MADISON – Today, Representative Joe Sheehan (D- Sheboygan) delivered his first speech as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly in opposition to Assembly Bill 1, relating to: changes to the educational assessment program and the school and school district accountability report. Below is an excerpt from this speech.
“I believe that returning to the 2019-2020 standards is not the answer. I agree that our assessment system in this state needs work. However, reverting to these standards misses a large piece of the picture, career readiness. These assessments are tailored to college readiness, which is certainly a valuable set of statistics, but half of the students that are going through our schools are not going to be attending a traditional four year college, nor should they. Many will go to a technical school, or will be entering directly into the workforce or military.
“…We also provide opportunities for all students who choose technical training, the work setting, or the military. Many students are doing just that. Working with businesses, students have opportunities to develop skills our employers need. Some students graduate with industry certifications, like welding, CNC operations, robotics, and culinary.
“…These students are successful. Yet now, schools do not get credit for preparing them. They should be measured by career assessments, not just academic ones. We simply can not afford to leave out these important skills when assessing a student’s growth and development.
“Governor Evers has said that this is the ‘Year of the Kid.’ We owe it to our kids to make sure we are assessing all aspects of their development. To do that, we can not revert to old standards. I agree that we must hold our school systems accountable and to do so we must move forward, and we must assess both career and college readiness. Mr Speaker, the vote is red.”
