One thing we’ll keep stressing again and again this week: how far federal policy has moved since the days of the No Child Left Behind Act (ESSA’s predecessor). Read on.
So, what kinds of goals are states setting?
Some states chose fixed goals that aim for all students, and all subgroups of vulnerable students, such as those qualifying for subsidized school lunches or English-language learners, to reach the same target (such as 80 percent proficiency). What’s nice about this kind of goal is that it sets the same endpoint, making it easier to see over time how achievement gaps are expected to close. States in this category include: Arkansas, Hawaii, Kansas, Mississippi, (grades 3-8 only), Ohio, Minnesota, New York, Rhode island, South Dakota, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
Read the full article here: May require an Education Week subscription.
EDUCATION WEEK — Minnesota, New York, Virginia, and West Virginia have some work to do on their plans to implement the Every Student Succeeds Act, according to the U.S. Department of Education.
All four states, who were among the 34 that turned in their plans this fall, were flagged for issues with accountability, helping low-performing schools improve, and other areas. So far, ten other states that turned in their plans this fall — Alabama, Alaska, Georgia, Kansas, Maryland, Montana, North Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming—have received feedback from the feds. Puerto Rico has also gotten a response on its plan. (Check out our summaries of their feedback here and here.)
Plus, sixteen states and the District of Columbia, all of which submitted plans in the spring, have gotten the all-clear from U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. Colorado, which asked for extra time on its application, is the only spring state still waiting for approval.
So what problems did the department find in this latest round of states? Here’s a quick look. Click on the state’s name for a link to the feds’ letter…
Read the full article here: May require an Education Week subscription.
Alabama, Arkansas, Kansas, Montana, North Carolina, South Dakota, and Wyoming are the latest states to receive feedback on their plans for implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act.
The U.S. Department of Education staffers seem to be burning the midnight oil on feedback letters lately. Four other states—Georgia, Maryland, Puerto Rico, and Utah—got responses last week. Every state has submitted a plan to implement ESSA. And 16 states and the District of Columbia have had their plans approved.
So what do the latest letters say? They are extensive and almost all of them ask for a lot more detail on testing, school turnarounds, accountability, goals, teacher distribution, and more.
Here’s a quick look at some highlights. Click on the state name to read the full letter.
Alabama: The department wants to state to make its student achievement goals clearer, and better explain how student growth on state tests would be used to calculate a school’s academic score. And the feds aren’t clear on how Alabama will calculate English-language proficiency and incorporate it into school ratings—an ESSA must. The state also needs to make it clear that it will flag schools that don’t get federal Title I money for extra supports with subgroups of students…
Read the full story here: May require an Education Week subscription.
Parents who opted their children out of state exams in recent years became the focal point of major education debates in the country about the proper roles of testing, the federal government, and achievement gaps. Now, under the Every Student Succeeds Act, states have a chance to rethink how they handle testing opt-outs.
So how are states responding in their ESSA plans they submitted to the federal government? In short, it’s all over the place, an Education Week review of the ESSA plans shows.
Keep this in mind: ESSA requires that students who opt out of those mandatory state tests must be marked as not proficient on those tests. Those not-proficient scores will in turn, obviously, impact accountability indicators. So while some states highlight this as their approach to handling testing opt-outs, it’s really no more than what the law requires…
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos wants teachers and school leaders to move past the blackboards-and-desks model of schooling, with an eye towards better serving individual kids.
In DeVos’ view, schools have looked pretty much the same over the past five decades or so.
“For far too many kids, this year’s first day back to school looks and feels a lot like last year’s first day back to school. And the year before that. And the generation before that. And the generation before that! That means your parent’s parent’s parents!” she told students at Woods Learning Center in Casper, Wyo., according to prepared remarks. “Most students are starting a new school year that is all too familiar. … They follow the same schedule, the same routine–just waiting to be saved by the bell.”
That’s not helping keep kids engaged, she added: “It’s a mundane malaise that dampens dreams, dims horizons, and denies futures.”
The speech kicked off a six-state tour to highlight what it means to “rethink” education, during which DeVos gave shout-outs to former President Ronald Reagan, Albert Einstein, and Steve Jobs. But she didn’t offer a ton of new specifics about how her department would help with that reinvention, beyond shining a spotlight on schools that she thinks are on the right track. And one of the more than thirty protestors outside urged her to “Rethink Vouchers” according to the Casper Star Tribune.
