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This Week鈥檚 ESSA News: The Limitations of Graduation Rates, How the New Education Law Will Allow Students to Transfer out of Dangerous Schools & More

This update on the Every Student Succeeds Act and the education plans now being implemented by states and school districts is produced in partnership with ESSA Essentials, an ongoing 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.)

Education Week鈥檚 Alyson Klein聽 that the 鈥淯.S. Department of Education’s internal watchdog 鈥 the Office of the Inspector General 鈥 will be looking at the agency’s process for聽dismissing civil rights complaints鈥 and examining 鈥渢he department’s oversight of state accountability systems developed under the Every Student Succeeds Act, paying special attention to how schools are identified and improvement plans.鈥 The OIG will also look into the department鈥檚 management of $2.5 billion in disaster recovery funds that 鈥渨ere allocated to help K-12 school districts and collages affected by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, or Maria, or the 2017 California wildfires.鈥

Congressional Democrats 鈥 led by Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA), the incoming chairman of the House education committee 鈥 have expressed concern that 鈥渟ome states aren’t taking the performance of vulnerable students into account in flagging schools for improvement.鈥 The OIG will also examine whether the Department of Education is 鈥減roperly overseeing the Student Support and Academic Enrichment grants, the $1.1 billion block grant created under ESSA,鈥 which is a relatively new program that can be used for myriad purposes, from college- and career-readiness to student safety to mental health (and more).

The plans for these investigations were disclosed as part of an聽鈥溾 Klein also notes that the OIG determines what to investigate based on 鈥渟uggestions from department leaders, the Office of Management and Budget, and members of Congress.鈥

More ESSA headlines from the past week:

1 Feds examining ESSA鈥檚 鈥淒angerous School鈥 transfer program

碍濒别颈苍听补濒蝉辞 聽for聽Education Week聽that a 鈥渓ittle-known provision of the Every Student Succeeds Act allows students who attend a 鈥榩ersistently dangerous school,鈥 or who become the victim of a violent crime on school grounds, to transfer to a safer school.鈥

Now, federal officials want to know how states are implementing this measure. This notice, 鈥,鈥 states that 鈥済iven ongoing, cross-Federal-agency efforts to help ensure students are safe in school, it is essential for the Department to understand how State Educational Agencies (SEAs) are implementing the requirement.” The provision 鈥渋s one of a handful in the law that deal with school choice, a huge priority for U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos.鈥 However, 鈥.鈥

2 Four-year graduation rates 鈥渓eave off where the real work begins鈥

Learning Policy Institute鈥檚 Julie Kessler聽聽the issue of four-year graduation rates and how this 鈥渟eemingly innocuous data point鈥 can have some 鈥渉arsh consequences.鈥 For example, accountability systems based on four-year graduation rates can 鈥渄iscourage schools from continuing to offer services, support, and courses to students who take longer to earn a diploma.鈥

Instead, Kessler says, 鈥渨e should be doing everything we can to encourage and support schools in serving their highest-need students, not penalizing them for doing so.鈥 Fortunately, under ESSA, for the very first time, schools (and districts and states) 鈥渉ave the opportunity to move beyond this narrow definition of success by adding 聽to their accountability systems.鈥 Thus far, 35 states have done so, 鈥渢aking an important step in ensuring that every student succeeds.鈥

3 New Mexico 鈥渆arns praise鈥 on school improvement

Robert Nott聽聽for the聽Santa Fe New Mexican聽that the state received 鈥渉igh marks鈥 for its school improvement plan under ESSA as part of the Collaborative for Student Success鈥檚 聽peer review project and report. (T74 Interactive: See the current map of school improvement plans, and what reviewers have said about each state鈥檚 effort)

Peer reviewers found a lot to like with New Mexico鈥檚 approach, such as 鈥渇unneling extra funding into low-performing public schools and closely monitoring them and evaluating improvement strategies proposed by school districts.鈥 Promise to Practice peer reviewers also commended the state鈥檚 鈥渨eb-based NM DASH (which stands for data, accountability, sustainability and high achievement), a program that offers a way for district officials to keep track of the progress of schools in need of extra support.鈥

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