Opt Out Policies by State
States vary in how they respond to parents’ requests to opt children out of standardized testing. This Policy Update compiles information on each state’s response and links to guidance documents.
The only organization dedicated solely to helping state boards advance equity and excellence in public education.
Advancing School Discipline Reform
Punitive school discipline and zero-tolerance policies impede student achievement, and there are supportive, evidence-based disciplinary strategies to supplant them.
Responding to Opt Out Requests: The Opportunity for State Boards
As parents increasingly ask to opt their children out of standardized tests, state boards of education are sometimes unsure whether and how to respond. This Policy Update highlights successful policy strategies for addressing opt out requests and how state boards can use this opportunity to communicate the benefits of testing and improve the public’s understanding of test-based accountability.
Common Themes, Individual Approaches: Six States’ Experiences with New Science Standards
In 2014, NASBE awarded stipends to state boards of education in Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Kentucky, New Jersey, and West Virginia to support Next Generation Science Standards implementation. This piece profiles the work of these six boards and identifies steps toward successful implementation.
Trends in State Legislation on Student Data Privacy
"Trends in State Legislation on Student Data Privacy" details the ways in which state legislatures across the country have enhanced protections for student data and expanded the role of state boards in protecting that data. It describes several key elements in legislation introduced or passed this year, and notes several exemplary states.
Deeper Learning in New Hampshire
New Hampshire combines competency-based standards, performance assessment, accountability, and professional development to support deeper learning.
Deeper Learning: Policies for a 21st Century Education
Provides foundational principles that underlie deeper learning, explores issues, provides state examples, and includes worksheets that boards can use to facilitate discussions and come to solutions that make sense given the unique needs of each state.
Will New Teacher Equity Plans Get Closer to the Mark?
According to the US Department of Education’s Civil Rights Data Collection, nearly 96 percent of our nation’s public school teachers are licensed and certified. So why are over a half a million low-income and minority students still being taught in schools with the highest percentages of unqualified and inexperienced teachers? A new NASBE Policy Update explores teacher equity and why state policymakers need to start paying closer attention.