Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Nassau BOCES Presented by Ira Schwartz June 17, 2016
Background Information • The ESEA was last reauthorized in 2001 as the No Child Left Behind Act. • A Joint House- Senate Conference Committee reported out the “Every Student Succeeds Act” (ESSA) to both houses on November 30, 2015. • December 2, 2015: The ESSA was passed by the US House of Representatives. • December 9, 2015: The ESSA was passed by the US Senate. • December 10, 2015: The President signed the bill into law. • December 2015 and January 2016: United State Department of Education (USDE) issued “Dear Colleague” letters. • February and May 2016: USDE issued ESSA Transition FAQ. • March and April 2016: USDE conducted negotiated rulemaking sessions on supplement not supplant, standards and assessments. • May 2016: USDE issued draft regulations on accountability, data reporting and state applications. 2
Major Programs Funded Through the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) • Title IA: Funding for Schoolwide Programs and Targeted Assistance Schools • Title IB: State Assessment Grants • Title IC: Education of Migratory Children • Title ID: Prevention and Intervention Programs for Children & Youth Who are Neglected, Delinquent and At-Risk • Title II: Preparing, Training and Recruiting High Quality Teachers, Principals and Other School Leaders • Title III: Language Instruction: English Learners and Immigrant Students • Title IV: 21 st Century Schools, Charter Schools, Magnet Schools, Family Engagement, Education Innovation and Research, Promise Neighborhoods, School Safety, and Academic Enrichment • Title V: Rural Schools • Title VI: Indian, Native Hawaiian, and Alaska Native Education • Title VII: Impact Aid • Title IX: Homeless Children and Youth 3
The BIG Picture • Some provisions of NCLB and/or of the ESEA flexibility waiver, especially as related to assessment and reporting requirements, are maintained. • There are areas where states now have significantly more flexibility than under NCLB or the ESEA flexibility waiver, particularly in terms of standards, supports and interventions for identified schools, and educator evaluation systems. • The Secretary’s authority to issue regulations and non -regulatory guidance in order to interpret the provisions of the statute have been significantly circumscribed. • More funding is now distributed through block grants. 4
Overview of ESSA – Transition and Implementation • States and districts are required to continue to implement the activities and programs they have in place now through the end of the 2015-16 school year. • The majority of funds in the 2016-17 school year will be administered in accordance with NCLB. • Transition FAQ’s and additional resources are available on USDE’s ESSA webpage at www.ed.gov/ESSA. 5
Accountability Status for Nassau BOCES Accountability Status 2013-14 2014-15 School Year School Year Results Results Focus Districts 2 2 Priority Schools 4 0 Focus Schools 5 4 Local Assistance Plan Schools (LAP) 9 4 Good Standing Schools 346 356 Reward Schools 41 21 6
Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) - Basic Elements of Proposed Regulations • The U.S. Department of Education (ED) officially published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in the Federal Register on Tuesday, May 31, 2016 • The NPRM covers accountability provisions included in Title I, reporting, and consolidated state plan requirements in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) • Public comments may be submitted through August 1, 2016 at: https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2016/05/31/2016- 12451/elementary-and-secondary-education-act-of-1965-as- amended-by-the-every-student-succeeds. • Following review of public comment, USDE will issue final rulemaking. • States may choose to submit their applications on either March 6, 2017 or July 5, 2017. 7
ESSA Statutory Accountability Provisions: Standards • States must establish “challenging state academic standards” in reading/language arts, math, and science. • Standards must be aligned with college entrance requirements and state CTE standards. • States must also establish English language proficiency (ELP) standards for English learners (EL). 8
Overview of ESSA- Assessments Requirements: • In English language arts and mathematics, students must be tested annually in grades 3-8 and once in high school. • In science, students must be tested once in elementary, middle, and high school. • Assessments must include multiple up-to-date measures of student academic achievement. • Assessments must be aligned to the state’s “challenging academic standards.” Opportunities: • States may administer either a single summative test or multiple state-wide interim tests that are combined to create a single summative score. • Tests may be partially delivered in the form of portfolios, projects, or extended performance tasks. • States may use computer adaptive assessments with the option to use on grade level, above grade level and below grade level items to measure student proficiency. • More flexibility in score reporting provisions could allow for shorter tests. • Districts, with state approval, can choose to use a nationally-recognized high school academic assessment, such as the ACT or SAT, in lieu of a state assessment. • The grade 8 “double testing” waiver continues, with the caveat that students impacted by the waiver must take a more advanced math assessment in high school. 9
Overview of ESSA- Assessments Opportunity: USDE Pilot to Develop Innovative Assessment Systems • Provides Secretary with authority to allow pilot of innovative assessment systems in no more than seven states during the first three years of ESSA. • Systems may include assessments that are: o competency-based, o instructionally embedded, o interim, o cumulative year-end assessments or performance based assessments that combine into an annual summative score, o computer-based, and o Assessments that validate proficiency or demonstrate mastery. • After the initial three-year period, the Secretary must issue a progress report. The Secretary then has the authority to expand the program to other states. 10
Overview of ESSA - Assessment of English language learners Requirements: • States must demonstrate that local educational agencies will provide for an annual assessment of English proficiency of all English language learners. • States can include former English language learners in the ELL subgroup for up to four years. Under ESEA, they could only be included for two years. • States can exempt newly arrived English language learners (ELLs) based on specific options (provided below). Opportunities: • Two options states have for testing recently arrived English language learners (ELL) are to: o Exclude ELLs from one administration of the ELA assessment and exclude results on ELA, math and NYSESLAT for the first year of enrollment for accountability purposes, or o Test ELLs in the school year in which they arrive, but instead of using that score to determine school accountability in the first year, incorporate the results into a measure of growth to be used in school accountability in the second year after arrival. In the third year and beyond, student proficiency results must be used for accountability purposes. This is the model currently approved for use in Florida. 11
Overview of ESSA - Assessment of Students with Disabilities Requirements: • States must continue to not exceed having more than 1% of students in the state assessed using alternative assessments for students with severe cognitive disabilities. • States may not impose on any local educational agency a cap on the percentage of students administered an alternate assessment. Opportunities: • States may apply to the Secretary of Education to exceed the one percent state cap. Districts can apply for a waiver of this limit – but must provide a justification. • States may now administer computer adaptive exams with an option to measure student proficiency and growth with items above or below a student’s grade level. This provision will be helpful in effectively assessing both students with disabilities and English language learners. 12
ESSA Statutory Accountability Provisions: School Identification • Each state is required to identify schools for: – Comprehensive Support and Improvement: • lowest-performing 5% of Title I schools, • all public high schools with a graduation rate below 67%, • additional schools that have chronically low-performing subgroups and have not improved with targeted support. • Targeted Support and Improvement: – Schools with low-performing subgroups, as defined by state. 13
ESSA Statutory Accountability Provisions: School Improvement • Authorizes new flexibility in determining what actions to take to improve underperforming schools. • Requires “evidence - based” interventions. • In place of the School Improvement Grants program and Title I set-aside for school improvement, states receive a single 7 percent set-aside of their Title I allocations for state administration and sub-grants to LEAs. 14
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