New Information from Commissioner Michael Williams

Dec. 9, 2015
Statement of Commissioner Michael Williams regarding passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act
AUSTIN – Commissioner of Education Michael Williams issued the following statement regarding today’s final passage of the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) by the U.S. Senate:
"The Every Student Succeeds Act represents a significant shift in education authority away from the federal government and a return of greater control to the state and local level. For Texas, this legislation brings an end to the ongoing requests for federal waivers made necessary by requirements few if any states could ever meet.

"The Texas Education Agency will now focus on working through the specific details of this federal legislation to help explain to our districts and charters the many aspects included in this bill. It’s important to note that the rollout of our state’s new teacher and principal evaluation systems will continue, but without federal demands to include student test scores as a mandatory aspect."