Looking Back at Major Education Milestones
The only constant in the world of public education policy is change. Since 1990, Delaware has undergone a raft of efforts aimed at improving our schools. From programs to coalitions to reports to assessments, we look back at some of the major educational milestones from the past 20 years.
- 1990: Business leaders issue the Delaware Gap Analysis, which includes recommendations for education reform
- 1991: The state’s 10th grade writing assessment is developed and administrated for the first time
- 1993: The first interim assessment is given to students in grades three, five, eight, and 10 to transition to performance-based assessments
- 1994: The Early Childhood Assistance Program approved by the legislature provides Head Start-like services for four-year-olds in poverty
- 1995: The State Board of Education approves content standards in math, social studies, science, and English language arts
- 1995: $30 million is set aside to wire classrooms and the creation of the Delaware Center for Education Technology
- 1995: Delaware’s Education Improvement Commission issues recommendations in the “Empowering Schools for Excellence” report
- 1996-97: The School Choice Program begins and Delaware’s first public charter schools open their doors
- 1997: Legislation is passed mandating a state testing program, and the State Board approves the design of the Delaware Student Testing Program (DSTP)
- 1997: Legislation creates the position of Secretary of Education, shifting authority from a state board to the governor
- 1998: The Education Accountability Act is passed, establishing the parameters for student, school, district, DDOE, and parent accountability
- 1998: The DSTP is administered to all students in grades three, five, eight, and 10 in reading, writing and math
- Spring 2000: DTSP for science and social studies is administered in grades four and six
- School Year 2000-01: Delaware begins holding schools accountable based on student performance
- April 2001: The Legislature passed the Neighborhood Schools Act, which requires districts to assign students to schools closest to their homes
- Spring 2002: State testing (DSTP-2) is expanded to “off grades” two, four, six, seven, and nine
- 2004: The state legislature apportions $1 million for 10 pilot programs of full-day kindergarten
- October 2006: Vision 2015 plan is released
- January 2007: Stars for Early Success is implemented to evaluate quaility of early care and education settings
- December 2008: The Leadership for Education Achievement in Delaware (LEAD) Committee identifies $158 million in school inefficiencies
- April 2009: Legislation is signed to allow high-quality alternative route teacher programs
- June 2009: Delaware joins the Common Core State Standards Initiative, an effort of 48 states to create academic standards in math and ELA
- June 2009: Delaware passes legislation to implement new assessment system: the Delaware Comprehensive Assessment System (DCAS)
- March 2010: U.S. Department of Education announces Delaware as first-place finisher in Race to the Top and awards $119 million
- August 2010: State Board of Education adopts Common Core State Standards
- June 2011: Delaware invests $22 million in early learning
- December 2012: Delaware receives $49 million as part of the Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge
- February 2013: The Data Quality Campaign awards Delaware for building one of the most robust student data systems in the country
- June 2013: The Education Commission of the States honors Delaware with an award for innovative education policy
- September 2013: State Board of Education adopts Next Generation Science Standards
- July 2014: Legislation is passed to transition to a new assessment system that is aligned to the Common Core–the Smarter Balanced Assessment System
- November 2014: College Application Month, now in its third year, expands the program to all Delaware district and public charter high school
- February 2015: Governor Jack Markell announces Pathways to Prosperity initiative and dedications $1 million to support schools offering intensive training and credentials in key industries
- March 2015: Wilmington Education Advisory Committee publishes recommendations in report, “Strengthening Wilmington Education: An Action Agenda”
- September 2015: Student Success 2025 plan is released