Opportunities to participate in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) State Plan development.
As part of California’s transition to ESSA, California must submit an ESSA State Plan to the U.S. Department of Education. The State Plan will describe the State’s implementation of standards, assessment, accountability, and assistance programs and will move us toward California’s goal of having a single, coherent local, state, and federal education system. The California Department of Education (CDE) is committed to ensuring a transparent transition to the new law and developing an ESSA State Plan that is informed by the voices of diverse Californians. Below you will find information about the State’s stakeholder engagement efforts. If you would like to be notified about new opportunities to participate, please join the CDE ESSA listserv by sending a blank e-mail message to join-essa@mlist.cde.ca.gov.
Stakeholder Engagement – Phase IV
California’s ESSA State Plan is scheduled to be made available as a full draft for public comment in May 2017.
To date, the CDE has conducted three formal phases of ESSA State Plan stakeholder engagement.
- Phase I, which took place in June and July 2016, included several regional meetings, webinars, and a survey in which stakeholders provided input for what they would like to see in the State Plan related to stakeholder consultation, support for schools, support for educators, and support for a well-rounded education for all students.
- Phase II took place in November and December of 2016 and focused on public review and comment on the first draft sections of the ESSA State Plan. A toolkit and survey were made available to facilitate stakeholder responses during the review period.
- Phase III took place in February 2017 and included regional meetings and webinars in which stakeholders provided feedback on several of the specific policy decisions that need to be included in the State Plan.
More information about all of these stakeholder engagement activities is available below.
The next formal opportunity to participate in plan development will be the 30 day public comment period on the draft of the entire Consolidated State Plan, currently scheduled to begin in May 2017. In addition to this formal public comment period, stakeholders are encouraged to submit comments, questions, recommendations, or letters concerning the ESSA State Plan at any time to the CDE by e-mail at ESSA@cde.ca.gov. Stakeholders are also encouraged to provide public comment during the following California Practitioners Advisory Group (CPAG) and SBE meetings in which the ESSA State Plan will be discussed:
- March 8–9, 2017: SBE Meeting
- April 13, 2017: CPAG Meeting
- May 10–11, 2017: SBE Meeting
- June 1, 2017: CPAG Meeting
- July 12–13, 2017: SBE Meeting
- August 25, 2017: CPAG Meeting
- September 13, 2017: SBE Meeting
The CDE anticipates presenting the ESSA State Plan for final SBE approval at the September 2017 SBE meeting before submitting it to the U.S. Department of Education on September 18, 2017.
Stakeholder Engagement – Phase III
ESSA State Plan Stakeholder Policy Input Meetings
In February 2017, the CDE, in partnership with select county offices of education, convened a second round of stakeholder meetings to inform the development of California’s ESSA State Plan. The purpose of these meetings was to present the policy decisions California needs to make in order to develop its ESSA State Plan, and gather feedback from a wide variety of stakeholders on the options the State could pursue in order to address those policy decisions. You can find meeting materials on the Policy Input Meeting Materials Web page.
- February 6, 2017, 1–4 p.m.
Orange County Department of Education
200 Kalmus Drive
Costa Mesa, CA 92626 - February 7, 2017, 1–4 p.m.
Moreno Valley Conference Center
14075 Frederick Street
Moreno Valley, CA 92553 - February 8, 2017, 2–4 p.m.
Webinar - February 9, 2017, 9 a.m.–12 p.m.
Sacramento County Office of Education
10474 Mather Boulevard
Mather, CA 95655 - February 10, 2017, 1–4 p.m.
Fresno County Office of Education
1111 Van Ness Avenue
Fresno, CA 93721 - February 11, 2017, 10 a.m.–12 p.m.
Webinar
Stakeholder Engagement – Phase II
Phase II of stakeholder outreach took place in November and December 2016 and focused on public review and comment on the first draft sections of the ESSA State Plan. Stakeholders were encouraged to utilize resources on the ESSA Stakeholder Engagement Toolkit to inform stakeholders about the timeline for the development of the State Plan and provide important overview information. Stakeholders were also directed to the Stakeholder Engagement – Phase II Toolkitwhich included toolkit facilitator instructions, the first draft sections, overview videos, and the public comment survey.
The results of this outreach are scheduled to be reported to the State Board of Education in a April 2017 Information Memorandum.
Stakeholder Engagement – Phase I
Phase I of California’s ESSA stakeholder outreach took place in May through the beginning of July 2016 and consisted of webinars, a brief survey, and regional stakeholder meetings, each described below. The results of this outreach were reported to the State Board of Education as an August 2016 Information Memorandum as the Every Student Succeeds Act Stakeholder Engagement – Phase I Report (DOC).
ESSA Regional Stakeholder Meetings
The CDE and several county offices of education across the state partnered to host a series of regional stakeholder meetings to provide an overview of the ESSA and an update on the development of the ESSA State Plan and to consult with stakeholders regarding what should be included in the State Plan. The overview presentation (PDF) is available online.
- June 16, 2016, 1–4 p.m.
California Department of Education
1430 N Street, Room 1101
Sacramento, CA 95814 - June 20, 2016, 1–4 p.m.
Shasta County Office of Education
2985 Innsbruck Dr.
Redding, CA 96002 - June 23, 2016, 1–4 p.m.
Santa Clara County Office of Education
San Jose/Eastside Room
1290 Ridder Park Drive
San Jose, CA 95131-2304 - June 27, 2016, 1–4 p.m.
Tulare County Office of Education
6200 S. Mooney Blvd.
Visalia, CA 93278
Redwood Rooms C-F - June 28, 2016, 1–4 p.m.
Los Angeles County Office of Education
9300 Imperial Hwy – EC 281
Downey, CA 90242 - July 8, 2016, 1–4 p.m.
Etiwanda Gardens
7576 Etiwanda Ave
Etiwanda, CA 91739
ESSA Stakeholder Survey
The CDE surveyed interested members of the public regarding important questions they have regarding California’s transition to the ESSA and to collect recommendations about what should be included in California’s ESSA State Plan. This initial survey of the public closed on July 8, 2016. Responses to the survey will be reviewed by CDE staff and will inform ESSA State Plan development including future stakeholder meetings and communications.
California ESSA Webinar for Education Stakeholders and Public
On May 26 and June 1, 2016, the CDE, with support from the Comprehensive Center at WestEd, hosted an informational webinar to provide an overview of the ESSA and an update on the development of the ESSA State Plan. Below you will find a link to the recording of the webinar and a link to the webinar materials.
- Webinar Recording
(06-Jun-2016) - Webinar Materials (06-Jun-2016)