The Difference Between ESSA and No Child Left Behind

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) is the main federal law for K–12 general education. It covers all students in public schools. When it was passed in 2015, ... SkiptocontentThispageisinEnglishEN|ESExploreourresourcesContentlibraryHowtospotsignsinkidsPodcastsWorkplaceresourcesWunderappforparentsAboutusOurmissionOurleadershipHowwestartedRedefiningaccessibilityEditorialstandardsMediacenterBlogPartnershipsDonateJoinourteamPrivacypolicyTermsofuseFundraisingdisclosureSitemapBecausedifferencesareourgreateststrengthDonateOpensnewwindowWhysupportUnderstood?TheEveryStudentSucceedsAct(ESSA)isthemainfederallawforK–12generaleducation.Itcoversallstudentsinpublicschools.Whenitwaspassedin2015,ESSAreplacedthecontroversialNoChildLeftBehind(NCLB).Thetwolawsaredifferent,buttheyhavesomethingsincommon.Thischartshowsthedifferencesbetweenthem. EveryStudentSucceedsActNoChildLeftBehindStatevs.federalauthorityStatesareresponsibleforholdingschoolsaccountableforstudentachievement.Thelawprovidesaframework,butit’saflexibleframework.Eachstatecansetitsowngoalsforstudentachievementwithinthatfederalframework.Stateswereresponsibleforholdingschoolsaccountableforstudentachievement.Thelawprovidedaframeworkforstates,buttherewaslessflexibilityforstatestosettheirowngoals.Thelawalsoputforwardauniversalgoalthateverystudentineveryschoolbeproficientinreadingandmath.AnnualtestingStatesmustteststudentsinreadingandmathonceayearingrades3through8,aswellasonceinhighschool.Theymustalsotestkidsinscienceonceingradeschool,middleschoolandhighschool.StudentswithIEPsor504planscangetaccommodationsonallannualstatetests.Statesaren’tlimitedtousingtheirowntests.Theycanusenationallyrecognizedtests,suchastheSATandACT.(Butthosescoresaren’tnecessarilyvalidforcollegeadmission.)Only1percentofallstudentscanbegiven“alternate”tests.ESSAencouragesstatesanddistrictstogetridofunnecessarytesting.Thelawincludesfundingforthemtoaudittheircurrenttesting.ESSAwillalsoprovidefundsforsevenstatestoexplore“innovative”tests.Theseareteststhatalignwithpersonalizedlearningandcompetency-basededucation.Stateshadtoteststudentsinreadingandmathonceayearingrades3through8,aswellasonceinhighschool.Theyalsohadtotestkidsinscienceonceingradeschool,middleschoolandhighschool.StudentswithIEPsor504planscouldgetaccommodationsonthesetests.Statesdidn’thavetheoptiontousetestsotherthantheirownstatetests.Therewasnolimitonthenumberofstudentswhocouldtake“alternate”tests.AcademicstandardsStateshavetoadopt“challenging”academicstandardsinreading,mathandscience.ThatcouldbetheCommonCoreStateStandards.Butthefederalgovernmentcan’ttrytoinfluenceastate’sdecision.Stateshadtoadopt“challenging”academicstandardsinreading,mathandscience.Thelawdidn’tbarthefederalgovernmentfromencouragingstatestoadoptaparticularsetofstandards.AccountabilitymeasuresWithESSA,statesmustconsidermorethanjusttestscoreswhenevaluatingschools.Eachstatemustusefouracademicfactorsthatareincludedinthelaw.Statescanchooseafifthfactorthatimpactsschoolquality.Therequiredacademicfactorsmustbe:ReadingandmathtestscoresEnglish-languageproficiencytestscoresHighschoolgraduationratesAstate-chosenacademicmeasureforgradeschoolsandmiddleschoolsTheschool-qualityfactorcouldincludethingslike:KindergartenreadinessAccesstoandcompletionofadvancedcourseworkCollegereadinessSchoolclimateandsafetyChronicabsenteeismOverall,statesmustgivemoreweighttotheacademicfactorsthantotheschool-qualityfactors.NCLBfocusedsolelyonstudentacademicachievementandprimarilyusedstatereadingandmathtestscoreswhenevaluatinghowschoolsweredoing.AchievementtargetsStatesmustsetachievementtargetsforstudentsinschools.Statesmustalsosetambitiousgoalsforgroupsofstudentswhoarethefurthestbehind,likestudentsinspecialeducation.Thesegoalsshouldhelpclosethegapwithotherstudents.Therearenofederalpenaltiesforstrugglingschools.Instead,theseschoolswillgetmorefundingandwillhavetodevelopaplantoimprove.Stateshadtobringallstudentsuptothe“proficient”levelonstatetests.Thisincludedstudentsinspecialeducation.Statesalsohadtosettargetsforimprovement,calledadequateyearlyprogress(AYP).Ifaschooldidn’tmeetAYP,itcouldbelabeledas“needingimprovement.”Itcouldberequiredtofireitsstaffandfaceotherfederalpenalties.StrugglingstudentsandschoolsStatesandschooldistrictsmusthaveaplanforhelpingschoolsthat:Havehighdrop-outratesAreconsistentlystruggling,orHaveaspecificgroupofstudents,likethoseinspecialeducation,whoarestrugglingDecisionsaboutwhattodomaybemadebythestate,orbylocalschooldistrictsandschools.ButESSArequiresstatestouseevidence-basedmethodstohelpthesestrugglingschoolsandstudents.Ifaschoolorsubgroupofstudentswasstruggling,thefederalgovernmentofferedthestateaspecificsetofactionstotaketoimprovetheschool.Therewaslimitedlocaldecision-making.StateandschooldistrictreportcardsSchoolsmustpubliclyreporttestresults,othermeasuresofstudentachievement,andinformationabouthowmuchfundingtheyarereceiving.Theymustbreakthesedownby“subgroups”ofstudents.Thereportinghastoshowtheperformanceofstudentsinspecialeducation,minorities,thoseinpovertyandthoselearningEnglish.Ifastateidentifiesaschoolorsubgroupasstruggling,itmusttellparents.Schoolshadtopubliclyreporttestresultsandothermeasuresofstudentachievement.Theyhadtobreakthesedownby“subgroups”ofstudents.Thereportinghadtoshowtheperformanceofstudentsinspecialeducation,minorities,thoseinpovertyandthoselearningEnglish.NationalCenteronReadingIssuesESSAcallsforthecreationofanationalcenterfocusedonliteracyandreadingissuesforkidswithdisabilities.Thisincludesdyslexia.Thecenterwillbeaclearinghouseforinformationforparentsandteachers.NCLBdidn’tincludeanationalliteracycenter.LiteracyprogramsESSAhasaliteracyeducationgrantprogram.Thisprogramauthorizesupto$160millioninliteracygrantstostatesandschools.Thegrantsfundevidence-basedinstructioninliteracyskills,includingwriting,phonologicalawarenessanddecoding.NCLBhadseveralliteracyprogramsthathavesincebeendefunded.UDLandpersonalizedlearningESSAendorsesUniversalDesignforLearning(UDL).Thisapproachtoteachingaimstomeettheneedsofallstudents,includingthosewithlearningandthinkingdifferences.Thelawalsoencouragesstatestoexpandpersonalizedlearningforstudents.NCLBdidn’tincludeUDLorpersonalizedlearning.ParentinvolvementESSArequiresstatestogetinputfromparentsandfamiliesastheycreatestateplans.Togetinvolved,reachouttoyourstate’sdepartmentofeducation.NCLBdidn’trequirestatestoincludeparentinputwhencreatingtheirstateplans.Opt-outESSAdoesn’tcreateafederalopt-outoptionifparentsdon’twanttheirchildtotakestandardizedtests.Butitalsodoesn’tstopstatesfromhavingtheirownopt-outlaws.NCLBdidn’taddresstheopt-outissue.ESSAisfairlynew,soitmaybeawhilebeforeyouknowhowitwillimpactyourchild’seducation.UnderESSA,stateshaveabiggerroleinholdingschoolsaccountable.Tofindouthowtogetinvolvedwithyourstate’saccountabilityplan,reachouttoyourlocalParentTrainingandInformationCenter.RelatedtopicsSchoolsupportsTelluswhatinterestsyouSeeyourrecommendationsShareEmailAbouttheauthorAbouttheauthorTheUnderstoodTeamismadeupofpassionatewritersandeditors.Manyofthemhavekidswholearnandthinkdifferently.ReviewedbyReviewedbyLindsayJones,JDischiefexecutiveofficeroftheNationalCenterforLearningDisabilities(NCLD).Discoverwhat’spossiblewhenyou’reunderstood.We’llemailyouourmosthelpfulstoriesandresources.EmailSignupWunderThefirstcommunityappforparentsandcaregiversofchildrenwholearnandthinkdifferently.LearnmoreCopyright©2014-2022UnderstoodForAllInc.