Education Across the States

While the class of 2027 sits for fall graduation-test retakes, three Senate bills introduced October 1 would end the passing-score graduation mandate, speed up test results, replace the single gate with a tracked readiness framework, and require tiered supports by grade ten.

Sources:

- Senate Bill 4652 (222nd Legislature, introduced October 1, 2026, Sen. Turner): https://pub.njleg.state.nj.us/Bills/2026/S5000/4652_I1.PDF

- Senate Bill 4653 (222nd Legislature, introduced October 1, 2026, Sen. Turner): https://pub.njleg.state.nj.us/Bills/2026/S5000/4653_I1.PDF

- Senate Bill 4654 (222nd Legislature, introduced October 1, 2026, Sens. Turner and McKnight): https://pub.njleg.state.nj.us/Bills/2026/S5000/4654_I1.PDF

- NJDOE NJGPA-A results, cut scores, and fall 2026 retake dates via NJDOE broadcasts (Aug 5, Sep 2, Sep 16, 2026) and NJDOE Adaptive FAQ (updated Sep 23, 2026), as compiled at https://www.cuemath.com/blog/njgpa-results-2026/ — verify at nj.gov/education by searching: Fall 2026 NJGPA-A Key Dates and Information

- The Worthy Educator, 'Meanwhile, in New Jersey: Positioning Education for What's Next' (S4652/S4653/S4654 awareness summary): https://www.theworthyeducator.com/post/meanwhile-in-new-jersey-positioning-education-for-what-s-next

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In New Orleans East, Fannie C. Williams Charter School faces the district's first mid-contract revocation review, and the proposed merger into a ReNEW school would displace most of its students to a campus miles away — while statewide, families are signing acknowledgment forms for the new school threat law, Act 619, whose own state guidance says IDEA safeguards still apply.

Sources:

- Another charter gets early review as New Orleans looks to close schools (WWNO, via KRVS, October 16, 2026) — Fannie grades record, merger mechanics, October 15 family meeting, Batiste and Fulmore statements, steady enrollment: https://www.krvs.org/louisiana-news/2026-10-16/another-charter-gets-early-review-as-new-orleans-looks-to-close-schools

- Lower 9th Ward's only public school at risk due to low test scores (WWNO, via KRVS, October 8, 2026) — Dr. King Charter review, nine regular renewals, projected closures: https://www.krvs.org/louisiana-news/2026-10-08/lower-9th-wards-only-public-school-at-risk-due-to-low-test-scores

- Dr. King Charter board meets amid district's Triggered Revocation Review (The Lens / Lamplighter, October 2026) — October 1 initiation letters, material breach language: https://www.lamplighter.news/p/just-in-dr-king-charter-board-meets-tonight-amid-district-s-triggered-revocation-review

- By the Numbers: NOLA Public Schools enrollment and births (Evans Cutchmore Press, September 30, 2026) — district presentation analysis: enrollment 46,554 (2019) to 43,108 (2025), births down 25.6 percent, no seat-capacity figures in the deck, Act 687 November 15 report, November 5 hearing and December 9 vote: https://www.evanscutchmorepress.com/by-the-numbers-what-nola-public-schools-own-data-shows-about-enrollment-births-and-closures/

- School Threat Accountability and Safety Act Acknowledgement Guidelines (Louisiana Department of Education, released July 20, 2026) — menacing and terrorizing definitions and penalties, parental liability, and the statement that IDEA procedural safeguards remain applicable: https://doe.louisiana.gov/docs/default-source/policy/school-threat-accountability-and-safety-act-acknowledgement-form.pdf

- New Louisiana laws address school threats, misuse of AI-generated images (Avoyelles Today, 2026) — Act 619 effective August 1, 2026, first-five-days information requirement, employee reporting duties: https://www.avoyellestoday.com/new-louisiana-laws-address-school-threats-misuse-of-ai-generated-images/

For Fannie C. Williams' school-level demographics versus the district: not published in the district presentation or the WWNO reporting checked on October 25, 2026; search NOLA Public Schools data dashboard and the Louisiana Department of Education school report card for Fannie C. Williams Charter School.

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The recalibration committee votes after the Supreme Court ruling — activities funding sponsored, the technology plan rejected, meals and officers tabled to December — plus Wyoming's new federal Ed-Flex authority, the Class of 2026 ACT results, and the Midwest grades six through twelve closure proposal heading to trustees Monday night.

