A bundle of education bills — including a controversial effort to make D.C. students take the SAT or ACT to graduate, and another paying top teachers to transfer to bad schools — passed their first hurdle Tuesday.
The D.C. Council passed Chairman Kwame Brown’s “Raising the Expectations for Education Outcomes Act of 2012,” which lumps together four education bills Brown introduced or co-sponsored this session.
Among them:
- A bill that requires high school students to take a college-admissions test and apply to at least one postsecondary institution before they can graduate;
- A bill that would give $10,000 annual bonuses to highly rated teachers who transfer to low-income schools with low math and reading proficiency rates;
- A bill to turn schools into after-hours community centers providing adult-education, among other services;
- And a bill to provide interventions for young students who are struggling academically.
While the bundled bill passed a council read-through, it’s not unlikely that Brown’s colleagues will propose amendments.
Ward 6 Councilman Tommy Wells said he was concerned that school officials don’t wholeheartedly support the SAT/ACT bill.
The head of D.C.’s charter schools has called the bill “overreaching,” while DCPS officials have expressed reluctance to add another graduation requirement.
At-large Councilman Vincent Orange — whose own early childhood bill was not included in the package — said Brown’s interventions bill does not start early enough. Brown has proposed monitoring children in the fourth grade, which is when students begin standardized testing.
Councilman Phil Mendelson, also at-large, questioned the cost of luring top teachers into underperforming schools.
But Ward 3 Councilwoman Mary Cheh and Ward 8 Councilman Marion Barry — the opposite sides of spectrum, incarnate — both said they supported the bill and applauded Brown’s efforts.
In an emailed statement, Brown said, “We must raise our expectations for students, and create a culture of academic excellence and success in District schools…When we believe that our students are capable of more, they will believe it too. The very act of striving for high expectations will improve student achievement and bring about progress in our schools.”
