1. Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
Office of School Improvement, Accountability and Compliance

2. Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) 2015 and Beyond
Federal Legislation
Federal Legislation
NCLB
(AYP)
ESEA Waiver
(Flexibility)
NCLB Reauthorization
Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) 2015 and Beyond
ESEA
1965

3. Transition to the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)

4. EVERY STUDENT SUCCEEDS ACT Highlights
Holding all students to high academic standards that prepare them for success in college and careers;
Ensuring accountability and guaranteeing that when students fall behind, steps are taken to help them and their schools improve, with a particular focus on the very lowest-performing schools, high schools with high dropout rates, and schools where subgroups are falling behind;
Continuing to ensure that parents and educators have annual assessment information about how students are doing, while supporting states and districts in reducing unnecessary, onerous and redundant testing;
Empowering state and local decision-makers to develop their own strong systems for school improvement;
Protecting students from low-income families and students of color from being taught at disproportionate rates by ineffective, inexperienced, and out of field teachers.

5. Reporting Requirements
Reporting remains a part of Title I
Going forward in SY15-16: States are still required to publish annual report cards for the and school years, and beyond.
The parts of this reporting include – LEA student achievement compared to State performance
Student subgroup information (English Language Learners, Hispanic, Special Education, etc.)
School student achievement compared to all students and subgroups of students in the LEA
School student achievement compared to all students and subgroups of students in the State

6. LEA Plans
NCLB
ESSA
Is developed in consultation with learning community (as in NCLB must include parents)
Describes how the district will meet its responsibilities related to school improvement
Describes how the district will coordinate and integrate services with preschool programs

7. LEA Plans NCLB ESSA All NEW
Describes how the district will address teacher distribution (years of experience, certification, etc.)
Describes how the district will support efforts to reduce the overuse of discipline practices that remove students from the classroom

8. Right to Know applies to State Rules
LEA Plans
NCLB
ESSA
District must inform parents that they can request information regarding the professional qualifications of their child’s classroom teachers
Schools must provide parents information related to their child’s academic achievement and notice if the student has been assigned a teacher who does not meet applicable State certification or licensure requirements
State Certification
Right to Know applies to State Rules

9. SW/Targeted Assistance
NCLB
ESSA
Allows a school that serves an eligible school attendance with less than 40% poverty to operate a schoolwide program if the school received a waiver from the state
Schools operating a Title I Schoolwide program must develop a comprehensive plan that is based on a needs assessment
Schoolwide schools may use funds to operate a preschool program
Includes services to foster care students
Parent Engagement
Parents and family members must be involved in developing LEA plans and improvement plans
LEA must conduct annual evaluation of parent and family engagement policies

10. SW/Targeted Assistance
NCLB
ESSA
All New!
Schoolwide secondary schools and targeted assistance schools may use funds for dual or concurrent enrollment programs (Career and Technical Education, Institutes of Higher Learning)

11. State and Federal Implications
Funding flows from ED to State to District to Campus

12. State and Federal Implications
States have:
More decision making authority in choosing assessments, goals, accountability measures, teacher “effectiveness”
STATES

13. State and Federal Implications
State Regulated:
States choose standards and assessments, and work towards goals
Student achievement is reported out by special populations
States hold schools and districts accountable for disaggregated special population performance
Funding flows from Department of Education to states to districts to schools
Maintains grant funding formula

14. Teacher and Paraprofessional Qualifications
State ensures that teachers and paraprofessionals working under the Federal grant funds meet application state certification and licensure requirements, including alternative certification requirements
State ensures there are professional standards for paraprofessionals working in the grant funded program, including qualifications that were in place on the day before the date of enactment of Every Student Succeeds Act

15. Teacher and Paraprofessional Qualifications
*Requirements related to highly qualified teachers will remain in place through the end of the school year.
*Beginning with the school year, schools will no longer be required to comply with the highly qualified teacher requirements.
*It is important to note that all state certification requirements adopted in State Board for Educator Certification rule remain in place.
“Clerk”
Vs.
“Aide”

16. Timeline for Implementation Questions and Updates
Allocation Formula the same as
PFS’s continue with their approved interventions
March 1, 2016
States must provide
Updated PFS list
August 1, 2016
ESEA Waivers Terminate
New accountability systems (and related interventions) take effect

