蜜桃影视

This update on the Every Student Succeeds Act and the education plans now being refined by state legislatures is produced in partnership with ESSA Essentials, a new series from the Collaborative for Student Success. It鈥檚 an offshoot of their聽聽newsletter, which you can聽! (See our recent ESSA updates聽from previous weeks right here.)

Former U.S. Rep. John Kline, who previously chaired the House Committee on Education and the Workforce and is a co-author of the Every Student Succeeds Act, the role of annual testing in the law he helped craft.

Like its predecessor, ESSA requires each state to administer a single achievement exam system for all students beginning in the 3rd grade. However, the law leaves it up to the states to 鈥渄ecide how to use the testing results to measure and improve school performance.鈥� But now, Arizona and New Hampshire are trying to buck this system. Both states, Kline writes in Education Week, have passed laws that 鈥渧iolate ESSA by permitting individual school districts to choose which assessments to administer,鈥� which could undermine ESSA 鈥渋n its entirety.鈥�

Ultimately, Kline says 鈥渟tates are required to follow this law and, simply put, the U.S. Department of Education must 鈥渆nforce the fundamental requirement that the same annual tests be given to all students.鈥�

Because, after all, the Minnesota Republican points out鈥�359 members of the U.S. House, 85 U.S. senators, and President Barack Obama all supported ESSA, ushering in a new era of innovation combined with state-based accountability.鈥�

Another busy week in ESSA news! Check out the other top developments below:

6 new state plans approved

Six ESSA plans from the , as well as were by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.聽To date, the education department has approved 12 of the 17 plans submitted in the first round; all 17 plans have received feedback from the federal agency.

The department noted 鈥渦nique鈥� aspects of each plan, including D.C.鈥檚 plan to incorporate 鈥渞atings and measurements about the quality of districts’ pre-K programs into its accountability system,鈥� Illinois鈥� proposal to judge school climate 鈥減artly on the basis of student surveys,鈥� Oregon鈥檚 tracking of 鈥渉ow many credits high school freshmen have attained at the end of the year to make sure they’re on track to graduation,鈥� and Tennessee鈥檚 new grants 鈥渁imed at boosting teacher diversity and innovation, as well as teacher and principal residencies to promote career advancement.鈥�

Maine 鈥減lans to reduce the number of non-proficient students in half by 2030,鈥� while Vermont 鈥渃reates an innovative measure of postsecondary outcomes.鈥�

 

Colorado asks for more time

Colorado education officials are 鈥� to figure out how to meet federal requirements for giving students standardized tests while respecting the rights of parents who don鈥檛 want their children to take them.鈥� Earlier in August, the education department sent Colorado education officials a saying the state鈥檚 proposal to forgo disciplinary action against schools that don鈥檛 meet the federal 95 percent test participation requirement is unacceptable. The state had 15 days to update and resubmit their plan, but has asked for an extension.

Colorado Education Commissioner Katy Anthes wrote federal officials, saying 鈥渙ur board has a strong commitment to Colorado鈥檚 parental opt-out rights, it will need to carefully consider how best to address your concerns without designing a system that will be perceived by parents and educators as punitive.鈥� Anthes said the state needs until October to reconsider the state鈥檚 approach.

https://twitter.com/rockymntnpols/status/902610222660947968

Massachusetts and New York submit waiver requests

ESSA permits only 1 percent of public school students to take an assessment that is different from a state鈥檚 general standardized test. However, , more than 1.6 percent of students currently take an alternative assessment (MCAS-Alt), 鈥減rimarily due to severe cognitive disabilities.鈥�

As a result, the state is seeking a one-year waiver for this provision of the law 鈥� state education officials expect to receive a response from the federal agency within a few months. Massachusetts 鈥渋ssued a memo stating that it is also seeking ways to decrease the number of students taking the alternative assessment.鈥�

The New York state Education Department has released , which are now open for public comment through Sept. 8. Here鈥檚 what the state is asking for:

• Permission to continue using middle school math and science Regents exam results instead of grade-level exams when determining 鈥渁ccountability and participation.鈥�
• To continue exempting new English learners from taking the English language arts (ELA) exam for one year, as well as other requests for years two and three.
• To assess students 鈥渨ith the most significant cognitive disabilities, but who are not eligible for the New York State Alternative Assessment,鈥� with tests matched to their instructional level instead of their chronological age.

West Virginia ESSA plan changes in the face of praise, criticism

West Virginia’s 鈥渋s seeing significant changes and public praise and criticism ahead of its scheduled submission to the U.S. Education Department next month.鈥� Changes to date include a plan to 鈥渢ake into account schools鈥� five-year high school graduation rates, atop their four-year rates,鈥� as well as the department abandoning its proposal to initially divide all the elementary, middle and high schools into four quarters and assign them four different performance labels 鈥斅爁rom best to worst. The state Board of Education will vote on the plan in early September, based on feedback it received from the public in August.

Michelle Blatt, the state鈥檚 assistant superintendent of support and accountability said 鈥渢he department heard from parents, teachers and principals about the importance of including five-year graduation rates in order to incentivize students to complete their degrees through school, rather than just getting a high school equivalency degree.鈥�

Additionally, the state education department revealed proposed 鈥渃ut scores鈥� for schools to earn labels for 鈥済raduation, behavior and attendance rate measures.鈥� The department has not yet released cut score and labeling information regarding standardized tests and other metrics.

New issue of Governing Magazine great resource for ESSA plan development

Governing, a magazine that provide information and analysis to mostly elected, appointed and career state and local government officials, focuses in on ESSA in its new edition, by the Collaborative for Student Success and Bellwether Education Partners and the Collaborative鈥檚 and research.

The magazine鈥檚 coverage underscores how both reports can serve as useful resources for state education officials as they develop their ESSA plans for submission to the education department. Governing also provides an overview of discussions with state leaders in five second-round states 鈥� California, Kentucky, Missouri, New York, and Wisconsin 鈥� and talks about 鈥渃hallenges and areas of opportunity under ESSA.鈥�

In a related blog post, Collaborative Executive Director Jim Cowen that, as 鈥渟tates work to finalize plans and update those that have already been submitted, we hope that leaders look to the independent peer review provided through Check State Plans and the Governing brief as resources that can contribute to the most effective plans for the students in their state.鈥�

Andy Rotherham co-founded Bellwether Education Partners. He sits on 蜜桃影视鈥檚 board of directors and serves as one of the site鈥檚 senior editors.

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