Last week Sen. Lamar Alexander, chairman of the Senate Health Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee released a 400-page discussion draft proposal which would rewrite the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, or No Child Left Behind.

The draft language would provide states with flexibility to decide accountability (testing) issues, and it consolidates most of the Department of Education’s K–12 programs for Teacher Quality, including the Math and Science Partnership, into a single formula grant program.

Earlier this month Senator Alexander said he wanted to get a bill to mark up by the end of February. The ensuring work between the Republican and Democratic education leaders in the Senate has led many in Washington, DC to believe this is a strong and viable attempt to come to consensus and rewrite the federal education law.

But many differences still remain. Senator Patti Murray, ranking Democrat on the HELP Committee, has signaled her priorities for the bill are to reduce testing and expand preschool. In a speech last week on ESEA education, Secretary Arne Duncan said he also wants increased funding for preschool, continued teacher evaluations, and targeted resources to the lowest-performing schools.

The STEM Education Coalition (which NSTA chairs) is calling on Congress to include a requirement that states continue to assess student performance in mathematics and science and that STEM education–related activities be given high priority in major education programs at the U.S. Department of Education (DoEd), especially those focused on teacher quality and professional development.

Stay tuned, much more ahead in coming weeks.

Jodi Peterson is Assistant Executive Director of Legislative Affairs for the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and Chair of the STEM Education Coalition. e-mail Jodi at jpeterson@nsta.org; follower her on Twitter at @stemedadvocate.

The mission of NSTA is to promote excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all.

Follow NSTA