17. Standards and Assessments
Questions and Updates
*Title I Assessment
In general, ESSA did not change assessment requirements. All states accepting Title I federal funds used by LEAs must assess students as follows:
Reading/language arts and mathematics – assess annually in each of grades three through eight and once in high school.
Science – assess once during each of three specified grade spans: grades three through five, six through nine, and ten through twelve.
English language proficiency – assess English language learners annually in each of grades kindergarten through grade twelve.
* From Commissioner Morath’s TTAA from March 8, 2016

18. Schoolwide Requirements
Sec. 1114(c) and (e)
Questions and Updates
NEW SW funds may be used for:
Preschool programs; and
Dual and concurrent enrollment
Training for teachers
Professional development
Tuition and fees, books, required instructional materials, innovative delivery methods; and

19. Allowable Costs
Questions and Updates

20. Allowable Costs
Questions and Updates

21. Title 1, Part A
ESSA authorizes – but does not require - school districts to include in their plans how they will develop effective school library programs to provide students an opportunity to improve digital literacy skills and improve academic achievement.
Is it in the plan?
States and school districts must develop their plans with “timely and meaningful consultation with” teachers, principals and other stakeholders, including “specialized instructional support personnel” which is defined under ESSA as specifically including school librarians.

22. Title II, Part A – Supporting Effective Instruction
ESSA includes new provisions that authorize states and districts to use grant and subgrant funds to support instructional services provided by school library programs.
Is it in the application?
Title II, Part A of ESSA provides funds for States and school districts to increase academic achievement through professional development. Note that under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), Title II, Part A funds were primarily used for professional development for “teachers” which made it difficult for other instructional support personnel to participate in activities. ESSA rectifies this by specifically authorizing funds to be used to support instructional services provided by effective school library programs.

23. Title II, Part B, Subpart 2 Literacy Education for All, Results for the Nation (LEARN)
This is a NEW PROGRAM under ESSA that provides support to states to develop, revise, or update comprehensive literacy instruction plans. States award competitive subgrants to districts for activities that focus on K-5 and ESSA specifically authorizes school librarians to participate in required grant activities for both K-5 and ESSA allows all local subgrants to be used to provide teachers and school librarians time to meet, plan, and collaborate on comprehensive literacy instruction.

24. Title II, Part B, Subpart 2, Section 2226 – Innovative Approaches to Literacy (IAL)
This is a new authorization of the Innovative Approaches to Literacy (IAL) Program, which was previously funded through appropriations, that provides dedicated funding to promote literacy programs in low income communities. ESSA Specifically authorizes funds to be used for developing and enhancing effective school library programs, to include funding for professional development, books, and up-to-date materials for high needs students.

25. Title IV, Part A Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants (Block Grant)
ESSA authorizes a new program to provide Student Support and Academic Enrichment activities (commonly referred to as the “Block Grant” under ESSA) to help States and school districts target federal resources on locally-designed priorities. ESSA authorizes - but does not require - States to use funds to assist school districts in providing programs and activities that increase access to personalized, rigorous learning experiences supported by technology, including adequate “access to school libraries.”

26. What ESSA Does Not Include:
Does not define an effective school library program.
Does not require or mandate school librarian staffing, whether certified or not.

27. Library Services and Instructional Resources
Contacts
Library Services and Instructional Resources
Dr. Laura Sheneman, Coordinator
● (956)

28. Parent and Family Engagement Sec. 1010
Questions and Updates
Parent and Family Engagement Set-aside
The LEA shall reserve at least 1%
To assist schools in carrying out activities
For smaller LEAs, set-aside not required if 1% is less than $5,000
NEW 90% must go to schools, with priority to high-need schools
Previously 95%

29. Title I, A Supplement Not Supplant
Questions and Updates
What would have happened in the absence of the federal funds?
3 Presumptions of Supplanting
Required to be made available under other federal, state or local laws
Provided with non-federal funds in prior year
Provided services to Title I students and the same services were provided to non-Title I students using state or local funds

