What Is the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)? | Understood

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) is the main education law for public schools in the United States. · The law holds schools accountable for how students ... SkiptocontentThispageisinEnglishEN|ESExploreourresourcesContentlibraryHowtospotsignsinkidsPodcastsWorkplaceresourcesWunderappforparentsAboutusOurmissionOurleadershipHowwestartedRedefiningaccessibilityEditorialstandardsMediacenterBlogPartnershipsDonateJoinourteamPrivacypolicyTermsofuseFundraisingdisclosureSitemapBecausedifferencesareourgreateststrengthDonateOpensnewwindowWhysupportUnderstood?AtaglanceTheEveryStudentSucceedsAct(ESSA)isthemaineducationlawforpublicschoolsintheUnitedStates.Thelawholdsschoolsaccountableforhowstudentslearnandachieve.ESSAaimstoprovideanequalopportunityfordisadvantagedstudents,includingthosewhogetspecialeducation. TheEveryStudentSucceedsAct(ESSA)isthemainlawforK–12publiceducationintheUnitedStates.ItreplacedNoChildLeftBehind. ESSAisalarge,complexlaw.Itaffectsallstudentsinpublicschools.ThemainpurposeofESSAistomakesurepublicschoolsprovideaqualityeducationforallkids.Itgivesstatesacentralroleinhowschoolsaccountforstudentachievement.Thisincludestheachievementofhistoricallydisadvantagedstudentswhofallintooneormoreoffourkeygroups:StudentsinpovertyStudentsofcolorStudentswhoreceivespecialeducationservicesThosewithlimitedEnglishlanguageskillsUnderESSA,eachstatecreatesaneducationplanforitsschoolswithinaframeworkprovidedbythefederalgovernment.Thelawgivesparentsandcaregiversachancetoweighinontheseplans.Eachstateplanmustdescribe:AcademicstandardsAnnualtestingSchoolaccountabilityGoalsforacademicachievementPlansforsupportingandimprovingstrugglingschoolsStateandlocalreportcardsThesearen’ttheonlyrequirementsforstatesandschooldistricts.Butthey’retheonesthatmostdirectlyimpactkidswholearnandthinkdifferently. ESSAalsoprovidesfundingforliteracyprogramsandothergrants.Anditencouragesinnovationinhowschoolsteachkids.BecauseoftheCOVID-19pandemic,thefederalgovernmenthaswaivedsomeofESSA’srules.Forexample,stateshavemoreflexibilityonannualtestingandschoolaccountability.Keepthisinmindasyoureadmore.Thingsmaychangeasschoolsreturntonormal.DivedeeperAcademicstandardsUnderESSA,eachstatemaysetitsownacademicstandardsandcourseworkforschools.Thisisthematerialstudentsareexpectedtolearnineachgrade.ESSArequiresthatstateshave“challenging”academicstandardsinreading,math,andscience.Thismeansastate’scurriculummustpreparestudentstosucceedincollegeandinacareer.Also,statesmustapplythesestandardsto all students,includingthosewithlearningandthinkingdifferences.Readmoreaboutstateacademicstandards. AnnualtestingESSArequiresstatestoteststudents.Butthenumberandkindsoftestsdependonthegradelevelofthechild.Statesmustteststudentsinreadingandmathonceayearingrades 3through 8,aswellasonceinhighschool.Theymustalsotestkidsinscienceonceingradeschool,middleschool,andhighschool.Also,statesmustprovide accommodations onthesetestsandlisttheminstudents’IEPsor504plans.Only1 percentofstudentscanbegivenalternatetests.Thesetestsaredifferentfromthestate’sgeneraleducationtests.Justasmallnumberofkidswithcognitivedisabilitiestakethesekindsofassessments.Learnmoreaboutaccommodations forthesetests. SchoolaccountabilityESSArequiresstatestoholdschoolsaccountableforhowstudentsachieve.Thismeanseachstateisresponsibleforhavingaplaninplacetoidentifyschoolsthatareunderperforming.Underthelaw,therearespecificthingsthatmustbeinthestate’saccountabilityplan.ESSArequireseachstatetochooseaminimumoffivewaystomeasureschoolperformance.Thefirstfourareacademicindicatorsthataremandatory:AcademicachievementAcademicprogressEnglishlanguageproficiencyHighschoolgraduationratesThefifthmeasuremustbeawaytomeasureschoolqualityorstudentsuccess,andstatescanselectmorethanonewaytodothis.Forexample,statescanchoosetomeasureanyofthefollowingareas:KindergartenreadinessAccesstoandcompletionofadvancedcourseworkCollegereadinessDisciplineratesChronicabsenteeismUnderESSA,thestatemustuseatleastfivemeasurestoevaluatehowschoolsareservingkids.Butthefirstfouracademicindicatorshavethemostweight.GoalsforacademicachievementStatesmustsetachievementgoalsforstudents.Thismeansstateshavetocomeupwithawaytomeasureifstudentsareimprovingornot.Thesegoalsareimportantforstudentswhotendtostrugglemorethanothers,likestudentswhogetspecialeducationservices.Thestatemustset“ambitious”goalsforkidswhoareoftenthefurthestbehind.Forexample,thestatemaysetalong-termgoaltoraisethehighschoolgraduationratesforstudentsinspecialeducation.Andtoreachthislong-termgoal,theremightbeshorter-termwaysofmeasuringprogress.Thiscanhelptomakesurestudentsareontrack.Thesegoalsaresupposedtohelpstrugglingstudentscatchupandclosetheachievementgapwithotherstudents.Again,thesegoalsmustbespelledoutineachESSAstateplan. PlansforimprovingstrugglingschoolsESSArequiresstatestoidentifyschoolsthatarestruggling.Therearetwocategoriesofstrugglingschoolsthatstatesmusttrytoimprove:“ComprehensiveSupportandImprovement”schools,whicharethelowest-performingschoolsinastate“TargetedSupportandImprovement”schools,wherecertainstudentgroupsareconsistentlyunderperformingUnderESSA,onceaschoolisconsidered“struggling,”statesandschooldistrictsmustcreateplanstotrytohelpgettheschoolbackontrack.Thelawrequiresthattheplansmustuseevidence-basedteachingandapproaches.Findoutwhatittakesforinstructiontobeevidence-based. StateandlocalreportcardsESSArequiresthateachstateandschooldistrictpublishreportcards.Thisisabigpartofthelaw.Thismeansstatesandlocalschooldistrictsmusthavepublicinformationavailableonhowschoolsaredoing.Amongotherthings,thefollowingmustbereported:TestscoreresultsHighschoolgraduationratesSchoolfundinginformationTeacherqualificationThereportcardsalsogivedetailson“subgroups”ofstudents.Thisincludesstudentsofcolor,kidsinpoverty,thoselearningEnglish,andstudentsinspecialeducation.Thereportcardsshowparentshowwellorpoorlyschoolsareservingtheirkids.Ifastateidentifiesaschoolorsubgroupasstruggling,itmustnotifyparents.Findyourschool’sreportcard. TheroleparentsandcaregiversplayinESSAESSArequiresstatestoincludeparentsandcaregiversintheschoolaccountabilityprocess.Thisinputhelpsensurethatschoolsfocusondisadvantagedkids.Therearetwokeyareastogetinvolved.First,parentsandcaregiverscanweighinontheirstateESSAplan.Theycangiveinputonthegoalsforachievement,accountability,andstrugglingstudents.Second,theyhaveasayinthereportcardsintheirstate.Thishelpsensurethatthepublicknowshowschoolsaredoing.Learnmorebyreachingouttoyourstate’sdepartmentofeducation ortoUnderstoodfoundingpartnertheNationalCenterforLearningDisabilities (NCLD). ReadingandliteracyprogramsunderESSAApartfromthestateplans,ESSAprovidesfundingforseveraloptionalprogramstoassistschools.Thisincludestwoimportantreadingandliteracyprogramsforstudents.ThelawauthorizedthecreationoftheNationalCenteronImprovingLiteracy.Thecenteractsasaclearinghouseforinformationrelatedtoliteracyandstudentswithdisabilities. ESSAalsoprovidesliteracyeducationgrantstostates.Sincethelawpassed,Congresshasprovidedmillionsofdollarsinfundingforevidence-basedliteracyinstruction. SchoolinnovationunderESSAFinally,ESSAencouragesschoolstoinnovate.Tryingnewteachingmethodsandpracticescanhelpkidswithlearningandthinkingdifferences.Forexample,ESSAsupportsUniversalDesignforLearning (UDL).Thisisanapproachthatoffersstudentsmanywaystolearnthesamematerial.UDLisn’tjusthelpfulforstudentsinspecialeducation.Itallows all studentstousedifferentmethodstoshowwhattheyknow.Andthatgivesthemanequalchancetothriveinschool.ESSAalsoencouragesstatestoexpandpersonalizedlearning.Thisapproachaimstomeetstudentswheretheyare.Itletskidslearnattheirownpaceandtohaveasayinhowandwhattheylearn. TelluswhatinterestsyouSeeyourrecommendationsShareEmailAbouttheauthorAbouttheauthorAndrewM.I.Lee,JDisaneditorandattorneywhostrivestohelppeopleunderstandcomplexlegal,education,andparentingissues.Discoverwhat’spossiblewhenyou’reunderstood.We’llemailyouourmosthelpfulstoriesandresources.EmailSignupWunderThefirstcommunityappforparentsandcaregiversofchildrenwholearnandthinkdifferently.LearnmoreCopyright©2014-2022UnderstoodForAllInc.