like Minnesota with well-developed accountability systems and innovative policymakers would be in the best position to exercise this option,” said Ramstad.

“Federal education programs waste too many resources on bureaucracy, regulations and paperwork. NCLB has increased the paperwork burden of federal education policy by 6.6 million hours. It’s time to let teachers teach again and let states and local school districts direct education policy,” said Ramstad.

 

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