1. Richard Laine Director of Education National Governors Association rlaine@nga.orgrlaine@nga.org 202-624-3629 January 14, 2016 Starting a New Conversation Strengthening Wyoming’s Education System to Prepare Students for the Emerging Economy

2. Where we are headed  Rationale for elevating expectations  Different approach to a new conversation to better serve all students  Building an aligned system to get better results by taking advantage of new federal flexibility  Standards  Assessments  Accountability  Interventions  Teachers and Principals  How Wyoming will respond

3. Labor Market Realities  Skill demands are changing in the U.S. labor market  Postsecondary education is the “New Minimum” for access to the middle class  State & local leaders need to lead a more relevant, rigorous, & aligned system that connects education & workforce training to the opportunities of the economy to achieve better results for far more students, employers, & the state

4. Increasing Need for More Education Source: Current Population Survey, multiple years. % of U.S. Workforce by Educational Attainment

5. Wyoming’s Challenge Ahead

6. Importance for Employees 6 Unemployment & Earnings Rates by Educational Attainment Unemployment Rates Median Weekly Earnings

7. A Performance & Communication Problem NAEP & State Proficiency Levels 4 th Grade Reading - 2013 NAEP/2014 State data WY

8. 88 Tackling the hard issues step-by-step recipes technical solutions ComplicatedComplex developing systems Simple Source: Adapted from “Getting to Maybe”. Education reform often viewed as solving simple or even complicated problems… educating a child is complex

9. 9  Funding often reinforces: separation of programs; different metrics of success; & process over results  Accountability systems often create incentives for isolation of efforts  State agencies, local districts, labor/management often work separately, duplicate efforts, and compete  Public and private sectors seldom collaborate  Typical reforms don’t work at sufficient scale nor build enough capacity  Without necessary capacity, we revert to compliance Isolated Impact Source: Channeling Change: Making Collective Impact Work, 2012; FSG Interviews and Analysis, modified by Richard Laine. Traditional approaches not solving toughest, often most complex, challenges

10. 10 Imagine a different approach Source: Channeling Change: Making Collective Impact Work, 2012; FSG Interviews and Analysis. Isolated ImpactCollective Impact Collective Impact is the commitment of a group of important actors from different agencies, levels of government, or sectors to a common agenda for solving a specific social problem

11. Shared goals/measures key to coordinating strategies, measuring results, & improving Benefits of Using Shared Goals & Measures  Provides common definition of the problem  Enables coordination & collaboration  Catalyzes action  Tracks progress toward a shared goal  Offers greater transparency of improved data  Aids in continuous learning & course correction

12. 12 Mutually reinforcing activities key to success  Learn through pilots: identify high-impact strategies starting small with willing partners; learn from experience; expand or change directions  Enhance value of budgets: use data & evidence-based practices to enhance value of existing & new revenues – leverage others’ investments  Build capacity: invest in the systems, strategies, & tools to enhance the effectiveness of teachers, principals, & other educators  Increase coordination: strengthen what each part of the system does best & then align & coordinate the parts  Strengthen policy: advocate for policy at state level to improve major components of system that support mutually reinforcing efforts/activities

13. New federal flexibility to develop a more coherent & rigorous system  Connecting the major parts:  Standards  Assessments  Accountability  Interventions  Teachers and Principals

14.  The state must set “challenging state academic standards” in math, language arts, & science (may set standards in other subjects)  The state must demonstrate that standards are aligned with credit- bearing coursework in higher education & relevant career & technical education standards ESSA Opportunities – Standards

15.  States must have annual assessments:  in language arts & math in grades 3-8 & at least once in HS  in science at least once in elementary, middle & high school  The law balances required participation (95%) with states ability to allow parents to have their students opt out  State can allow districts to use “nationally recognized” high school exams in place of state test – must be aligned to standards & equivalent to state test in content, difficulty & quality  Pilot assessment program for up to 7 states  Grants to states to work with districts on “assessment audit” ESSA Opportunities – Assessments

16.  State must create accountability system with long-term goals, interim progress measures, & annual state/district report cards  State must make annual determinations of student & school performance – for all students and subgroups (no super subgroups)  Annual indicators must include: 1) assessments; 2) graduation rates for HS & another academic indicator for elem/middle schools; 3) English proficiency for ELL; 4) at least one additional indicator of school quality or student success; 5) Participation rate  At least bottom 5% of all Title I schools, HS failing to graduate at least 2/3 of their students, or schools with underperforming subgroups must be identified ESSA Opportunities – Accountability

17.  For identified schools, district must develop improvement plan:  Uses evidenced-based interventions  Based on school needs assessment  Addresses resource inequities  Approved by school, district & state  Monitored periodically by the state (if lack of improvement, state must intervene after no more than 4 years)  Resources  School Improvement Grants (SIG) eliminated but Title I set- aside increased to 7%  Optional additional 3% Title I set-aside for districts serving highest percentage of identified schools ESSA Opportunities – Interventions

18.  No requirement to evaluate educators or include student learning in their evaluation…but do you want to break the link between teaching & learning?  Title II – continues to support efforts to enhance teacher & principal quality  Opportunity to strengthen the development and support of effective principals (optional 3% set-aside to enhance school leaders) ESSA Opportunities – Teachers & Principals

19.  SY 2015-16 – continues under NCLB  SY 2016-17 – NCLB school determinations and consequences  SY 2017-18 – New accountability system implemented  Any school identified under NCLB or waivers continue implementing existing plan until new Title I plan approved or new accountability system implemented, whichever comes first  ESSA up for reauthorization after only 4 years (oh, what fun) ESSA Opportunities – Timeline

20.  Opportunity to strengthen the education pipeline (early education to K-12 to postsecondary) and its alignment to the workforce through integrated funding, aligned accountability, and coordinated governance  Chief state school officer and Governor required to work together and involve other major constituencies, especially local educators ESSA Opportunities – Strengthening the Pipeline

21.  Good standards & rigorous definition of what is good enough provides clarity on students’ progress towards success…also provides transparency in terms of how much improvement is needed to have all students succeed  Assessments should reinforce good teaching & provide actionable feedback to students, educators, & parents  States need external benchmark to determine what is good enough  What happens after the test is as important as the time leading up to the test – effective reports, intervention, & PD all matter  You need twice as much capacity and just enough accountability Final Considerations

22. Education States