In her speech, without naming names, DeVos continued to do rhetorical battle with people who she says want to keep K-12 schools stuck in the past.
“Today, there is a whole industry of naysayers who loudly defend something they like to call the education ‘system.'” she said. “What’s an education ‘system’? There is no such thing! Are you a system? No, you’re individual students, parents and teachers.”
She said some schools have been able to move past the old model.
Woods Learning Center in Wyoming’s Natrona County, where DeVos kicked off her tour, is a “teacher-powered” school, with no principal. Its students don’t get traditional letter grades. And kids can enroll in Woods through the district’s open enrollment policy.
“Students, your parents know you best, and they are in the best position to select the best learning environment for you,” DeVos told the children.
She also likes that Woods emphasizes “personalized instruction” for each student.
“Your personalized learning program rethinks school because it is structured around you. Each of your learning plans is developed for each of you, recognizing that each of you is different, and that you learn at your own pace and in your own way,” DeVos said. “Your success here at Woods is determined by what each of you are learning and mastering. Not by how long you sit at your desks. That is awesome, by the way.”
‘Start Rethinking Schools’
DeVos didn’t delve into details though, about just how her department might help schools begin to rethink instruction, other than, of course, by highlighting what she sees as good examples through the back-to-school tour.
President Donald Trump’s budget proposal would cut two programs that schools might use to remake instruction. It seeks to zero out the main federal program for teacher training and get rid of a new block grant created under the Every Student Succeeds Act that districts can use for technology, which can enable personalized learning programs. But so far, the Trump-DeVos school choice proposals have fallen flat in Congress.
After her speech, DeVos took questions from kids. Unsurprisingly, none of them mentioned the proposed budget cuts, but one student asked how she planned to “rethink schools.”
DeVos said this will ultimately be up to educators, not Washington.
“I’m going to challenge teaching and leaders in school to start rethinking schools, because I don’t have all the answers,” she said. “And the people I work with in Washington don’t have all the answers. But I’ll bet lots of teachers in lots of schools around our country have the answers.”
This week, DeVos will be visiting private, public, and charter schools in Colorado, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska. Her next stop in Wyoming is St. Stephen’s Indian High School on the Wind River Reservation.
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos kicks off a “Rethink School” back-to-school tour today at select locations across the country.
The tour is designed to highlight standout examples of innovation in K-12 and higher education settings and leadership.
“It is our goal with this tour to highlight what’s working. We want to encourage local education leaders to continue to be creative, to empower parents with options and to expand student-centered education opportunities,” DeVos said Monday. She will kick off the trip in Wyoming, where she plans to start the day at Woods Learning Center in Casper and make a visit to St. Stephens Indian High School in St. Stephens that afternoon. The events will focus on ways local educators are meeting the needs of their students. From there, the tour will continue to Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri and Indiana before wrapping up on Friday.
All 50 states and the District of Columbia offer K-12 students a variety of choice options. To learn more about state-led innovation on school choice, visit NCSL’s interactive guide to school choice. This page provides a comprehensive look at what options are available to students in each state, as well as an analysis of the unique and varied components of the school choice landscape. NCSL also offers a guide for state legislators, “Comprehensive School Choice Policy: A Guide for Legislators.”
States are also leading other education innovations and student-centered learning policies. The NCSL Student-Centered Learning Commission is a bipartisan group of state legislators studying policy options, obstacles and recommendations to help states support student-centered learning. Among the commission’s guiding principles are that learning is personalized, competency-based, takes place outside traditional classroom settings, and gives students ownership over their education.
Happy Back to School!
Lucia Bragg is a policy associate in NCSL’s Education program.
[/media-credit] State Superintendent Jillian Balow signs Wyoming’s ESSA state plan at Laramie County Community College.
Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow signed off on Wyoming’s Every Student Succeeds Act Plan, ESSA, Thursday, August 17. It will now be submitted to the U.S. Department of Education for approval.
The federal education policy fully replaces No Child Left Behind, giving states more authority to define educational goals for students.
The U.S. Department of Education still requires every state to submit a plan detailing how it would provide an adequate and equitable education.