Sources:

- Wyoming Tribune Eagle (wyomingnews.com), 'School recalibration committee reconsiders bills after Wyoming Supreme Court ruling' — HB 192 activities vote six to five at ten point nine four four million dollars a year, technology bill at twelve point five million dollars a year voted down, nutrition and SRO bills tabled with a mid-December meeting planned: https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/school-recalibration-committee-reconsiders-bills-after-wyoming-supreme-court-ruling/article_c1d923e2-4aff-43b9-adfe-3dd8532e45fc.html

- Wyoming Department of Education release via EIN Presswire, 'U.S. Department of Education Approves Wyoming Department of Education Ed-Flex Authority Request' (published October 22, 2026) — Title I Part A carryover and Title IV Part A waivers, effective twenty twenty-seven to twenty twenty-eight, not retroactive: https://www.einpresswire.com/article/951603733/u-s-department-of-education-approves-wyoming-department-of-education-ed-flex-authority-request

- U.S. Department of Education Ed-Flex page (ed.gov) — Wyoming approved application October 15, 2026, authority through 2030-2031: search ed.gov for 'Ed-Flex' then open the Wyoming approved application and approval letter dated October 15, 2026

- Wyoming Department of Education, 'Superintendent Degenfelder Releases ACT Results for the 2026 Graduating Class' — average composite eighteen point nine, top two among eleven all-test states, benchmark and retake figures: https://edu.wyoming.gov/superintendent-degenfelder-releases-act-results-for-the-2026-graduating-class/

- Your Wyoming Link, 'Midwest School may lose half its classes, parents worry for students' (October 19, 2026) — grades six through twelve closure proposal for twenty twenty-seven to twenty twenty-eight, district email rationale, October 23 infrastructure committee report and October 26 trustees meeting: https://www.yourwyominglink.com/news/local/midwest-school-may-lose-half-its-classes-parents-worry-for-students/article_cc2d9358-4585-426d-8267-a4e1c8c1b35a.html

- Cowboy State Daily's The Roundup, Thursday October 22, 2026 episode notes — more than one hundred people at the Midwest Recreation Center meeting

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Green Bay's school board votes Monday, October 26, 2026 on a budget that assumes Wisconsin will reimburse thirty-eight percent of special education costs instead of the promised forty-five percent — how sum-certain aid proration works, why the shortfall moves into a thirty-three point three million dollar general-fund transfer, and what the same mechanism means statewide.

Sources:

- Green Bay Press-Gazette, 'Five parent, taxpayer takeaways from 23.5M GBAPS proposed budget' (October 13, 2026): https://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/story/news/education/2026/10/13/taxes-salary-changes-among-key-524m-gbaps-proposed-budget-takeaways/92139856007/

- Green Bay Press-Gazette, 'GBAPS proposes 13.5M budget, will hold meetings starting next week' (October 9, 2026): https://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/story/news/education/2026/10/09/gbaps-to-hold-hearings-on-proposed-313-5m-budget-tax-rate-to-drop/92152469007/

- WTAQ/WLUK (FOX 11), 'Green Bay School District proposes budget with mill rate drop, 1.22% levy increase' (October 13, 2026): https://wncy.com/2026/10/13/green-bay-school-district-proposes-budget-with-mill-rate-drop-1-22-levy-increase/

- WEAC, Special Education Funding Toolkit (October 7, 2026) — sum-certain proration, initial thirty-five percent and final roughly thirty-eight percent rates, ninety percent sum-sufficient reimbursement for Special Needs Scholarship Program schools: https://weac.org/resource-library/special-education-funding-toolkit

- Green Bay Press-Gazette, 'Schools face funding squeeze as voters pick Legislature' (September 29, 2026) — Milwaukee and Madison special education fund transfers: https://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/story/news/politics/elections/2026/09/29/could-wisconsins-next-legislature-rethink-how-schools-are-funded/91992145007/

- Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction fiscal estimate for Senate Bill 828 (docs.legis.wisconsin.gov — search: SB 828 DPI fiscal estimate special education sum sufficient): cost range for ninety percent sum-sufficient reimbursement

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Mason County Schools could receive a projected ninety million dollars a year from two data centers, but only if voters renew the school excess levy on November third under House Bill 2014 — plus what West Virginia's 2026 assessment results show about math, reading, science, and chronic absenteeism.

