Decisions that need to be made regarding the requirements of ESSA are being identified by the West Virginia Department of Education. This decision point identification process will not be completed until the United States Department of Education releases the final regulations (expected in October or November of 2016). The draft ESSA Decision Point Matrix provides an overview of the decision points that are provided through the flexibility that ESSA offers. The Matrix outlines West Virginia’s context for each decision point with respect to existing law/policy and the statutory body delegated decision making authority. This document will be updated as the federal government completes the final ESSA regulations.

It is important to note that many aspects of the ESSA requirements were in place prior to the reauthorization of ESEA. Within the last two years, stakeholder groups have been engaged in revising academic standards, assessments and accountability. While ESSA may allow for flexibility in some areas, many of the decision points are already codified in WV law and policy. The ESSA Decision Point Matrix indicates the statutory entity with the authority to make each decision along with a citation of current regulations.

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