30. Title I, A Supplement Not Supplant
Questions and Updates
NEW To demonstrate compliance, the LEA shall demonstrate that the methodology used to allocate State and local funds to each school receiving assistance under this part ensures that the school receives all the State and local funds it would otherwise receive if it were not receiving Title I funds

31. Title I, A Supplement Not Supplant
Questions and Updates
NEW No LEA shall be required to:
Identify individual costs or services as supplemental; or
Provide services through a particular instructional method or in a particular instructional setting to demonstrate compliance

32. Secretarial Prohibitions
NEW Strictly prohibits Secretary from:
Setting new criteria through regulation or requiring adoption of certain policies in exchange for flexibility or approval of state plans
Require/incentivize certain standards or assessments, instructional content, programs of instruction, curricula, etc.
Deny approval of state plans without good reason
Deny approval of waivers without good reason
Specify additional pieces of accountability system
Endorse a specific curriculum or develop a federally sponsored assessment
Issue non-regulatory guidance that provides a “strictly limited or exhaustive list” to illustrate successful implementation or that purports to be legally binding

33. Impact of New Legislation on Priority and Focus Identification

34. Impact of Every Student Succeeds Act Priority and Focus Lists
Option A
Do not exit schools and maintain current Identification
Option B
Exit schools and identify new priority and focus schools

35. FPS Option A Freeze current list
Continue to implement approved interventions through
Exit from list after the school year.

36. Maintaining Priority and Focus Lists
TEA communicated they have decided to maintain Priority/Focus lists during the transition to ESSA
USDE not supportive of running new lists based on Spring assessment results
USDE required a new list by March 1st
With TEA wanting to use most recent assessment results, and the request to maintain the timeline that was agreed to with the September waiver renewal, March 1st date was untenable
Was not TEA’s first choice

37. Maintaining F/PS List Implications
There will be no state training for priority campuses this summer. TEA will look to integrate fall TAIS trainings to include Priority campuses
Focus Contracts – TEA will continue to support work with Focus campuses, and the hope is that by limiting the number that have required interventions, it will help ESCs to provide more comprehensive support
Campuses will receive additional funds for 4th year identifications. The specific amounts are still to be determined
*Interventions for the School Year will be differentiated based on state accountability ratings that will be released in August 2016
* From Commissioner Morath’s TTAA from March 8, 2016

38. Region One ESC Focus School Support

39. Summer Focus School Training
Focus School Support
Focus School Training
Webinar Sessions
Summer Focus School Training
October 14, 2015
Workshop # 50861
9:00 am—3:00 pm
Region One ESC
La Lomita Room
103 Attended – Thank you
January 13, 2016
Workshop # 50888
1:00 pm—3:30 pm
May 24, 2016
Workshop # 50889
June 21, 2016
Workshop # 50862
9:00 am—4:00 pm

40. March 31 webinar changed to May 25

41. Questions and Updates Questions and Updates
ED will post key communications to the web at
Please direct your implementation and transition questions to
ED released a Request for Information (RFI) seeking advice and recommendations regarding regulations under Title I of the ESSA. The PDF is available at
Please formally submit public comments electronically at
questions to TEA at
Region One ESSA Webinar and Updates:

42. Resources
Texas Education Agency. (September 16, 2015) ESEA Flexibility Request. Retrieved from:
Texas Education Agency. (October 7, 2015). Letter to the Administrator Addressed. Update on the State’s ESEA Waiver. Retrieved from:
Texas Education Agency. (September 18, 2013) ESEA Flexibility Request. Retrieved from:
Texas Education Agency. (September 30, 2013) Letter from US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. Retrieved:
Texas Education Agency. (September 18, 2013) Letter from Commissioner of Education, Michael Williams. Retrieved:
Texas Education Agency. (October 3, 2013) Program Monitoring and Interventions TETN.
Texas Education Agency. (October, 2013) School Improvement and Support. Guidance on SIP Fiscal Requirements.

43. Office of School Improvement, Accountability and Compliance
Contacts
Division of Instructional Support
Office of School Improvement, Accountability and Compliance
Belinda S. Gorena, Interim Administrator
Ruben Degollado, Specialist
Benjamin Macias, Evaluation and Assessment Specialist