PAGE Legislative

PAGE Special Report 2014 Legislative Session

PAGE Legislative Agenda Tackles Class Sizes, Full School Year and Testing

Anew session of the Georgia General Assembly began Jan. 13, but as we’re in the second year of our state’s biennial session, bills that failed to pass in 2013 are still in play. Critical education pieces are sure to come to the forefront, including the following: • Legislation regarding Common Core standards • A bill enabling parents to convert traditional public schools to charter schools • A constitutional amendment allowing elected local school superintendents • Bills affecting teacher retirement • Legislation allowing the creation of new school systems • And the single most important education-related bill: the state budget.

Armed with the eye-opening Georgia Budget and Policy Institute data (see next page), the PAGE 2014 Legislative Agenda targets three critical areas that policymakers must act upon to stabilize Georgia’s public education system and adequately prepare students for the 21st century.

Reverse Class Size Increases: Provide funding, resources and personnel to reverse the trend of rising class sizes. Smaller class sizes are particularly important in classes comprised of struggling students, in the early grades and in math and science courses.

Teachers, parents and students know from experience that smaller classes improve discipline and safety, increase learning opportunities for students and enhance class preparation and management.

Restore a Full School Year: Provide funding so that all public school students may attend class at least 180 days each school year. Teachers require an additional 10 days of meaningful professional learning and class preparation.

Some Georgia public schools held fewer than 150 class days during the 2012–2013 school year; meanwhile in many foreign countries, students attend school for more than 200 days. How can Georgia students compete internationally if they lack sufficient class time? Georgia must stabilize its curriculum and provide teachers with adequate time for student preparation and professional development.

Review Testing Policies: Call upon the State School Superintendent and the State Board of Education to review Georgia’s testing program. State leaders should consider adopting annual norm-referenced tests that measure true student learning. Such tests will serve as better diagnostic tools and allow comparison of Georgia’s students with students nationwide.

Georgia’s testing program takes too much time away from student learning, causes excessive stress for many students, lacks timely information to allow teachers to adjust what and how they teach, does not measure the progress of Georgia students against a national standard and makes a poor criterion for a pay-for-performance system. It is time to develop a smarter testing program. n

PAGE Day on Capitol Hill Tuesday, Feb. 18 • Breakfast at the Capitol • Meetings and Lunch with

Legislators Register now at www.pageinc.org