Iowa Department of Education Director Ryan Wise today announced that the third draft of Iowa’s state plan for meeting the federal Every Student Succeeds Act is available for public review and comment. Iowa’s plan will be finalized and submitted to the U.S. Department of Education in September. ESSA is a reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965; the update replaces the No Child Left Behind Act. “Iowa has several collaborative education improvement efforts underway, each with a goal of preparing students for success in high school and beyond, and the Every Student Succeeds Act is an opportunity to connect and build on those efforts,” Wise said. The third draft is a final opportunity for Iowans to review the plan; a snapshot can be found here.
MICHIGAN — The Michigan Department of Education has re-submitted the state’s plan to the U.S. Department of Education (USED) for the federal Every Student Succeeds Act, responding to USED’s official feedback received two weeks ago.
ESSA is the new federal law that replaced the previous No Child Left Behind Act. Every state is to develop a plan that it will use to improve educational outcomes for children and hold schools accountable and transparent for that success.
The re-submitted plan includes requested technical detail and clarifications to the first submitted plan, as well as better defined information on a school accountability system.
“When the plan first was submitted, it contained three options for school accountability,” State Superintendent Brian Whiston said. “After the legislature adjourned for the summer, it became clear that we would be going forward with a Transparency Dashboard.
“Our staff have been working diligently to fully develop that dashboard and an index from which to identify the state’s most struggling schools,” he said. “Identifying those struggling schools is required by both federal and state law, along with the supports those schools will be receiving.”
Michigan’s ESSA plan is a thoughtful and dynamic plan to keep Michigan schools moving forward. It builds upon the goals and strategies outlined in the Top 10 in 10 initiative and the Governor’s 21st Century Education Commission.”
Due to the short turnaround time USED gave the state to submit its updated plan, education stakeholders were not directly involved in this revision, although it was informed by their previous contributions.
“We will be bringing back the education stakeholders who helped develop the original plan and update them on the re-submitted details,” Whiston said. “The decisions made on the re-submitted plan were based on their input throughout the original process.”
The concept of the federal law is to give schools more flexibility in how they meet the comprehensive needs of their students with tailored strategies for student and educator success, and less focus on compliance to federal requirements.
At its core, Michigan’s ESSA plan centers on Michigan’s children – their opportunity to learn; to access excellent educators and meaningful supports; and to successfully transition to college, career, and life.
The Michigan ESSA plan is the product of nearly a year of work, engaging thousands of stakeholders through work groups, community meetings, focus groups, online surveys, webinars, and general input from the public.
It was developed through the inclusion and consultation with the Governor; State Board of Education; state legislature; and representatives from local school districts, schools, intermediate school districts, Michigan’s 12 federally-recognized tribal education departments, civil rights groups, education organizations, teachers, parents, students, business leaders, community members, and foundations.
“I said from the beginning of this work that we are going to put forward a plan that is best for the students in Michigan,” Whiston said. “This is how we move forward, and I want to thank all of the passionate people who provided input and helped inform this plan. Let’s all work together now to put the plan into action.”
As work moves forward toward implementation and as the conversation continues, particularly around assessment and accountability, the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) will leave the MDE-ESSA@michigan.gov email account open for any additional feedback that anyone may want to submit, based on the re-submitted plan and will consider that feedback as the state works with USED on plan approval and throughout implementation of the plan.
To read Michigan’s ESSA Plan (as it has been updated), an Overview of the plan, and historical documents developed during various iterations of the plan, go to www.michigan.gov/ESSA.
The Kentucky Department of Education is seeking feedback on its plan for public education in the state. Kentucky’s plan is scheduled to be submitted Sept. 18.
Click here to read the ESSA plan that was submitted to Governor Holcomb.
Indiana ESSA Plan – First Draft
Directions: We encourage you to read individual sections of the ESSA draft in the first column, and then click on the corresponding section survey to respond to the section draft.
