1 Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015: Highlights and Implementation Update SOL Innovation Committee Meeting April 13, 2016

Background 2

Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Signed into law on December 15, 2015 Originally authorized as the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) Amended as the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) Background Initial focus was on equitable educational opportunity for all students (War on Poverty) Authorized federal funding to ensure equity, especially for students in poverty Title I – most prominent program (funds to schools with high percentages of students from impoverished backgrounds) 3

Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) NCLB “replaced” ESEA in 2001: Focus on assessment and accountability Mandated testing in grades 3-8 and once in high school Focus on “core” topics of reading and mathematics School sanctions for missing external benchmarks (Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)) 4 Mandated interventions using federal School Improvement funds

Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Unintended Consequences of NCLB : List of “failing” schools paralleled poverty % Sanctions “de-moralized” staff Test prep dominated school day and year Teachers reverted to “drill and kill” methodology – not best practice approaches Non-tested subjects pushed out of school day Parent/community backlash – “anti-testing” 5

Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Virginia “ahead” of many other states: Functioning accountability system for 20 years 15 years of testing experience Already underway with reforms to bring accountability in line with 21 st century needs o Elimination of 140 clock hour standard o Additions of “Partially Accredited: Approaching Benchmark” and “Partially Accredited: Improving School” for accreditation o Elimination of 5 SOL tests (from 34 to 29) o Development of Local Performance Assessments in social studies and science 6

7 ESSA: General Information

Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Improvements to Accountability System States set college- and career-ready standards and create assessments States (not federal government) are responsible for school improvement decisions States determine teacher evaluation systems Limited authority for U.S. Department of Education and Secretary of Education 8

Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Continued from NCLB Most “title programs” continue Testing still mandated (civil rights action) MUST disaggregate data by “subgroups” MUST intervene in lowest–achieving schools (bottom 5% under ESSA) 9

Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) TRANSITION TIMELINE: ESEA Flexibility Plan ESSA Full Implementation 10

USED Authority for Orderly Transition To ESSA The Secretary shall take such steps as are necessary to provide for the orderly transition to, and implementation of, programs authorized under the ESEA, as amended by ESSA, from programs authorized under the ESEA, as amended by NCLB. (Section 4(b) of ESSA) 11

Full ESSA Implementation on “Hold” Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2016 In general, Fiscal Year 2016 formula grant funds for the school year will be awarded and administered in accordance with the ESEA, as amended by NCLB. 12

ESEA Flexibility (NCLB Waivers) ESEA Flexibility waivers expire August 1, Except as otherwise indicated by USED: States will operate under NCLB requirements for ; and All provisions of ESSA take effect in the school year. 13

Highly Qualified Teachers and Paraprofessionals Superintendent’s Memo # The terms “highly qualified teacher” and “highly qualified paraprofessional” will be eliminated as of August 1, 2016 Starting with the school year, “highly qualified” data will no longer be collected or reported, nor will calculations be made related to percentages of classes being taught by highly qualified teachers 14

Highly Qualified Teachers and Paraprofessionals Under ESSA and § of the Code of Virginia, students must still be taught by teachers who are properly licensed and endorsed for the classes they are assigned to teach. Data will continue to be collected through the Master Schedule Collection (MSC) and Instructional Personnel and Licensure Report (IPAL).§ of the Code of Virginia Additional information regarding licensure for teachers in Virginia may be found at html. html 15

ESSA Implementation Details Next Steps for USED: Receive stakeholder feedback on ESSA requirements Participate in Negotiated Rulemaking processNegotiated Rulemaking Create regulations that govern ESSA implementation Issue interim guidance to states through “Dear Colleague” letters, s, and Frequently Asked Questions document “Dear Colleague” letters Frequently Asked Questions 16

17 ESSA REQUIREMENTS: Accountability Plan

State-Designed “Index of Indicators” * Academic indicators must carry greater weight than school quality and student engagement indicators. 18 ACADEMIC INDICATORS*SCHOOL QUALITY AND STUDENT ENGAGEMENT Achievement on state assessments Graduation rates (high schools) Other academic indicator (elementary and middle) English learner progress toward attaining proficiency (grades 3-8 and high school) School quality or school success measure Examples: student engagement; educator engagement; access and completion of advanced coursework; postsecondary readiness; school climate and safety; other chosen by state

