ATLANTA— Today State Representative Rick Austin (R-Demorest) announced his new education reform package, comprised of House Bills 501 and 503. This legislation provides teachers with the resources to teach required standards and ensures that first and second grade students build the educational base necessary to succeed in later grades.
“Education in our state will improve when we remove the obstacles to effective learning and teaching,” said Rep. Austin.
Currently, Georgia requires students to pass the Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests (CRCT) in the third, fifth, and eighth grades. State law requires students to be held back if they do not pass the CRCT in these grades. However, many schools continue to socially promote failing students despite this requirement. Because of this, failing students never build the educational foundation needed to succeed in later grades. HB 501 would change this by adding first and second grades to the list of grades required to pass the CRCT. The bill would also allow the state to withhold funding to schools who continue to promote students who fail the CRCT in first, second, third, fifth, and eighth grades.
“Promoting children who are not educationally ready sets them up for greater failure in the future,” said Rep. Austin. “HB 501 ensures that all children will have the necessary foundation to be successful early in their education. It also enables Georgia teachers to be more effective by ensuring that students who enter their classrooms are ready to learn on grade level.”
HB 503, the “Teacher Access to Resources Act,” will require any textbook used by a public school in Georgia meet at least 80 percent of the competencies and curriculum requirements established by the state Board of Education. It will also require the State Board of Education to establish a comprehensive website to provide teachers access to state standards and teaching resources. This will ensure that all teachers in Georgia, regardless of their location, will have access to the appropriate resources to teach every standard.
“In our day of technological advances, having a website with everything a teacher needs to make him or her successful is an absolute must. Lack of teacher resources should be the last reason our children cannot be effectively taught,” said Rep. Austin.
HB 501 and 503 enjoy bipartisan support. The list of cosponsors for these bills includes Tommy Benton (R- Jefferson), Bobby Reese (R- Sugar Hill), Amy Carter (D- Valdosta), and Margaret Kaiser (D-Atlanta).
Rep. Rick Austin has taught at Piedmont College in Demorest, Georgia as an Associate Professor of Biology for 11 years. His wife, Jennifer, is a fourth grade teacher.
For more information about the CRCT, please visit: http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/ci_testing.aspx?PageReq=CI_TESTING_CRCT
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