ESSA - A brief summary of Every Student Succeeds Act (please note...I am NOT an expert, this is just my personal summary of my day of learning.)

Yesterday I attended a session put on by the Department of Education.  It was a day of learning about the replacement to No Child Left Behind. This new act focuses on continuous improvement instead of accountability.  No longer should districts feel the “shame and blame” of the old SINA/DINA legislation. This new program for school improvement is called the “Every Student Succeeds Act”, referred to as “ESSA”   ESSA gives districts a score in several areas such as proficiency, growth as well as learning environment. Each category is weighed and students are measured against like peers. Schools that are below the 43.9 cut-off are marked “Targeted” or “Comprehensive”  

Our elementary was given the “Targeted” status.  We are above the state average in proficiency in both reading and math (Reading 75.81 and Math 85.48) however, one our subcategories was not high enough.  Our low socioeconomic subcategory did not show the necessary growth. Our low socioeconomic rate in reading was 39; 4.95 points from the cut off and in math it was 40 which was 3.95 points below the cut-off score. The JH/HS was above the cut-off score and way labeled “Met”.   

Although, you could look at this report and focus on the negative side, that we are labeled “Targeted”, I would ask that you take a minute and see the silver lining.  First, our high proficiency rate is something to really celebrate. Next, because of our status, we will be receiving support and resources to help us grow. The state has developed a needs response for districts to use to identify areas for growth. This is called the SAMI, this will be a great way for us to really reflect on our current reality and help us formulate a plan to continue to improve the work that we are doing at the elementary.  This is a 3-year process, with this year being a planning year. This just the tip of the iceberg that I was able to gather after a one day workshop. There are still some parts of the ESSA that I need to have clarified and I look forward to digging deeper into this new system and working with the AEA to create a successful plan for our building.