This Week’s ESSA News: Congressional Pushback Over Plan Approvals, New Questions About High Standards, Alaska & Iowa Approved by Feds
This update on the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and the education plans currently being refined by state legislatures is brought to you in partnership with ESSA Essentials, a new series developed by the Collaborative for Student Success. It is a branch of their ESSA Advance newsletter, which you can subscribe to here! (For our previous ESSA updates from previous weeks, click here.)
This week, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos returned to Capitol Hill to testify before the House Education and the Workforce Committee and discuss her agency’s priorities. While members of Congress asked DeVos a wide range of questions covering topics from school safety to Pell Grants, one of the main areas where she faced opposition was ESSA and the approval of state plans.
According to CNN reporter Juana Summers, DeVos faced intense questioning from Representative Bobby Scott, the ranking Democrat on the committee, regarding the approval of state education plans that may violate the law. Scott repeatedly challenged DeVos on plans that do not include subgroup performance in school grades, suggesting that this allows states to disregard disadvantaged groups.
DeVos responded, stating that the issue is addressed as required by the law. However, Scott pressed further, asking her to clarify what the law actually states.
On May 16, DeVos announced that Alaska and Iowa had received federal approval for their state ESSA plans. DeVos expressed her approval, stating that the plans comply with the requirements of the law. She also encouraged other states to use these plans as a starting point for improving outcomes for all students, rather than a final outcome. DeVos highlighted some unique aspects of each state’s plan, such as Alaska’s goal to reduce the number of non-proficient students by 50% in ten years, and Iowa’s focus on clear and rigorous standards, as well as high-quality instruction and evidence-based practices.
In a recent study conducted by Education Next, Kevin Mahnken reports that state tests have seen more stringent proficiency standards in recent years, contrary to concerns that they would be watered down under ESSA. The study found that 43 states received a grade of B-minus or better on their standards, with 16 states and the District of Columbia earning an A or A-minus. However, this was not the case just nine years ago, when only two states received a grade of B or better.
Chiefs for Change and Results for America have released a new report that explores how state chiefs are utilizing data to better understand the impact of different programs on student achievement under ESSA. The report offers guidance to states and districts on how to navigate ESSA’s evidence provisions and provides examples of how states are finding new and improved ways to determine what works and what doesn’t. The authors aim to provide clarity on the policies, practices, and conditions that states can establish to build evidence and utilize it in ways that can solve problems and enhance outcomes for students.
— Chiefs for Change (@chiefsforchange) May 17, 2018
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