The Every Student Succeeds Act: An ESSA Overview

The new Every Student Succeeds Act, signed into law Dec. 10, 2015, rolls back much of the federal government's big footprint in education ... Leadership Back Leadership Budget&Finance Equity&Diversity Families&theCommunity ProfessionalDevelopment Recruitment&Retention School&DistrictManagement SchoolClimate&Safety StudentAchievement StudentWell-Being Policy&Politics Back Policy&Politics PoliticsK-12 Accountability EducationFunding EveryStudentSucceedsAct Federal International Law&Courts SchoolChoice&Charters States Teaching&Learning Back Teaching&Learning Assessment College&WorkforceReadiness Curriculum EarlyChildhood English-LanguageLearners Mathematics Reading&Literacy Science SocialStudies SpecialEducation Standards Teaching TeacherPreparation TeachingProfession Technology Back Technology ClassroomTechnology Data Ed-TechPolicy FutureofWork ITInfrastructure ITManagement PersonalizedLearning Privacy&Security AllTopics Jobs Back Jobs SearchforJobs SignupforJobAlerts VirtualCareerFairs PostaJob CareerAdvice CareersatEdWeek Opinion Back Opinion OpinionBlogs SubmitanEssay SubmitaLettertotheEditor AboutUs Advertising&MarketingSolutions GroupSubscriptions RecruitmentAdvertising EventsandWebinars LeaderstoLearnFrom CurrentIssue SpecialReports Newsletters Resources Video EdWeekResearchCenter EdWeekTopSchoolJobs EdWeekMarketBrief Menu Search SignIn Subscribe TheEveryStudentSucceedsAct:AnESSAOverview Subscribe Reset Search Leadership Policy&Politics Teaching&Learning Technology Opinion Jobs MarketBrief EveryStudentSucceedsAct Explainer TheEveryStudentSucceedsAct:AnESSAOverview By AlysonKlein — March31,2016 7minread ThenewEveryStudentSucceedsActrollsbackmuchofthefederalgovernment'sbigfootprintineducationpolicy,oneverythingfromtestingandteacherqualitytolow-performingschools.Anditgivesbignewleewaytostatesincallingtheshots. That'sabigchangefromtheNoChildLeftBehindAct,whichESSAreplacedandupdated.EducationWeek'sAlysonKleinunpacksthedetailsofthenewlawandwhatitmeansforschools,educators,andstudents. Ourfullbackgrounderonthisissueisavailablehere:http://www.edweek.org/ew/issues/every-student-succeeds-act/index.html.ThelatestnewsonESSAisavailablehere:http://www.edweek.org/topics/every-student-succeeds-act/index.htmlEducationWeekVideo Sharearticle Remove Savetofavorites Savetofavorites Print Email LinkedIn Twitter CopyURL ThenewEveryStudentSucceedsAct,signedintolawDec.10,2015,rollsbackmuchofthefederalgovernment’sbigfootprintineducationpolicy,oneverythingfromtestingandteacherqualitytolow-performingschools.Anditgivesnewleewaytostatesincallingtheshots.That’sabigchangefromtheNoChildLeftBehindAct(NCLB),whichESSAreplacedandupdated.TheEveryStudentSucceedsActtakesfulleffectinthe2017-18schoolyear.Belowarekeyelementsofthelaw. AccountabilityPlans StatesstillhavetosubmitaccountabilityplanstotheEducationDepartment.ThesenewESSAplanswillstartinthe2017-18schoolyear.Thenamesofpeer-reviewershavetobemadepublic.Astatecangetahearingifthedepartmentturnsdownitsplan. AccountabilityGoals Statescanpicktheirowngoals,bothabiglong-termgoal,andsmaller,interimgoals.Thesegoalsmustaddress:proficiencyontests,English-languageproficiency,andgraduationrates.Goalshavetosetanexpectationthatallgroupsthatarefurthestbehindclosegapsinachievementandgraduationrates. AccountabilitySystems ElementaryandMiddleSchools Statesneedtoincorporateatleastfourindicatorsintotheiraccountabilitysystems.Themenuincludesthreeacademicindicators:proficiencyonstatetests,English-languageproficiency,plussomeotheracademicfactorthatcanbebrokenoutbysubgroup,whichcouldbegrowthonstatetests.Statesarerequiredtoaddatleastoneadditionalindicatorofaverydifferentkind.Possibilitiesinclude:studentengagement,educatorengagement,accesstoandcompletionofadvancedcoursework,postsecondaryreadiness,schoolclimate/safety,orwhateverelsethestatethinksmakessense.Stateshavetofigureinparticipationratesonstatetests.