Secretary DeVos Approves Six ESSA
State Plans
WASHINGTON
- U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos today announced the approval of six consolidated
state plans—Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, Kansas, Montana and New Hampshire—under
the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Today’s approvals bring the total to 35
states whose ESSA plans have been approved.
“I
am pleased to approve these plans which comply with the requirements of the
law,” said Secretary DeVos. “I encourage states to use their plans as a
starting point, rather than a finish line, to improve outcomes for all students.”
Allowing states more flexibility in how they
deliver education to students is at the core of ESSA. Each state crafted a plan
that it feels will best offer educational opportunities to meet the needs of
the state and its students. The following are some of the unique elements from
each state's approved plan as highlighted by each state:
Georgia
- Recognizes schools making significant progress
with traditionally underserved subgroups through its Closing Gaps indicator.
- Focuses on the whole child through its College
& Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI), which measures student access to
fine arts education, world language instruction, physical education, AP/IB
enrollment and career pathways.
“Thousands
of Georgians—parents, students, educators, policymakers, members of the
business community—gave us their feedback as we worked to create our state’s
ESSA plan,” said Georgia State Superintendent Richard Woods. “We listened and
heard that Georgians want a K-12 education system that supports the whole
child; a system that produces students who are not just college- and
career-ready, but ready for life. This plan is a direct response to that
feedback, and reflects our continued focus on expanding opportunities for
Georgia’s students.”
Hawaii
- Aligns its state education plan with state
strategic planning in order to develop a unified vision for public education in
Hawaii inclusive of the state’s unique context.
- Recognizes chronic absenteeism as an early
indicator for underperformance and addresses it through inclusion of a chronic
absenteeism measure in its accountability system.
“The
goals and measures of success outlined in our approved state plan show Hawaii’s
continued commitment to providing equitable and accessible education, and
empowers our educators to innovate and design schools that meet the needs of
their communities,” said Hawaii State Department of Education Superintendent Christina
Kishimoto. “This plan is a reflection of the voices of our students, teachers,
parents, administrators and community partners who came forward to offer their
recommendations on the direction of public education in Hawaii.”
Indiana
- Closes the gap in student achievement in
English/language arts and mathematics for all student subgroups by 50 percent
by 2023.
- Uses multiple measures to evaluate the college
and career readiness of its high schoolers, such as performance in advanced courses
and earning dual credit or an industry certification. For its elementary
students, the state plan will measure both student attendance and growth in
student attendance over time.
“Today is a great day for Indiana,” said
Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Jennifer McCormick. “Our ESSA plan
reflects the input and perspective of many stakeholders in communities across
our state. From the beginning, we set out to build a plan that responded to the
needs of Hoosier students. From our clear accountability system to our
innovative, locally-driven approach to school improvement, our ESSA plan was
designed to support student success.”
Kansas
- By 2030, 95 percent of all students will
graduate within four years and 75 percent will be proficient in English
language arts and mathematics.
- Kansas will create a system that calculates
annual meaningful differentiation for student subgroups, school buildings and
school districts using five identified indicators: academic proficiency,
performance gaps, English language proficiency, graduation (applicable to high
schools only) and student success.
“This
is an exciting time of opportunity for education in our state,” said Kansas
Commissioner of Education Randy Watson. “The Kansas State Board of Education
has launched a bold, new vision for education. We are completely changing the
way we think about and approach education, and this is reflected in the
rigorous goals outlined in Kansas’ ESSA plan.”
Montana
- Closes achievement gaps by prioritizing individualized
student learning.
- Enriches professional development opportunities
through Montana’s online Teacher Learning Hub for administrators and teachers
across the state.
“Montana’s ESSA plan was created through
our state’s commitment to local control and community input,” said Montana
Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen. “We are taking innovative
approaches to student success through promoting college and career readiness,
and expanding post-secondary pathways to prepare students to be ‘Montana Ready.’
Focusing on math achievement, STEM, and CTE education beginning at earlier ages
and giving local schools flexibility to implement these goals are critical to
providing opportunities for ALL Montana students to succeed.”
New Hampshire
- Aligns its state education goals to state
workforce goals such that 65 percent of all residents ages 25-64 will attain a
postsecondary degree or work-based credential by 2025.
- Creates college and career readiness indicators for
high school recognizing multiple pathways for students, including measuring dual
enrollment, performance on national assessments that exceeds a college-ready
benchmark, and earning industry recognized credentials, among others.
“I am excited about the approach we have
taken in developing our ESSA Consolidated State Plan. This plan includes the
excellent work done in our schools, as well as engaging a broad range of
community stakeholders in the success of our students,” said New Hampshire
Commissioner of Education Frank Edelblut. We have made a major shift to
emphasize growth as a foundational measure. We have also incorporated a broad
range of success measures that reflect and respect that students may have
different paths toward successful careers.”
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