iNACOL Releases Two Issue Briefs on 2019 Federal and State Policy Priorities

Assessment 2 min read

Today, iNACOL’s Center for Policy Advocacy published iNACOL 2019 State Policy Priorities and 2019 Federal Policy Priorities, a pair of briefs highlighting the top issues to focus on to drive the transformation of the nation’s K-12 education system.

It is time to build a system on the core principle that all students can succeed and be ready for the next step in their learning, the workforce and citizenship and for lifelong health and prosperity. These issue briefs offer insights on how to catalyze transformative policies beyond short-term fixes and work toward the long term. The intent of the new policy priorities is to push current thinking beyond the assumptions that perpetuate root causes of educational inequity and to focus on policy strategy to support K-12 systems change that can sustain over time.

For states, the 2019 policy priorities are:

Redefine student success to prepare all students for college, career and civic life;
Create meaningful qualifications based on mastery;
Redesign accountability systems for continuous improvement;
Build aligned, balanced systems of assessments to certify knowledge and skills;
Develop educator capacity for next-generation learning;
Build system and school leadership capacity for change; and
Establish enabling state policies to create and launch innovative learning models and multiple pathways.

For federal leaders, the 2019 policy priorities are:

Launch a pilot program in the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act to support innovation;
Remove barriers for states in ESSA Section 1204 (Innovative Assessment Pilot);
Support continued expansion of Internet access, wifi and broadband infrastructure; and
Target funding within the reauthorized Perkins Career and Technical Education Act to encourage alignment to postsecondary programs and pathways.