1. Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015: Highlights and
Implementation Update
Virginia Association of Secondary School Principals
June 28, 2016

2. Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
Signed into law on December 15, 2015
Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA)
Replaces the most recent ESEA amendment, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB)
“ to ensure that every child achieves”

3. ESSA – General Information
Increased Flexibilities in Federal Accountability System
States set college- and career-ready standards and create assessments
States (not federal government) are responsible for school improvement decisions
States determine teacher evaluation systems
Limited authority for U.S. Department of Education and Secretary of Education

4. ESSA – General Information
Continued from NCLB
Most “Title” programs continue
Testing still mandated (civil rights action)
Data must be disaggregated by subgroups (reporting groups)
Schools must be identified for improvement
Comprehensive Support
Targeted Support

5. USED Authority for Orderly Transition to ESSA
The Secretary shall take such steps as are necessary to provide for the orderly transition to, and implementation of, programs authorized under the ESEA, as amended by ESSA, from programs authorized under the ESEA, as amended by NCLB.
(Section 4(b) of ESSA)

6. Transition Year
Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2016 In general, Fiscal Year 2016 formula grant funds for the school year will be awarded and administered in accordance with the ESEA, as amended by NCLB.

7. ESEA Flexibility (NCLB Waivers)
ESEA Flexibility waivers expire August 1, Except as otherwise indicated by USED:
States will operate under NCLB requirements for ; and
All provisions of ESSA take effect in the school year.

8. “Highly Qualified” Teachers and Paraprofessionals
Superintendent’s Memo #076-16
The terms “highly qualified teacher” and “highly qualified paraprofessional” will be eliminated as of August 1, 2016
Starting with the school year, “highly qualified” data will no longer be collected or reported, nor will calculations be made related to percentages of classes being taught by highly qualified teachers

9. “Highly Qualified” Teachers and Paraprofessionals
Under ESSA and § of the Code of Virginia, students must still be taught by teachers who are properly licensed and endorsed for the classes they are assigned to teach. Data will continue to be collected through the Master Schedule Collection (MSC) and Instructional Personnel and Licensure Report (IPAL).
Additional information regarding licensure for teachers in Virginia may be found on the VDOE web site.

10. ESSA Transition: Identification of Priority and Focus Schools
Two options provided to states in December 18, 2015, USED Dear Colleague Letter:
Option A: Do not exit schools and maintain current identification
State freezes its current list of priority and focus schools as of December 9, 2015
State may not exit schools from the current lists
Schools will continue to implement approved interventions through

11. ESSA Transition: Identification of Priority and Focus Schools
Option B: Exit eligible schools and identify new priority and focus schools
State exits priority and focus schools that meet exit criteria and identifies new priority and focus schools based on more recent data
All identified schools would implement their approved interventions through
States selecting this option must provide updated lists to USED by March 1, 2016

12. Identification of Priority and Focus Schools – Virginia’s Response
Superintendent’s Memo #080-16
January 17, 2016: Virginia responded to Dear Colleague Letter proposing a modified option:
Priority and focus schools meeting exit criteria would be allowed to exit
Exited schools would not be replaced with newly identified schools
February 9, 2016: USED called to indicate Virginia must choose Option A or Option B
March 9, 2016: Virginia selects Option B

13. Other Title I Schools In Improvement
Pass rate data will be used to determine which schools exit priority and focus status for the school year, and which schools will be newly identified in either category
Per the provisions of Virginia’s ESEA Flexibility Plan, a Title I school that did not meet any AMO, and was not a priority or focus school, had to develop and implement a school improvement plan
Virginia will not identify “Other Title I Schools in Improvement” for

14. ESSA Accountability Indicators
* Academic indicators must carry greater weight than school quality and student engagement indicators.
ACADEMIC INDICATORS*
SCHOOL QUALITY AND
STUDENT ENGAGEMENT
Achievement on state assessments
Graduation rates
(high schools)
Growth or other academic indicator
(elementary and middle)
English learner progress toward attaining proficiency
(grades 3-8 and high school)
School quality or school success measure
Examples: student engagement; educator engagement; access and completion of advanced coursework; postsecondary readiness; school climate and safety; other chosen by state

15. Subgroup (Reporting Group) Accountability
ESSA maintains focus on subgroup (reporting group) accountability by requiring disaggregated performance results of accountability indicators for all students and subgroups (reporting groups).

16. Changes to English Learner Accountability
Removes label of “Limited English Proficient” – now English learners (ELs)
Removes separate requirements to calculate Title III Annual Measurable Achievement Objectives (AMAOs):
AMAO 1 - Progress toward attaining English proficiency
AMAO 2 - Proficiency in attaining English
AMAO 3 - All Title I targets
EL accountability now part of state accountability plan under Title I
ELs can be included in subgroup for up to 4 years after reaching proficiency in English

17. Report Card Requirements
Report card requirements remain mostly the same with some additional elements.
Reporting on academic achievement levels on state assessments must now include:
Children of military parents
Foster children
Homeless students
Migrant students
Gender categories
Reporting must also include school quality, climate, and safety data, teacher equity data, and per pupil expenditure information.

18. Comprehensive Support School Identification
Beginning in (and at least once every three years thereafter), ESSA requires identification of at least the lowest 5% of Title I schools based on performance for all students, and all high schools with a federal four-year cohort graduation rate below 67%.

19. Targeted Support School Identification
Beginning in , ESSA requires identification of schools due to subgroup (reporting group) performance:
Consistently underperforming –– any school with one or more consistently underperforming subgroups (reporting groups) of students
Low-performing – any school in which one or more subgroups (reporting groups) is performing at or below the summative level of performance of all students in any school identified for comprehensive support

20. School Improvement – State Role
Make technical assistance available to the division
Develop strategies for divisions to use in identified schools (in addition to division-identified strategies)
Ensure divisions implement strategies in identified schools
Monitor and evaluate school intervention and support strategies by divisions and use the results of the evaluation to change or improve strategies

21. School Support and Recognition
ESSA eliminates the statewide system of support and recognition described in Section 1117 of NCLB:
School support teams
Academic achievement awards program
Title I Distinguished schools
Optional awards to teachers
ESSA eliminates Section 1003(G) School Improvement Grants (SIG)

22. School division questions or comments about ESSA may be e-mailed to: ESSA@doe.virginia.gov