Northern Lehigh School Board on Monday was given insight into the Every Student Succeeds Act.

Assistant Superintendent Karen Nicholas highlighted key objectives of the act, which was signed into law last month.Nicholas told the board the act replaces No Child Left Behind.She said that the bill maintains that there are two tests in reading and math per child per year in grades three through eight, and once in high school, as well as a science test given three times between grades three and 12.Also, Nicholas said the states will be given additional flexibility to pilot innovative assessment systems in school districts across the state.Additionally, she said the new act affirms state control over the standards, so the bill affirms that states decide what academic standards they will adopt without interference from Washington.Further, Nicholas said the federal government may not mandate that states adopt or maintain any particular set of standards, including the Common Core, so the states will be free to decide what academic standards they will maintain in their states."We are in flux," Nicholas said. "We, as educators, will be waiting to see what Pennsylvania decides as far as the state standards and the assessments that we will be using."Regardless, Nicholas said students in the district will continue to be successful.Other businessThe board also:• Appointed Ryan Stillwell as Life Skills Support Teacher, grades 3-7, replacing Theresa Lobach, who retired, at a salary of $46,200 prorated.• Acknowledged that teacher Michelle Hock has completed the requirements that entitles her to a salary increase for the 2015-16 school year.• Approved Lori King, elementary K-6, as a substitute teacher for the 2015-16 school year, as approved at the Oct. 12 board meeting.• Approved Joanne Perich as an unpaid volunteer aide in the Peters and Slatington Elementary schools for the 2015-16 school year.• Appointed Christopher Baumann as a game worker for the 2015-16 school year.• Granted permission to Michele Dotta to attend the PDE Conference Making A Difference: Educational Practices that Work!, Feb. 10-12, at the Hershey Lodge Convention Center, Hershey, with the cost of registration $120; lodging, $152; meals, $57; and travel, $88, for a total approximate cost of $417, to be paid for from the Special Education Budget.• Granted permission to Shawn Green to attend the Pennsylvania School Librarians Association 43rd Annual Conference, May 12-14, at the Hershey Lodge Convention Center, Hershey, with the cost of registration $175, and lodging, $344, for a total approximate cost of $519, to be paid for from the Slatington Elementary Library budget.• Granted permission to Bryan Geist to attend the 49th Pennsylvania State Athletic Directors Association Conference, March 15-18, at the Hershey Lodge Convention Center, Hershey, with the cost of registration $225, and lodging, $581, for a total approximate cost of $806, with funding to come from the district's Athletic Department budget.• Granted permission to Karen Nicholas to attend the PA Excellence in eLearning Forum, April 6-8, at the Kalahari Resorts & Conventions, Pocono Manor, with the cost of meals $50, and travel, $44, for a total approximate cost of $94, to be paid for from the district's Curriculum & Instruction budget.• Agreed to enter into a five-year Service Agreement with PenTeleData for 1 Gigabit Point to Point connectivity between Slatington Elementary School and Carbon Lehigh Intermediate Unit 21, in the amount of $1,300 per month.• Approved the Athletic Training/Sports Medicine Services Agreement between St. Luke's University Health Network and the school district.