E-Update for December 9, 2016

Highlights

• On December 7, the U.S. Department of Education (USED) released final regulations on implementing the academic assessment requirements under Title I, Part A and the Innovative Assessment Demonstration Authority included in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).
• On December 8, the Continuing Resolution (CR) passed the House and could be voted on by the Senate today.
• On December 6, the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) released its 2015 results for science, reading, and math.

U.S. Congress

Rep. Bobby Scott Re-elected as Ranking Member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee: House Education and the Workforce Committee Democrats re-elected Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA) to serve as Ranking Member of the Committee. Ranking Member Scott released a statement noting that he looks forward to fighting for students and families across the country.
December 6, 2016

CR Passes the House: On December 6, the CR was released to provide federal funding after December 9. The CR would extend federal government funding through April 28, 2017, and includes an across the board cut at a rate of .1901%. On December 8, the CR passed the House by a vote of 326-96, and the Senate could vote on the CR as early as today. The CR allows continued payments for account maintenance fees to guarantee agencies under the Federal Family Education Loan program. It did not include an increase in funding for the Student Aid Administration as requested by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). It also allows funding to be made available for the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program (the SOAR Act) in time for the next academic year. A summary and section-by-section analysis of the Senate CR can be found here.
December 8, 2016

House Agriculture Committee Holds Hearing on HBCUs: The House Agriculture Committee held a hearing titled, “1890 Land-Grant Institutions: Recruitment Challenges and Scholarship Opportunities,” which focused on the challenges that the network of historically black colleges and universities face in recruiting students to careers in agriculture. Chairman K. Michael Conaway (R-TX) noted in his opening statement that there is an unmet demand for high- skill jobs in the agriculture industry, and that the 1890s network has recognized the opportunity that such a gap represents and has focused on generating greater interest in the field. More information can be found here. Chairman Conaway’s opening statement is available here.
December 7, 2016

Senate Democrats Request Protections for Students at For-Profit Colleges: A group of five Democratic Senators, including Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) sent a letter to USED Under Secretary Ted Mitchell to request that he take steps to protect students and taxpayers in case the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) – the largest accreditor of for-profit colleges – loses federal recognition.
December 6, 2016

House Passes H.R. 6416, the “Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2016”: The House unanimously passed H.R. 6416, the “Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2016,” by a vote of 419-0. The bill has a requirement that colleges and universities submit an annual report on how well GI Bill-receiving students are doing. It would also require a non-accredited course to be approved only if the school submits a written application that is approved by a state approving agency.
December 6, 2016

Administration

USED Releases Final Regulations on ESSA Academic Assessment Requirements: USED released the final regulations on implementing the academic assessment requirements under Title I, Part A and the Innovative Assessment Demonstration Authority included in ESSA. Final Title I-A assessment regulations primarily clarify the language included in the notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) agreed to by the negotiated rulemaking committee. Final Innovative Assessment Pilot regulations clarify definitions and requirements related to providing demonstration authority to a state to pilot an innovative assessment and use it for accountability and reporting purposes before scaling such an assessment statewide. The final Title I-A assessment notice can be found here and the final innovative assessment notice here.

The Administration also released updated guidance on assessment provisions in ESSA. The guidance includes principles for high-quality assessment systems and allowable uses of funds to support the principles of high-quality assessment systems. The guidance can be found here.
December 7, 2016

White House Hosts Convening on Better, Fairer, and Fewer Tests: In conjunction with the release of the final regulations and guidance, the White House hosted a convening on creating better, fairer, and fewer tests. The convening brought together state and district leaders, educators, parents, technologists, developers, and philanthropic leaders to discuss the impact of the President’s Testing Action Plan and what more can be done to improve assessments.
December 7, 2016

White House Releases Report on the Continuing Need to Rethink Discipline: The White House released a capstone report with updates about the Administration’s Rethink Discipline efforts, including the projects that have launched since the Administration began the initiative and the progress made at the local level. The Rethink Discipline initiative aims to promote welcoming and safe school climates.
December 9, 2016

White House Initiative Holds Summit on Educational Excellence for African American Girls: The White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans is holding a summit today entitled, “#AfAmWomenLead Student Summit to Advance Educational Excellence for Black Girls,” during which students will develop recommendations to address the most pressing issues facing black women and girls in education, as well as the barriers to achieving leadership positions.
December 9, 2016

USED’s Office for Civil Rights Highlights Challenges and Achievements: USED’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) released two reports spotlighting the challenges and achievements of OCR. OCR’s FY2016 annual report included information on the increased number of complaints filed in the past fiscal year, and the number of cases resolved during the Obama Administration. The second report, “Achieving Simple Justice,” described progress made toward educational equity through strong civil rights enforcement from 2009-2016. The annual report can be found here and the second report here.
December 8, 2016

USED Sends Letter Regarding the Pending Sale of the University of Phoenix: USED sent a letter to the University of Phoenix regarding a request to change ownership, in which USED stated that the sale will only be approved if the buyers set aside more than $385 million in collateral, cap enrollment, and accept a prohibition on any new programs.
December 7, 2016

PISA Releases 2015 Results: PISA released its 2015 results of the performance of U.S. 15 year old students in science, reading, and math. The full report can be found here and select findings from PISA 2015 here.

• In 2015, average scores of 15-year-olds in science literacy ranged from 556 in Singapore to 332 in the Dominican Republic. The U.S. average score was 496, which was not measurably different than the OECD average of 493. The U.S. average was lower than 18 education systems, higher than 39, and not measurably different than 12 education systems.
• Average scores in reading literacy ranged from 535 in Singapore to 347 in Kosovo and Lebanon. The U.S. average score was 497, which was not measurably different from the OECD average of 493. The U.S. average was lower than 14 education systems, higher than 42 education systems, and not measurably different than 13 education systems.
• Average scores in mathematics literacy ranged from 564 in Singapore to 328 in Dominican Republic. The U.S. average score was 470, which was lower than the OECD average of 490. The U.S. average was lower than 36 education systems, higher than 28 education systems, and not measurably different than 5 education systems.

December 6, 2016

USED Halts Federal Student Aid Programs at Two For-Profit Institutions: USED announced that participation in the federal student aid programs will end this month for Globe University and Minnesota School of Business, which are both for-profit institutions under common ownership. USED decided that the schools have been determined to have committed fraud involving Title IV funds.
December 6, 2016

Publications

NCES Releases 2015 Digest of Education Statistics: The Institute of Education Sciences’ National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) released the 2015 Digest of Education Statistics which provides a compilation of data covering the field of education from pre-K through graduate school. The information includes data on the number of teachers and graduates, educational attainment, and federal funds for education, among other data.
December 9, 2016

HHS Releases Report on Self-Regulation and Toxic Stress: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Administration for Children and Families (AFC) released a report in collaboration with Duke University’s Center for Child and Family Policy and the University of North Carolina entitled “Self-Regulation and Toxic Stress: Implications for Programs and Practice.” The report reviews key concepts for understanding self-regulation and summarizes key findings from their comprehensive review of self-regulation interventions.
December 6, 2016

Legislation

H.R.6444 
Perkins Loan Program Inflation Adjustment Act of 2016
Sponsor: Rep. Meng, Grace [D-NY-6] (Introduced 12/06/2016) Cosponsors (0)
Committees: House – Education and the Workforce