4/26/2018 Exclusive: Independent Review of ESSA Plans Rates States Strong on Accountability, Weak on Counting All Kids The 74 School Closures or State Takeover? Texas Ed Agency Weighs Options A er Houston Fails to Take Action Unjust  ‘Dese Maps High-P Across Ameri Parents  Have News Every Student Succeeds Act Exclusive: Independent Review of ESSA Plans Rates States Strong on Accountability, Weak on Counting All Kids June 26, 2017 By CAROLYN PHENICIE S tates are doing a good job broadening measures of school accountability but are failing to address low-performing subgroups of students, according to an independent review Carolyn Phenicie is a senior writer at The 74 based in Washington, D.C., covering federal policy, Congress, and the Education Department. https://www.the74million.org/article/exclusive-independent-review-of-essa-plans-rates-states-strong-on-accountability-weak-on-counting-all-kids/ 1/13 4/26/2018 Exclusive: Independent Review of ESSA Plans Rates States Strong on Accountability, Weak on Counting All Kids The 74 of state plans under the Every Student  Succeeds Act. carolyn@the74million.org  @cphenicie Bellwether Education Partners and the Collaborative for Student Success brought together more than 30 advocates om across the ideological spectrum to evaluate plans om the 16 states and Washington, D.C., which led their submissions with the U.S. Department of Education in April. Some states whose plans received high marks include Louisiana and New Mexico, while plans submitted by Michigan, Arizona, and Massachusetts were among those seen as weak in multiple areas. ESSA replaces No Child Le Behind, the former federal K-12 law, and was deliberately cra ed to shi decision-making and power back to the states and away TALKING POINTS  States will take @bellwethered @StudentSuccess #ESSA feedback seriously, @CCSSO Chris Minnich says  Praise for extent of indicators, worry over limited details in state #ESSA plans @bellwethered @StudentSuccess om the federal government. Interactive Map: See Your State’s Progress in Finalizing ESSA Plans SIGN UP FOR THE T74 NEWSLETTER Enter Email Address SUBMIT MOST READ https://www.the74million.org/article/exclusive-independent-review-of-essa-plans-rates-states-strong-on-accountability-weak-on-counting-all-kids/ 2/13 4/26/2018 Exclusive: Independent Review of ESSA Plans Rates States Strong on Accountability, Weak on Counting All Kids The 74 Overall, the reviewers were pleased with the breadth of indicators states are using to evaluate schools. Janus v. AFSCME: 5 Things to Know About the Latest Union Dues Case Headed to the High Court “We’re de nitely seeing states broaden their accountability systems beyond static pro ciency rates in reading and math,” said Chad Aldeman, a principal at Bellwether Education Partners who led the review. Some had measures in areas like science, social studies, and even physical education. All 17 jurisdictions that submitted in the rst round had a measure on student growth, helpful for measuring schools’ progress with students who start school behind their peers. “It’s not just a conversation about status and pro ciency; it’s a conversation about both and the interplay between them as a much more dependable measure of a student’s progress,” said Gavin Payne, a consultant who previously worked for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and as California’s chief deputy Learning From Olympians: How Classroom Champions Is Pairing Athletes With Schools to O er Unique Lessons on Grit, Goals, and Perseverance 6 Reasons Why Singapore Math Might Just Be the Be er Way A er Super Bowl LII, These Minnesota Athletes Return to a High School Where 90% of Students Are Graded ‘Falling Behind’ What You Never Realized You Were Teaching Your Child About Grit & Resilience: MIT Study Captures Techniques That Work for Babies as Young as 13 Months superintendent of public instruction. The analysis is aimed both at helping states improve the plans that have been submitted and at serving as a resource for the majority of states, which will Overshadowed by the College Sexual Assault Debate, 154 Open Title IX Investigations at K-12 Schools le theirs during a second review window in September. A group of three to ve generalist reviewers looked at each state’s plan, as did a reviewer https://www.the74million.org/article/exclusive-independent-review-of-essa-plans-rates-states-strong-on-accountability-weak-on-counting-all-kids/ 3/13 4/26/2018 Exclusive: Independent Review of ESSA Plans Rates States Strong on Accountability, Weak on Counting All Kids The 74 focused on students with disabilities and one focused on English language learners. They rated each plan in nine areas, on a scale of 1 to 5. The nine ratings areas were: goals, standards and assessments, indicators, academic progress, all students, identi ing schools, supporting schools, exiting improvement status (improving enough to no longer need state interventions), and continuous improvement (learning om implementation and modi ing the plan going forward). (The 74: Meet the 29 Experts Joining Forces to Give State ESSA Plans a Harder Accountability Look) Each state went through an “exhaustive” stakeholder review process, and this feedback will be one more piece to consider, said Chris Minnich, executive director of the Council of Chief State School O cers, which represents the state education leaders responsible for writing the ESSA plans. “States are going to take this feedback. I know they’re going to take it seriously,” he said. New Mexico had high ratings in the most categories, achieving a 5 in ve of the nine categories. Reviewers praised it for its strong standards and assessment; simple, high-quality indicators of school success; and a clear list of https://www.the74million.org/article/exclusive-independent-review-of-essa-plans-rates-states-strong-on-accountability-weak-on-counting-all-kids/ 4/13