(Schoolswithlessthan95percentparticipationaresupposedtohavethatincluded,somehow.)Butparticipationrateisastand-alonefactor,notaseparateindicatoronitsown.HighSchoolsHighschoolswillbejudgedbybasicallythesamesetofindicators,exceptthatgraduationrateswillhavetobepartofthemix.Theycouldtaketheplaceofasecondacademicindicator.WeighingtheIndicators Itwillbeuptothestatestodecidehowmuchtheindividualindicatorswillcount,althoughtheacademicfactors(tests,graduationrates,etc.)willhavetocount“much”moreasagroupthantheindicatorsthatgetatstudents’opportunitytolearnandpost-secondaryreadiness. Low-PerformingSchools Stateshavetoidentifyandinterveneinthebottom5percentofperformers.Theseschoolshavetobeidentifiedatleastonceeverythreeyears.Stateshavetoidentifyandinterveneinhighschoolswherethegraduationrateis67percentorless. States,withdistricts,havetoidentifyschoolswheresubgroupsofstudentsarestruggling. SchoolInterventions Forthebottom5percentofschoolsandforhighschoolswithhighdropoutrates:Districtswillworkwithteachersandschoolstafftocomeupwithanevidence-basedplan.Stateswillmonitortheturnaroundeffort.Ifschoolscontinuetofounder,afternomorethanfouryearsthestatewillberequiredtostepinwithitsownplan.Astatecouldtakeovertheschoolifitwanted,orfiretheprincipal,orturntheschoolintoacharter.Districtscouldalsoallowforpublicschoolchoiceoutofseriouslylow-performingschools,buttheyhavetogiveprioritytothestudentswhoneeditmost.Forschoolswheresubgroupstudentsarestruggling: Schoolshavetocomeupwithanevidence-basedplantohelptheparticulargroupofstudentswhoarefallingbehind,suchasminoritystudentsorthoseinspecialeducation.Districtsmustmonitortheseplans.Iftheschoolcontinuestofallshort,thedistrictwouldstepin,thoughthere’snospecifiedtimeline.Importantly,there’salsoaprovisioncallingforstatesanddistrictstocomeupwitha“comprehensiveimprovementplan”inschoolswheresubgroupsarechronicallyunderperforming,despitelocalinterventions.TheSchoolImprovementGrantprogramisconsolidatedintothebiggerTitleIpot,whichhelpsdistrictseducatestudentsinpoverty.Statescouldsetasideupto7percentofalltheirTitleIfundsforschoolimprovement,upfrom4percentincurrentlaw. Testing Statesstillhavetoteststudentsinreadingandmathingrades3through8andonceinhighschool,andbreakoutthedataforwholeschools,plusdifferent“subgroups”ofstudents(English-learners,studentsinspecialeducation,racialminorities,thoseinpoverty).ESSAmaintainsthefederalrequirementfor95percentparticipationintests.Statesareprohibitedfromcombiningdifferentsetsofstudentsintoso-called“supersubgroups”foraccountabilitypurposes.Uptosevenstatescanapplytotryoutlocaltestsforalimitedtime,withthepermissionoftheU.S.DepartmentofEducation.Districtscanuselocal,nationallyrecognizedtestsatthehighschoollevel,withstatepermission,suchastheSATorACT.Statescancreatetheirowntestingopt-outlaws,andstatesdecidewhatshouldhappeninschoolsthatmisstargets. Standards Statesarerequiredtoadopt“challenging”academicstandards.ThatcouldbetheCommonCoreStateStandards,butdoesn’thavetobe. TheU.S.SecretaryofEducationisexpresslyprohibitedfromforcingorevenencouragingstatestopickaparticularsetofstandards(includingthecommoncore). TransitionFromtheNoChildLeftBehindAct WaiversfromtheNCLBlawarenullandvoidonAug.1,2016,butstatesstillhavetocontinuesupportingtheirlowest-performingschools(“priorityschools”)andschoolswithbigachievementgaps(“focusschools”)untiltheirnewESSAplanskickedin.Ingeneral,ESSAappliestoanycompetitivefederalgrantsgivenoutafterOct.1,2016,somostgrantsarestillundertheNCLBversionofthelawfortherestofthisschoolyear. English-LanguageLearners AccountabilityforEnglish-languagelearnersmovesfromTitleIII(theEnglish-languageacquisitionsectionoftheESEA)toTitleI(whereeveryoneelse’saccountabilityis).Theideaistomakeaccountabilityforthosestudentsapriority.StatescanincludeEnglish-languagelearners’testscoresaftertheyhavebeeninthecountryayear,asundercurrentlaw.Duringthatfirstyear,thosestudents’testscoreswon’tcounttowardaschool’srating,butELLswillneedtotakebothoftheassessments,andhavetheresultspubliclyreported.Inthesecondyear,thestatehastoincorporateELLs’resultsforbothreadingandmath,usingsomemeasureofgrowth.Andintheirthirdyearinthecountry,theproficiencyscoresofnewlyarrivedELLswillbetreatedjustlikeanyotherstudents’. StudentsinSpecialEducation Only1percentofstudentsoverallcanbegivenalternativetests.