1. The Every Student Succeeds Act Highlights of Key Changes for States, Districts, and Schools

2. The Every Student Succeeds Act Is Signed Into Law!

3. The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)  Signed into law by President Obama December 10, 2015  Bipartisan compromise to replace the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)  Significant shift in authority from federal government to states and districts  Unique opportunity to reshape education policy and practice

4. ESSA: Major Components Standards Assessments (testing) Accountability School Improvement Well-rounded education Professional development Parental engagement

5. ESSA: The Big Picture  Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) eliminated  School improvement interventions left to states and districts  Highly Qualified Teacher requirements eliminated  Streamlined programs

6. State-determined Standards  States to provide assurance that they have adopted “challenging academic content standards” in reading, math, and science  Alternate academic achievement standards allowed for students with most significant cognitive disabilities

7. State Assessments  Maintains annual state testing in reading and math in grades 3-8 and once in high school  Maintains annual tests in science in grades 3-5, 6-8, and 10-12  Affirms state authority for opt-out policies  Maintains 95% participation rate for state tests  But states determine consequences for failure to meet 95% threshold

8. State Assessments  States can use single summative assessment or multiple interim assessments but must result in single summative score  Districts can use other tests for high schools if state approves  States can limit testing time

9. State Assessments US Dept. of Education to issue regulations on:  Computer adaptive testing  Testing for students with disabilities  Exceptions for testing of advanced 8th grade math students  Locally selected, nationally recognized high school tests  Inclusion of English language learners in testing

10. State Accountability Systems High Schools : State test results ELL proficiency Grad rates Multimetric indicator Mid/Elem Schools : State test results ELL proficiency Academic indicator Multimetric indicator (States will use these measures to determine lowest-performing schools.)

11. State Accountability Systems Multimetric accountability indicator: Must be statewide, valid, and reliable Able to “meaningfully differentiate” among schools Examples provided in law include Student/educator engagement Postsecondary readiness School climate and safety

12. School Improvement Factors that trigger district intervention :  Lowest performing 5% of Title I schools (based on full set of accountability measures)  High schools with graduation rates below 67%  Schools with “consistently underperforming” subgroups

13. School Improvement For the lowest performing schools:  Districts develop and implement evidence-based strategies for improvement  Districts identify resource inequities  Districts must allow students to transfer to another school in the district  Low-performing schools will be given 4 years to improve before states intervene with more “rigorous” strategies

14. Streamlined Programs ESSA eliminated 50 competitive programs, many of which supported well-rounded education, including:  Carol M. White Physical Education Program  Elementary and Secondary School Counseling  Math and Science Partnerships But it created a new block grant to support well- rounded education in every district.

15. Well-Rounded Education Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants (SSAEG) for safe and healthy students, well- rounded education, and technology  Funds are provided to states according to Title I formula, then to districts, also per the Title I formula  Districts must conduct a needs assessment to identify programs and activities it wants to fund  Needs assessment only required if a district receives $30,000 or more through this allocation

16. Well-Rounded Education SSAEG can fund:  Enhancing conditions for learning  Bullying and harassment prevention  Mental health interventions and supports  School drug and violence prevention  Specialized instructional support personnel PD  Addressing school drop-out and recovery

17. Educator Requirements and Professional Development  HQT requirements eliminated, starting in school year 2016-2017  States can collaborate on reciprocity of teacher certification and hiring  Title II funds can be used for professional development for all school staff, including paraprofessionals, librarians, etc.  Updated definition of professional development  Personalized, ongoing, job-embedded

18. Parental Engagement  Districts must set aside 1% of Title I funds to involve parents in the school community  Schools that receive Title I dollars must have written engagement policies  Opportunities for parents to be involved in ESSA implementation, particularly in selecting the new non-academic accountability measure

19. What Happens Next?  US Department of Education working on regulations and guidance  School year 2016-2017: Full implementation of the law

20. Next Steps for Educators  Does your state have an ESSA implementation team or task force? Who is on it? Are there opportunities for influencing policy decisions?  Share information with your school, district, and state leaders about aspects of the new law that are important to you:  Professional development changes  New well-rounded education funding  Others??

21. Next Steps for Parents  Share information with school leaders about aspects of the new law important to you:  Opportunities to support well-rounded education (music, technology, physical activity and recess)  Parental engagement  New non-academic accountability measure  Option to limit time students spend taking tests  Others???

22. ASCD’s ESSA Resources  ASCD’s ESSA resources include comparison chart, webinar series, and FAQs  ASCD: www.ascd.org/essawww.ascd.org/essa  USED: www.ed.gov/essawww.ed.gov/essa