Balow made remarks at a public signing of the plan. She said public input was essential to the formation of Wyoming’s ESSA plan.
“The law, the ESSA law, states over and over again that our state plan must be stakeholder driven,” said Balow. “And it must include meaningful and continuous consultation with a diverse set of stakeholders.”
Balow said Wyoming’s Department of Education, or WDE, held 14 public meetings, got over 500 responses to a survey and received over 100 public comments on the plan.
She said the WDE heard: “That we can and must do better for all of our students. What we heard is that one test cannot and should not define student success.”
Balow said this plan moves away from the more standardized approach which characterized No Child Left Behind, and is rooted in what’s best for Wyoming — like including more opportunities for career and technical training.
The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to create a long-term, stable federal policy that gives states additional flexibility and encourages innovation, while at the same time holding us accountable for results.
Limits power of federal government to set education policy for states
Increases state flexibility to design accountability systems, interventions and student supports
Increases state and local flexibility in the use of federal funds
Gives states flexibility to work with local stakeholders to develop educator evaluation and support systems
Maintains annual assessments for grades 3-8 and high school
ESSA Work Groups will be convened to review rough drafts of the state plan for implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act. Participants will be sent rough drafts as completed by the Internal Design Team. Feedback will be given through online surveys, webinars, and participation in select meetings of the Internal Design Team.
Public comment on the ESSA implementation in Wyoming was accepted through an online form through September 1, 2016. Additionally, a series of virtual town hall meetings was held to provide information and gather input on five topics related to ESSA implementation.
ESSA allows for an 18-month transition period for states to align their accountability systems to the new requirements. The law will be fully implemented for the 2017-18 school year, but some changes are already being implemented.
Overview of No Child Left Behind
Under NCLB, all states were required to make AYP determinations each year for every public school district and school in the state. Schools and districts were required to continually improve their students’ achievement in reading or language arts and mathematics from year-to-year to match a federal mandate that all students achieve at or above grade level by 2014.
Timeline
June – Aug 2016: First round of public input
July 2016: Internal Design Team convenes
Sept 2016: Internal Design Team begins writing state plan
As part of Wyoming’s transition to the ESSA, the Wyoming Department of Education will not be calculating AYP during the 2016-17 transition year. Schools and districts identified as being in improvement under No Child Left Behind (NCLB) will remain in their current improvement status next year.
The existing NCLB improvement interventions will continue to be implemented for one more year with two exceptions:
Schools and districts are not required to provide public school choice, Supplemental Educational Services (SES), or the related notice to parents beginning with the 2016- 2017 school year. To ensure an orderly transition to the ESSA, Wyoming is developing and implementing a oneyear transition plan to ensure districts provide alternative supports for students eligible for SES and schools with the greatest need.
Schools identified as being in Year 4 Planning for Restructuring will not progress to Year 5 Implementation of Restructuring. The Year 4 restructuring plans are no longer required to be approved this year at the state level by the WDE and then the Wyoming State Board of Education. Instead, the restructuring interventions selected and planned for will be included in the relevant sections of the Wyoming School Comprehensive Plan next year for review and feedback by WDE staff.
Highly Qualified Teacher Requirements
The U.S. Department of Education has clarified the transition from NCLB to ESSA regarding removal of the Highly Qualified Teacher requirements. The Wyoming Department of Education has determined that in order to ensure a smooth transition, the requirement will remain in place through the end of the 2016-17 school year.
The current highly qualified requirements are:
All teachers of core academic subjects are required to be highly qualified;
All special education teachers of core academic subjects are required to be highly qualified;
All paraprofessionals assisting with the instruction of core academic subjects are required to be highly qualified;
All districts that are not 100% highly qualified must submit highly qualified teacher plans to the WDE, as wells as keep individual teacher plans on file at the district. All districts that are required to submit plans will continue to receive communications from the WDE;
Reporting on the 602/652 will remain the same;
PTSB licensure requirements connected to highly qualified will remain the same;
Districts may still apply for exception authorizations through PTSB.
Districts will no longer need to comply with NCLB section 1111(h)(6)(B)(ii), which requires a school to notify parents when their child has been assigned to, or has been taught for four or more consecutive weeks by, a teacher who is not highly qualified.
As the transition to ESSA continues, the WDE will convene stakeholders to assist in defining requirements for teachers and districts in order to begin implementation during the 2017-18 school year.
