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Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), signed in December of 2015, amended the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and replaces the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB).  States operated under the NCLB requirements for the 2016-17 school year with all provisions of ESSA taking effect in the 2017-18 school year.  Key changes are described below.

Background

On January 8, 2002, President Bush signed into law the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)of 2001, often referred to as the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001. The act governs the allocation of federal funds to local school divisions, including, in the Arlington Public Schools: Title I (to improve basic programs and reading skills), Title II (to support professional and paraprofessional training and technology), and Title III (English language acquisition) ESEA includes guidelines on school performance goals, assessments, reporting, staff qualifications, and parent involvement.

ESEA does not replace Virginia’s accreditation system. Virginia is a national leader in implementing high academic standards and measures to hold schools accountable for achievement through objective measurement with the Standards of Learning (SOL) tests. Additionally, the ESEA parallels two of the Arlington Public Schools’ strategic goals of raising achievement for all students while eliminating the gap in achievement among certain groups of students. Arlington Public Schools is committed to meeting the goals of ESEA by continuing efforts to improve student achievement for all students.

Key Changes from NCLB

  • State regulated with more authority to make decisions, choose standards and assessments, goals, and means of accountability
  • State responsible for enforcing many requirements (though subject to Department of Education regulation)
  • AYP, AMAOs, HQT, 100% proficiency requirement and SES have been eliminated

Definition Changes

  • Core Academic Subjects updated to Well-Rounded Education
  • Scientifically Research Based updated to Evidenced-Based
  • Highly Qualified updated to Highly Effective
  • Parent Engagement updated to Parent and Family Engagement
  • English Language Learners (ELLs) updated to English Learners (ELs)

Accountability and Reporting

State Considerations

  • Includes performance goals for each reporting group
  • Annually measures student growth (or another valid and reliable statewide academic indicator)
  • Includes one other indicator of school quality or student success that allows for meaningful differentiation
  • Measures English language proficiency annually in grades 3-8, and once in High School
  • Three additional reporting groups are included: homeless status (if statistically significant), military connected children, and students in foster care
  • Two levels of improvement (Comprehensive Support and Improvement; Targeted Support and Improvement)

District Considerations

  • EL accountability frozen until 2017-18
  • Report per pupil expenditures for federal, state,and local funds

Teacher Qualifications and Effectiveness

State Considerations

  • State plans provide assurance that all teachers and paraprofessionals meet state certification and licensure requirements
  • Creates new teacher, principal and school leader academies
  • Creates new teacher residency programs

District Considerations

  • Professional Development definition updated to ensure personalized, ongoing and job-embedded activities
  • Title II funds to prepare, recruit and retain teachers and principals formula changes to 20% based on school-aged population and 80% based on school-age population living in poverty, phased in over 4 years
  • Allows use of Title II funds to reform certification systems; improve alternate routes to certification; and improve recruitment and retention

Standards and Assessments

State Considerations

  • Must provide an assurance that challenging academic content standards (in reading, math and science) and aligned academic achievement standards (with three levels of achievement) have been adopted
  • Must adopt English language proficiency assessment
  • Allows states to administer alternate test for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities; however, alternate tests may be used by no more than 1% of the total number of students being assessed (must provide notice and justification to SEA if 1% is exceeded)
  • States can establish their own laws governing ‘opt-outs’ and requires parents to be notified regarding their children’s participation rights in assessments
  • May use single annual summative assessment or multiple statewide interim assessments throughout the year that result in one summative score
  • May use computer adaptive assessments
  • May set a target limit on amount of time used for testing

District Considerations

  • Maintains requirement that assessments be administered to at least 95% of all students
  • Consequences for schools that miss the 95% threshold are determined by states and districts

Well-Rounded Education

State Considerations

  • Eliminates 50 programs that support physical education, STEM, and school counseling
  • New early childhood education program
  • Requires state plans to identify how they are reducing bullying and the overuse of discipline practices that remove students from the classroom

District Considerations

  • Requires districts to allocate 20% of Title IV funds to programs that support well-rounded education
  • Requires districts to allocate 20% of Title IV funds to programs that support safe and healthy students
  • Remaining 60% of Title IV funds allocated based on needs assessment

Adapted from Brustein & Manasevit, PLLC, ESSA’Bout Time and ASCD Elementary and Secondary Education Act: Comparison of the No Child Left Behind Act to the Every Student Succeeds Act

Equitable Services for Eligible Students and Instructional Personnel in Private Nonprofit Schools

APS provides equitable services for eligible private nonprofit school children, teachers, and other educational personnel under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015. Services are aligned to the school’s comprehensive needs assessment and designed to utilize evidence-based strategies to effectively meet educational needs and supplement educational services provided by the private school. Participating private schools engage in ongoing consultation with APS about school needs, available services, and effectiveness of implemented strategies. Eligible students and staff may receive equitable services in federal programs administered through APS, currently including:

  • Title II, Part A. Contact Cate Coburn, APS Federal Programs Coordinator
  • Title III, Part A. Contact Sam Klein, English Learner Supervisor

APS is one of fourteen Virginia school divisions that participate in a bypass provision, under which the U.S. Department of Education directly provides Title I, Part A, equitable services to private school students and teachers through a third-party provider. Contact VDOE directly if interested in Title I, Part A services.

  • Title I, Part A. Contact Carol Sylvester, VDOE Education Coordinator – Equitable Services Ombudsman.