Understanding ESSA An Overview of ESSA and the North Star Accountability System
Agenda
● What is ESSA?
● How is ESSA different from NCLB?
● How will schools be identified for support and improvement?
● What does it mean if a school is identified for support and improvement?
● What happens next?
● What does this mean for our school?
● Where can I learn more?
Recent Reauthorizations of ESEA
1965Elementary and
Secondary Education Act
(ESEA)
Establishes Title funding
2001No Child
Left Behind
2012No Child Left
BehindWaivers
2015Every Student Succeeds Act
(ESSA)
Reauthorized every few years, with some administrations making changes/re-naming
In order to receive Title funding from the Federal Government, Minnesota must have an approved plan to comply with the law
In order to receive Title funding from the state, Minneapolis Public Schools must comply with the Minnesota plan
Minnesota State Plan: Approved January 2018
● Close achievement gaps● Increase equity● Improve the quality of instruction● Increase outcomes for all students
All schools working well for all students
➔ Identify where this isn’t happening and offer systematic support
➔ Identify where this is happening and recognize/celebrate
NCLB v. ESSA
No Child Left Behind/NCLB Waiver Every Student Succeeds Act
Accountability System Name
Multiple Measurements Rating (MMR) North Star Excellence and Equity System
Accountability Measures
Proficiency, Growth, Achievement Gap Reduction, and
Graduation
Proficiency, English Learner Progress, AcademicProgress, Graduation, and Consistent Attendance
Identification Process
● All accountability measures weighted equally
● Bottom 5 - 25% identified for support and improvement
● Accountability measures analyzed at different stages of the process
● Several different categories for identification for support and improvement
Identification CategoryNames
● Priority● Focus● Continuous Improvement
● Comprehensive Support and Improvement● Targeted Support and Improvement
Stage-Based Decision Process Overview
The state will largely use a stage-based decision process to identify schools that are low performing across
all accountability measures,or school that have any student group (such as special education students) performing similarly to the lowest-
performing schools.
All Schools
Stage 1
Stage 2
Stage 3
Student Groups
● American Indian/Alaska Native● Asian● Black/African American● Hispanic/Latino● Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian● Two or more races● White
● Students eligible for Educational Benefits (free or reduced-price lunch)● Students not eligible Educational Benefits* ● English Learners● Students who are not English Learners*● Students who receive special education services● Students who do not receive special education services*
*Only included if the category above it is included and if this category has at least 20 students
Identification Categories
Comprehensive Support and Improvement
● Category A: Any Title I funded schools in the lowest 5% of all schools that receive Title I funding, based on all accountability measures and all stages
● Category B: Any public high school, regardless of Title I funding status, where any student group has a graduation rate below 67% when averaged over the last three years
● Category D (identified for the first time in 2021-22): Any school identified for Targeted Support that is re-identified for Targeted Support three years later based on the same student group(s)
Identification Categories
Targeted Support and Improvement
● Category C: Any public school, regardless of Title I funding status, where any student group is performing similarly to the lowest 5% of Title I funded schools on all accountability measures across all stages
● Category E: Any public school, regardless of Title I funding status, where any student group falls below the performance thresholds for at least one accountability measure in each of the three stages
● Any Title I school identified as low performing in Stage 1 and 2 of the funneling process, but not Stage 3 (i.e., they have consistent attendance, but are otherwise low performing)
What will support and improvement schools need to do?
Identified schools will need to:
● Notify families of the school’s designation
● Complete a comprehensive needs assessment with stakeholder input
● Develop an improvement plan with stakeholder input
○ Must include at least one evidence-based strategy
● Implement and progress monitor their improvement plan
Upcoming ESSA Timeline
March 2018 High schools preliminarily identified under Category B (4 year graduation rates)
End of AugustOfficial, public identification of schools for support and improvementFamilies of impacted schools notifiedLeadership teams identified
Fall Identified schools engage stakeholders in comprehensive needs assessments
Winter Schools work with stakeholders to identify improvement strategies
Early Spring Identified schools write improvement plans and align budgets for next year
March 1, 2019 Improvement plans due to the state
2019 - 2021 Identified schools implement and monitor improvement plans
The MDE ESSA Website contains more information:http://education.state.mn.us/MDE/dse/ESSA/index.htm
The full plan that MDE submitted to the Federal government can be located here: http://education.state.mn.us/MDE/dse/ESSA/mnstp/
You can also contact the Reasearch, Evaluation, Assessment and Accountability department for more information at 612.668.0570 or [email protected].
Additional Resources