Comprehensive School Improvement Programs
Owing to changes in statute, the Comprehensive School Improvement Plans (CSIP) for the 2016-17 school year are being modified.
Portions relating to Signature Pages, Corrective Action, School Improvement Grants, and Restructuring may be deleted from plans this school year. These requirements were part of No Child Left Behind, which is being replaced by the Every Student Succeeds Act. Additionally, principals who oversee multiple schools can submit one combined plan for all of their schools. When doing so, ensure that the cover page includes all applicable schools that will operate under that particular plan. An updated template will be available on the WDE accreditation web page for schools that wish to start a new plan. No changes were made to the indicators or assurances.
Plans are due December 1, allowing adequate time for school boards to approve all school plans. An email with the submission form will be sent to all principals and superintendents at the beginning of October with further instructions on submitting school plans. Plans must meet the requirements of W.S. §21-2-204(f) in order to be approved. Goals must reflect the current WAEA school performance ratings. Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) is not a component of WAEA, and any plan goals that reflect NWEA will be returned for modification.
Google Docs is the preferred platform for plan creation and modification. All plans must be made publicly available. Plans can be displayed on district websites, or each individual school’s website.
The Every Student Succeeds Act will necessitate significant changes to the CSIPs next year.
This was a week of education celebrations in Wyoming. It was a pleasure to attend several of the events.
Congratulations to the Blue Ribbon Schools:
Southside Elementary School in Worland
Fort Caspar Academy in Casper
Wilson Elementary School in Wilson
Also, Lingle-Fort Laramie Elementary School cut the ribbon to open their new school.
Finally, the prevention and safety app, Safe2Tell, rolled out in Casper (pilot district). The app replaces the WeTip program and will be available in all schools within six months.
Ft. Caspar Academy celebrates earning the Blue Ribbon award
JAC Chairman Harshman and OHS Director Guy Cameron discuss the hard work and collaboration in passing and implementing Safe2Tell in Wyoming
Ribbon cutting at the new Lingle-Ft. Laramie Elementary School
ESSA ROUNDTABLE
Thank you for the great attendance at the ESSA Roundtable held in Casper. Recall that Wyoming was one of several states to host a listening session attended by the US Department of Education. The topic was implementation of the new law in our state. We were very pleased with the content, depth, and variety of questions and comments. The meeting was streamed and will be available on our website shortly. The Powerpoint will also be available. A new set of listening sessions begins next week. The meetings will primarily be held at community colleges. This is one more opportunity to provide input on how ESSA should be implemented at the local level. All are invited to attend these listening sessions. The WDE will reach out to personally invite higher education, business and industry, and local government officials. Thank you, in advance, for helping spread the word. Here is a link to the dates and the media release.
NAEP SCORES were released this week. To see how Wyoming and the nation did, follow this link.
CHEYENNE – U.S. Senator Mike Enzi and State Superintendent Jillian Balow announced today that officials from the U.S. Department of Education (USED) will participate in a Community Roundtable on implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) at Casper College on October 26.
“Due to Senator Enzi’s major role in overhauling No Child Left Behind and getting us to ESSA, Wyoming is one of a handful of states that the USED is visiting in person to hold a discussion on what it will look like in practice. We appreciate their willingness to travel to Casper and listen to our concerns related to federal education policy and how it affects rural states like Wyoming.” said Superintendent Balow.
Senator Enzi will be unable to attend the roundtable, but adds, “When Congress passed this new education law, our intent was clear – we want authority of education policy to rest with the states. The U.S. Department of Education needs to heed this directive in its implementation process. I am pleased that the department chose Wyoming as a state to visit, we have a lot of insight to share.”
USED officials will participate in a listening session in which the public is invited to share ideas and provide meaningful input on how ESSA affects Wyoming and rural states. In addition, staff from the Wyoming Department of Education will collect input specific to the development of Wyoming’s plan for implementation of ESSA.
The Community Roundtable will go from 9:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. in CS-160 Nichols Auditorium at Casper College.
– END –
Media Contact:
Kari Eakins, Communications Director
kari.eakins@wyo.gov
307-777-2053
By Lucia Bragg
The tour is designed to highlight standout examples of innovation in K-12 and higher education settings and leadership.