Sources:

- Charleston Gazette-Mail (via West Virginia Press Association), 'Is a data center worth $90M a year for schools? Mason County will soon decide' (Jarrod Barry, Oct. 20, 2026): https://wvpress.org/breaking-news/is-a-data-center-worth-90m-a-year-for-schools-mason-county-will-soon-decide/

- West Virginia Department of Education, 'WV Dept. of Education Releases Annual Assessment Results' (2026 results, released at the WVBE meeting): https://wvde.us/articles/wv-dept-education-releases-annual-assessment-results

- House Bill 2014 (2025), West Virginia Legislature high-impact data center law — search the West Virginia Legislature bill status page for 'House Bill 2014' 2025 session for the enrolled text

- West Virginia State Treasurer's Office report on Mason County data-center revenue, released the week of Oct. 19, 2026, as reported in the Gazette-Mail article above; search wvtreasury.gov for the Mason County data center report

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Washington's two highest educator honors for this cycle both went to multilingual learner educators — a kindergarten teacher in Kennewick and a paraeducator in Washougal — serving a population of roughly one hundred sixty thousand students statewide.

Sources:

- OSPI news release, October 10, 2026, Kori Cannon Named 2027 State Teacher of the Year and Dana Wilson Named 2026 Classified School Employee of the Year: https://ospi.k12.wa.us/about-ospi/news-center/news-releases/kori-cannon-named-2027-state-teacher-year-and-dana-wilson-named-2026-classified-school-employee-year

- Washington Caseload Forecast Council, Common Schools Bilingual Education forecast, February 2026 (Transitional Bilingual Instructional Program enrollment 157,560 in 2025-26; 159,371 forecast 2026-27): https://cfc.wa.gov/sites/default/files/Handouts/Common_Schools_Bilingual_Education.pdf

- OSPI Multilingual Education information session materials, January 8, 2026 (WIDA ACCESS window, accommodations, dual and heritage language grant allocations): https://ospi.k12.wa.us/sites/default/files/2026-02/meinfosession010826_1.pdf

- OSPI Multilingual Education information session materials, November 6, 2025 (WIDA ACCESS training and scheduling timeline): https://ospi.k12.wa.us/sites/default/files/2025-11/meinfosession110625.pdf

- KXL, Report Card Is In For Students Across The State Of Washington, September 10, 2026 (superintendent budget proposal including paraeducator salaries): https://www.kxl.com/report-card-is-in-for-students-across-the-state-of-washington/

- OSPI Teacher of the Year program page (next nomination period in January): https://ospi.k12.wa.us/educator-support/awards-recognition/educator-awards/teacher-year

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Virginia gave a first review on October 20, 2026 to draft pathways for an early childhood special education add-on endorsement — a shorter route into the state's number one critical shortage area, special education pre-kindergarten through grade twelve, as the preschool population of children with disabilities has risen twenty-four percent in two years. Sources: - Virginia Department of Education, Commonwealth of Virginia Critical Shortage Teaching Endorsement Areas for 2026-2027 School Year (doe.virginia.gov — search: Critical Shortage Teaching Endorsement Areas 2026-2027): Special Education PreK-12 ranked first, methodology from the October 1, 2024 Positions and Exits Collection, 101,392 FTE teachers - Virginia Board of Education agenda item and presentation, November 13, 2025, First Review of Notice of Intended Regulatory Action to Add a Special Education Early Childhood Add-On Endorsement (doe.virginia.gov document library — search: Special Education Early Childhood Add-On Endorsement NOIRA): current three pathways including 27 graduate semester hours, 24 percent growth in children ages 2-5 identified with a disability, proposed eligible endorsements, VQB5 coverage of about 12,000 classrooms, timeline through Fall/Winter 2026 Board review - Citizen Portal summary of the October 20, 2026 VDOE first review presentation of draft ECSE add-on pathways (citizenportal.ai — search: VDOE early-childhood special-education addon first review): coursework, assessment, and work-experience pathway options, 45-hour practicum or validated year under a provisional license - Virginia Administrative Code 8VAC20-23-140, Early childhood for three-year-olds and four-year-olds add-on endorsement (law.lis.virginia.gov — search: 8VAC20-23-140): 9 graduate semester hours plus a supervised practicum of at least 45 instructional hours, or one year of successful full-time teaching in lieu - Virginia Department of Education, Special Education December 1 Child Count page (doe.virginia.gov — search: December 1 Child Count 2026-27): presubmission window anticipated November 2, 2026, submission window December 1-14, 2026