Subgroup Accountability ESSA maintains focus on subgroup accountability by requiring disaggregated performance results in the “index of indicators” for all students and subgroups 19

Changes to English Learner Accountability Removes label of “Limited English Proficient” – now English learners (ELs) Removes separate requirements to calculate Title III Annual Measurable Achievement Objectives (AMAOs): o AMAO 1 - Progress toward attaining English proficiency o AMAO 2 - Proficiency in attaining English o AMAO 3 - All Title I targets EL accountability now part of Title I plan ELs can be included in subgroup for up to 4 years after reaching proficiency in English 20

Report Card Requirements Generally, report card requirements remain mostly the same. Reporting on academic achievement levels on state assessments must now include the following subgroups: o Children of military parents o Foster children o Homeless students o Migrant students o Gender categories Reporting must also include school quality, climate, and safety data. 21

Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) ESSA REQUIREMENTS: Statewide Assessments 22

ESSA Assessment Requirements Reading/language arts and mathematics must be assessed annually in grades 3- 8 and once in high school Science must be assessed once in grades 3-5, once in grades 6-9, and once in grades

ESSA Assessment Characteristics States may implement assessments that measure individual student growth “Summative” tests may be administered once a year or the results of “periodic” assessments may be accumulated to provide an overall score States may use computer-adaptive assessments to measure a student's academic proficiency above or below grade level 24

ESSA – Local Assessments Local assessments are generally not allowed States may permit school divisions to use a nationally-recognized high school academic assessment in lieu of a state assessment o Such assessments must be aligned to the state's standards and meet other requirements 25

ESSA - Assessment of Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities Places a cap of 1% of the total number of all students in the state that can be assessed using alternate assessments for students with significant cognitive disabilities 26

Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) ESSA REQUIREMENTS: School Improvement 27

ESSA – Priority and Focus Schools Two options provided to states in December 18, 2015, USED Dear Colleague Letter: Option A: Do not exit schools and maintain current identification o State freezes its current list of priority and focus schools as of December 9, 2015 o State may not exit schools from the current lists o Schools will continue to implement approved interventions through

Option B: Exit schools and identify new priority and focus schools o State exits priority and focus schools that meet exit criteria and identifies new priority and focus schools based on more recent data o All identified schools would implement their approved interventions through school year o States selecting this option must provide updated lists to USED by March 1, ESSA – Priority and Focus Schools

-Actions To Date – Superintendent’s Memo # January 17, 2016: Virginia responded to Dear Colleague Letter proposing a modified option: o Priority and focus schools meeting exit criteria would be allowed to exit o Virginia will not identify “Other Title I Schools in Improvement” for February 9, 2016: USED called to indicate Virginia must choose Option A or Option B March 9, 2016: Virginia selects Option B 30 ESSA – Priority and Focus Schools

Comprehensive Support School – Criteria and Division-Driven Interventions Beginning in (and at least once every three years thereafter), ESSA requires identification of at least the lowest 5% of Title I schools and all high schools graduating less than 67% of their students. For each comprehensive support school identified, ESSA requires a division-developed comprehensive support and improvement plan 31

Beginning in , ESSA requires identification of schools in which subgroups are “consistently underperforming” based on the state’s accountability system. For each targeted support school identified, ESSA requires schools to develop a comprehensive support and improvement plan that includes evidence-based interventions and is approved by the school division. 32 Targeted Support Schools – Criteria and School-Driven Interventions

School Improvement – State Role Make technical assistance available to the division Develop strategies for divisions to use in identified schools (in addition to division-identified strategies) Ensure divisions implement strategies in identified schools Monitor and evaluate school intervention and support strategies by divisions and use the results of the evaluation to change or improve strategies 33

School division questions about ESEA, as amended by ESSA, may be ed to: or 34