(That’sabout10percentofstudentsinspecialeducation.) Programs BlockGrantAnew$1.6billionblockgrantconsolidatesdozensofprograms,includingsomeinvolvingphysicaleducation,AdvancedPlacement,schoolcounseling,andeducationtechnology.Districtsthatgetmorethan$30,000havetospendatleast20percentoftheirfundingonatleastoneactivitythathelpsstudentsbecomewell-rounded,andanother20percentonatleastoneactivitythathelpsstudentsbesafeandhealthy.Andpartofthemoneycanbespentontechnology. TheEveryStudentSucceedsActwassignedbyPresidentBarackObamaonDec.10,2015.EvanVucci/AP Someprogramsliveonasseparatelineitems,includingthe21stCenturyCommunityLearningCenters.NeworExisting TheESSAenshrinesthePreschoolDevelopmentGrantprograminlawandfocusesitonprogramcoordination,quality,andbroadeningaccesstoearly-childhoodeducation.ButtheprogramishousedattheDepartmentofHealthandHumanServices,jointlyadministeredbytheEducationDepartment.Anew,evidence-basedresearchandinnovationprogramiscreated,describedbysomeassimilartotheObamaadministration’sInvestinginInnovationprogram.Otherhighlightsincludeastandaloneprogramforparentengagement,alongwithreservationsforartseducation,giftedandtalentededucation,andReadytoLearntelevision. WeightedStudentFunding Apilotprogramwilllet50districtstryoutaweightedstudent-fundingformula,combiningstate,local,andfederalfundstobetterservelow-incomestudentsandthosewithspecialneeds. Teachers Stateswillnolongerhavetodoteacherevaluationthroughstudentoutcomes,astheydidunderNCLBwaivers.TheNCLBlaw’s“highlyqualifiedteacher”requirementisofficiallyathingofthepast. TheformerTeacherIncentiveFund—nowcalledtheTeacherandSchoolLeaderInnovationProgram—willprovidegrantstodistrictsthatwanttotryoutperformancepayandotherteacher-qualityimprovementmeasures.ESSAalsoincludesresourcesforhelpingtrainteachersonliteracyandSTEM. FundingandOtherIssues ThecurrentTitleIfundingformularemainsintact,buttherearesomechangestotheTitleIIformula(whichfundsteacherquality)thatwillbeaboontoruralstates.Maintenanceofeffortwillremaininplace,requiringstatestokeepuptheirownspendingataparticularlevelinordertotapfederalfunds. AlysonKlein Follow Unfollow AssistantEditor,  EducationWeek AlysonKleinisanassistanteditorforEducationWeek. twitter email RelatedTags: LowPerformingSchools HighStakesTesting NoChildLeftBehindAct FederalPolicy ESSAResourcesU.S.DepartmentofEducation’sESSAPageSpecialReport:InsidetheNewFederalK-12LawVideo:EducationSecretaryJohnB.KingJr.DiscussesESSANoChildLeftBehind:AnOverviewHowtoCiteThisArticleKlein,A.(2016,March31).TheEveryStudentSucceedsAct:AnESSAOverview.EducationWeek.RetrievedMonthDay,Yearfromhttps://www.edweek.org/policy-politics/the-every-student-succeeds-act-an-ESSA-overview/2016/03 MostPopularStories Openimagecaption Closeimagecaption MaryHassdykforEducationWeek Equity&Diversity Explainer WhatIsCriticalRaceTheory,andWhyIsItUnderAttack? 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ViewJobs CreateYourOwnJobSearch ReadNext EveryStudentSucceedsAct BidenEducationDepartmentApprovesOneRequesttoCancelStateTestsButRejectsOthers OfficialswillallowD.C.tocanceltests.Theydeniedsimilarrequestsfromtwootherstatesandapprovedlessextensivewaiverrequests. EvieBlad&AndrewUjifusa • 6minread Remove Savetofavorites Openimagecaption Closeimagecaption smolaw11/iStock/Getty EveryStudentSucceedsAct RepublicansTellMiguelCardonaHisPlanforESSAWaiversSeemstoViolatetheLaw TheEveryStudentSucceedsActdoesn'tpermittheeducationsecretarytoseekcertaindatahe'saskingfor,thetwoGOPlawmakerssay. AndrewUjifusa • 4minread Remove Savetofavorites Openimagecaption Closeimagecaption WhiteHousepresssecretaryJenPsaki,left,listensasEducationSecretaryMiguelCardona,center,speaksduringapressbriefingattheWhiteHouseonMarch17,2021. AndrewHarnik/AP EveryStudentSucceedsAct HowWillESSAHoldUpDuringCOVID-19?PandemicTeststheLaw'sResilience LawmakersdesignedESSAtolimitmandatescoveringissueslikehowtestsareused.Willthataffecthowwellthelawsurvivesthepandemic? AndrewUjifusa • 6minread Remove Savetofavorites EveryStudentSucceedsAct BetsyDeVosTellsStatesNottoExpectWaiversFromAnnualTests Thetestsrequiredbyfederallawarecrucialtohelpingschoolsrespondtothecoronaviruspandemicandhelpvulnerablestudents,theeducationsecretarysaidinalettertochiefstateschoolofficers. AndrewUjifusa • 3minread Remove Savetofavorites LoadMore▼ SignUp&SignIn Createafreeaccounttosaveyourfavoritearticles,followimportanttopics,signupforemailnewsletters,andmore. CreateAccount