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Utah's Senate Bill 241 puts third-grade reading retention into law for 2030, but the system that decides who gets there — individualized reading plans, science-of-reading teachers, and good cause exemptions — started running this fall, and Salt Lake City estimates about twenty-four percent of its current third graders would meet the retention criteria today. Sources: - S.B. 241, Early Literacy, 2026 General Session, Utah Legislature (le.utah.gov — search: SB 241 2026 early literacy): 80 percent third-grade reading goal for 2030, individualized reading plans, mandatory retention from the 2029-30 school year, good cause exemptions, science of reading training, three-cueing exclusion, paraprofessional funding - Utah State Board of Education, Utah Early Literacy Handbook Supporting Implementation of SB 241 (September 2026, schools.utah.gov): retention decision guide, literacy team composition, parent appeal form and good cause exemption list - Salt Lake City School District board presentation, October 7, 2026 (reported via Citizen Portal): Literacy for All rollout, estimate of about 315 third-graders, roughly 24 percent, meeting retention criteria before waivers or interventions - Salt Lake Chamber, Literacy Match announcement, October 13, 2026 (slchamber.com): business/donor matching to school K-3 literacy needs and funding tiers - Education Daily Wire reporting on SB 241: 2025 third-grade reading proficiency of 50.3 percent as the baseline for the 2030 goal

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Texas is rebuilding special education funding around service intensity instead of classroom setting, and districts are between an October eighth checkpoint and a December third deadline to recode every funded student's program. Sources: - Texas Education Agency, Special Education Funding Update (To the Administrator Addressed letter, updating April 16, 2026 guidance — tiers of intensity and service group allotments, October 8 and December 3, 2026 reporting deadlines, ESC 10 stipend grant, educational environment postponement): https://tea.texas.gov/taa-letters/special-education-funding-update - Senate Bill 568, 89th Texas Legislature, enrolled text (Texas Legislature Online, capitol.texas.gov — search: SB 568 89th Legislature enrolled): eight tiers of intensity, four service groups, Texas Education Code Sections 48.102, 48.1021, and 48.1022 - House Bill 2, 89th Texas Legislature, Article 4 (Texas Legislature Online, capitol.texas.gov — search: HB 2 89th Legislature) - Texas Senate press release on SB 568 (senate.texas.gov — search: Bettencourt SB 568 special education): evaluator stipend, transportation allotment, Parent-Directed Services rename - SB 568 fiscal note (Legislative Budget Board via legiscan.com — search: TX SB568 fiscal note): College, Career, and Military Readiness outcomes bonus for special education students doubled from 2,000 to 4,000 dollars and the approximately 250 million dollar statewide increase for fiscal year 2027

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Tennessee's State Board votes in November on vendor alternatives for teachers who fail a licensure test, TISA funding enters its final transition year, and a new law makes absence records follow transferring students.

Sources:

- Tennessee State Board of Education, Professional Assessments for Tennessee Educators Policy 5.105 drafts and July 15, 2026 member learning session materials: https://www.tn.gov (search: State Board of Education Policy 5.105)

- Formative Spaces newsroom summary of the Policy 5.105 proposal, vendor specifications, and emergency credential data: https://www.formativespaces.com/newsroom/tennessee-teacher-licensure-assessment-alternatives

- TriStar Daily, Can TISA Funding Work After the Safety Net Ends? (September 22, 2026): https://tristardaily.com/can-tisa-funding-work-after-the-safety-net-ends/

- Tennessee Department of Education, TISA Rules and 2026-27 base funding materials: https://www.tn.gov/education (search: TISA base funding 7,530 FY27)

- Columbia Daily Herald, Legislative Update: Restoring accountability in government (October 3, 2026), truancy enforcement provisions: https://www.columbiadailyherald.com/story/opinion/columns/2026/10/03/legislative-update-restoring-accountability-in-tn-government/92023921007/

- The 74, States Try New Measures to Get Chronically Absent Students Back to Class (FutureEd tracker): https://www.the74million.org/article/states-try-new-measures-to-get-chronically-absent-students-back-to-class/

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