The Department of Education has recorded an informational webinar which is available on the IDOE website, titled Equitable Service to Non-Public Schools and an Overview of Changes in the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015. This webinar goes into detail about the IDOE’s plan for ESSA, as well as changes with ESSA, with specific respect to non-public schools.
Both public and non-public schools will learn more about their rights and responsibilities with the new law and will understand the role of IDOE in this process. At the end of the presentation, please be sure to fill out the questionnaire as we will be posting FAQ’s as part of the ongoing ESSA discussion.
Anchorage, AK – The Alaska Department of Education and Early Development has submitted their final draft of the state plan for the Every Student Succeeds Act.
ESSA is meant to replace the No Child Left Behind Act. Key differences between the two include allowing the states to set their own long-term goals and success rates, versus the previous expected 100 percent graduation and proficiency rate.
The draft has been submitted to the Governor’s office for a 30 day review period, prior to the September 18th federal deadline. Public comment will be accepted until September 15th.
On Tuesday, the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) kicked off their Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) public comment regional meetings at the Wilder Foundation in Saint Paul. Over 60 individuals gathered to hear Commissioner Cassellius and Michael Diedrich, MDE’s Elementary and Secondary Education Act Policy Specialist, share the state’s ESSA accountability plan, answer questions, and receive public input.
Change #1: From Proficiency Index Rate to Achievement Rates
Commissioner Cassellius indicated that one of the changes MDE has made is that they will use achievement rates instead of a proficiency index rate for the academic achievement indicator.
In the initial version of the plan, which used a proficiency index rate, schools were awarded 1.0 point for every student that either “meets standards” or “exceeds standards” and 0.5 points for every student that “partially meets standards” on the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCAs). However, in the updated plan, schools will not be awarded any points for students who “partially meets standards.” Rather, schools will only be awarded 1.0 points for every student who either “meets standards” or “exceeds standards.”
According to Commissioner Cassellius, MDE decided to make this change because legislators and stakeholder groups had indicated that the previous system was “confusing.” However, public commentary has indicated that there is some dissatisfaction with that decision.
Change #2: Students Who Opt-Out of MCAs Will Not Be Described As Failing to Meet Standards
The draft state accountability plan, which MDE released on July 17th, indicated that students who opted out of the state’s MCAs would “functionally count the same as students at the ‘does not meet standards’ achievement level.” However, the state’s updated plan indicates that “Students who do not participate in the test will be identified in state records and in communications with families as not participating; they will not be described as failing to meet standards.”
With that said, students who opt-out or do not participate in the MCAs will still be included in the denominator used to calculate the school’s academic achievement rate and they will not be awarded any points.
Public Comments Indicates that Concerns Remain
So far, much of the public feedback submitted on the plan has lauded MDE’s focus on equity, inclusion of 7-year high school graduation rates, and the creation of a manual that standardizes the identification, entrance, and exit decisions for English language learners. However, some concerns remain.
One concern is the exclusion of some form of a summative rating. A ninth grade teacher at Hiawatha Collegiate High School urged MDE to include a summative rating because the “citizens of Minnesota deserve a clear, direct, and transparent system to see where we are and how we will grow.”
Another concern is the use of a funnel approach to identify schools for comprehensive support. A second grade teacher from Global Academy indicated his support for a weighted point system and provided an example as explanation, “Under the funnel system, a school could be in the 1st percentile of academic achievement, advance to the next level of the funnel, happen to be in the 26th percentile for academic progress and be deemed not in need of comprehensive support.”
What’s Next for Minnesota’s ESSA Plan?
MDE has to submit the state accountability plan to US Department of Education (USDE) on September 18, 2017. However, before MDE submits the plan they must also do the following:
Submit the plan to Governor Dayton for his signature. However, if Governor Dayton has not signed the plan within 30 days of delivery, MDE can submit the plan to USDE without it.
