Morning Announcements: Testing and Accountability on the table in ESEA Reauthorization

The eight-year effort to reauthorize No Child Left Behind (NCLB) has come down to a battle over testing and accountability. All congressional sides agree that an updated law is an urgent necessity. But the question of what role standardized tests should play and how to hold underperforming schools to account divides deeply. The Christian Science Monitor

After over four million public comments, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Tom Wheeler has proposed what he calls “the strongest open internet protections ever proposed by the FCC.” edSurge

On the eve of a congressional hearing to explore the use of new technology in classrooms nationwide, a software engineer has found significant gaps in an industry effort to bolster student data security and privacy. The New York Times

U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) has introduced legislation featuring explicit funding of education technology that would reactivate the Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) Act, a move that has generated numerous statements of support among education organizations. THE Journal

Texas Education Commissioner Michael Williams said on Wednesday that he will not enforce an educator evaluation system, which means the state could lose its waiver from the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. American Statesman

When Gov. Chris Christie this week raised “grave concerns” about the Common Core State Standards being tied to federal money and serving as a de facto federal mandate, he fed into a common narrative repeated by critics of the new standards.  The problem with this narrative is that it’s inaccurate. NJ Spotlight

As New York City schools begin gearing up for this spring’s state exams, two city lawmakers are calling on the city to give parents information about opting their children out of the tests. Chalkbeat NY

For Gov. Sam Brownback of Kansas, the budget headaches have continued: January receipts fell short of predictions, and Mr. Brownback has responded by cutting funding for public schools and higher education. The New York Times

Mixing academic software programs with traditional classroom instruction – often referred to as blended learning – is moving from high schools and middle schools to the early grades, even reaching some 4-year-olds in transitional kindergarten. EdSource

New York City City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito said Wednesday that she will push the city to further reduce student suspensions, amplifying months of calls for school discipline policy changes from City Council members and advocates. Chalkbeat NY

Corporal punishment is ineffective and should be banned, according to a new report that studied the use of physical discipline in Florida school districts. The Huffington Post

School leaders pulled the plug on The ReNEW Schools charter-school network in New Orleans’ expensive benefit of allowing students to take home laptops equipped with a wireless connection when the federal program that finances school technology delayed a decision over whether such expenditures should be reimbursed. Their decision that could affect schools nationwide. The Hechinger Report

Denver Public Schools announced today which 32 schools will be home to its “differentiated roles” program, which creates hybrid teaching-administration positions. Chalkbeat CO

Earning a high school diploma online may seem appealing to working adults, ​but there are not many legitimate options available. US News & World Report