Submit the plan to legislature’s education policy and finance committees. Even though this is required by the state’s 2017 Education Omnibus Bill, it is more of a courtesy as the committees do not need to approve the plan in order for MDE to submit it to USDE.
MDE will also host a series of additional public commentary meetings from 6:00-7:30 PM at the following locations:
Mankato: Thursday, August 17th at West High School Auditorium
Moorhead: Monday, August 21 at Moorhead High School Auditorium
Sartell: Tuesday, August 22 at Resource Training and Education
Duluth: Wednesday, August 23 at Denfield High School Cafeteria
These meetings are open to the public and you can register to attend one of them here. If you are unable to attend one of the public commentary meetings, the state’s current accountability plan is also published to the MDE website and is available for public comment until August 31st.
Education Evolving will continue to follow and report on the development of Minnesota’s ESSA state accountability plan.
The Council of Urban Boards of Education (CUBE) has been at the forefront in helping urban school districts in their work to close the achievement gap, raise high school graduation rates, provide intervention services to academically struggling students, and create broad-based school programs to support students who live in poverty or other circumstances that create obstacles to learning.
Join us at the 50th Annual CUBE Conference, September 28-30 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The conference is a dynamic forum for school board members to examine and discuss strategies, current trends, research, and best practices that are positively impacting the educational outcomes of academically and economically disadvantaged students. Keynote speakers include former U.S. Department of Education Secretary (under President Barack Obama) and President and CEO of Ed Trust, John B. King, Jr.; and acclaimed Spoken Word Poet and Award-Winning Educator Clint Smith.
Add two more plans for the Every Student Succeeds Act to the “approved” pile: Connecticut and Louisiana. The states become the fifth and sixth to be approved by the U.S. Department of Education.
Connecticut’s plan was approved even though it didn’t make some big changes that the feds wanted to see, including when it comes to calculating student achievement and measuring the performance of English-language learners.
Instead of making the revisions the department suggested, Connecticut provided long explanations of why the state thought its approach was permissible under ESSA…
No one ever said that higher education wouldn’t cost money. Across the country, tuition is steadily rising and students are taking longer to pay off their student loans.
Today, 44 million consumers share $1.4 trillion in borrowed student debt – more than double what it was in 2008. On average, graduating seniors with a bachelor’s degree begin their careers with about $30,000 in student loans, while graduate students are almost assured of incurring six-figure student debt.
All of these financial burdens have been acquired against a backdrop of an increasingly competitive global economy. The 21st Century marketplace is also dependent upon a highly-skilled workforce. Gone are the days when manufacturing could provide a steady and comfortable living. From steel to textiles and more, global competition requires America to work smarter and harder.
So why would the Trump Administration propose a $9.2 billion cut in education?
Over the next decade, the White House wants to ‘save’ $143 billion from college loan programs, including an end to $26.8 billion in subsidized loans. Currently, Pell Grants, designed to assist low-income students, are capped at less than $6,000 per scholastic year despite the average cost of tuition at a public college for its own state students approaching $10,000 per year.
Here’s one White House explanation on how less access to higher education going to help the nation’s ability to remain economically competitive.
“We’re no longer going to measure compassion by the number of programs or the number of people on those programs, but by the number of people we help get off of those programs,” said White House Budget Director Mick Mulvaney during a May 23 press briefing.
It seems like the White House is really averse to more Americans receiving a higher education at a time when college costs and its resulting debt are on an upward trajectory. Certainly, education budget cuts will not ‘make America great again’.
Two days later and on the floor of the U.S. Senate, a diverging view was spoken, “Let’s give struggling students a fair chance,” said Illinois’ Senator Richard Durbin.
“We are seeing an increase in the wealth gap between college graduates with student debt and those without student debt”, Durbin continued. “The burdens of student debt are threatening the notion that being college-educated is enough to get ahead.”
Sen. Durbin went on to share the story of a Chicago constituent, the first in her family to attend college, who appealed to his office for help. The majority of the former student’s debts totaling $120,000 were private loans with high interest rates and monthly payments that were just as costly. The student also felt she had no chance of financial improvement due to an ill-conceived enactment of a bill that prevented such debts being discharged in bankruptcy.
Since 2005, student loan debt, unlike other types of unsecured debt cannot be a part of a bankruptcy filing. In other words, it’s the kind of debt that could potentially follow borrowers to the grave.
The Fairness for Struggling Students Act of 2017 (S. 1262), introduced by Sen. Durbin and co-sponsored by 11 other Senators would allow financially struggling borrows to discharge private student loans in bankruptcy. The law is anticipated to relieve high-cost private loans that seldom come with many of the flexible repayment terms offered by federal ones. Some private student loans come with variable interest rates, high origination fees and scant – if any – repayment options.
Already the bill has attracted the support of a large coalition of educational, student, civil rights and consumer organizations that include: the United Negro College Fund (UNCF), NAACP, the American Federation of Teachers, the Empire Justice Center, National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, and the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL).
According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), in 2012, at least 850,000 private loan borrowers were in default in the amount of $8 billion. Two years later in 2014, CFPB analyzed more than 5,300 private student loan complaints filed between October 2013 and September 2014. That analysis found that the lack of affordable repayment plans, not a disregard for the debt, drove many borrowers to default.
Defaulting on a private student loan has the potential to bring even more financial calamity to borrowers. In some cases, the entire loan balance may become due in full, immediately. Loan defaults can also lower consumers’ credit profiles, preventing some borrowers from passing a background check for a job, obtaining housing, or accessing low interest forms of credit.
Additional CRL research has found that:
Four years after graduation, Black students with a bachelor’s degree owe almost double the debt their white classmates owe; and
While for-profit college enrollment represents 9.1 percent of all college students, these schools generate over 35 percent of all students who default on their loans; and
“Quality education is an investment – not a cost – to our nation’s future, noted Whitney Barkley-Denney, a CRL policy counsel. “Its policies and practices must assure student success while minimizing costly debt errors that become unnecessary burdens,”
“When students fall off a financial cliff, they should be able to discharge their private student loan debt in bankruptcy – just like people can with other kinds of debt,” said Senator Elizabeth Warren. “Banks fought hard more than a decade ago to exempt student loan debt from bankruptcy protections, and now we’ve seen the consequences: too many students are crushed by debt with no chance for a new start.”
Last week, Gov. Jay Inslee signed a bill to create more equitable education opportunities for students in K-12 public schools, including changes to the way local districts fund their schools.
Washington State Governor, Jay Inslee
The changes are in response to the state Supreme Court’s McCleary decision, which determined that the state was not meeting its constitutional duty to fully fund basic education. Part of the decision found that schools were relying on local levies to pay for their basic needs, such as teacher salaries, a responsibility that should fall to state government.
“This is a big day in the state of Washington,” Inslee said. “For the first time in decades, we have a budget that fully funds education. Our work isn’t over, but we’ve met the constitutional and moral obligation to our students, and we’ve set the course for the future of education in Washington state.”
The Council of Urban Boards of Education (CUBE) has been at the forefront in helping urban school districts in their work to close the achievement gap, raise high school graduation rates, provide intervention services to academically struggling students, and create broad-based school programs to support students who live in poverty or other circumstances that create obstacles to learning.
Join us at the 50th Annual CUBE Conference, September 28-30 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The conference is a dynamic forum for school board members to examine and discuss strategies, current trends, research, and best practices that are positively impacting the educational outcomes of academically and economically disadvantaged students. Keynote speakers include former U.S. Department of Education Secretary (under President Barack Obama) and President and CEO of Ed Trust, John B. King, Jr.; and acclaimed Spoken Word Poet and Award-Winning Educator Clint Smith.
Charlene Crowell, Published: 06 July 2017
