State releases draft document for education initiative

ALBANY --The New York State Education Department has released a draft document regarding the program Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). This education initiative provides federal funds to improve elementary and secondary education in the nation's schools. ESSA requires states and school districts to take a variety of actions to ensure all children, regardless of race, socioeconomic status, gender, disability status, primary language or ZIP code receive the education they need to be prepared for success in postsecondary education, careers and citizenship. New York State receives approximately $1.6 billion annually in funding through ESSA.
ESSA includes many provisions that will help to ensure success for students and schools. Below are just a few. The law:
• Advances equity by upholding critical protections for disadvantaged and high-need students.
• Requires that all students be taught to high academic standards that will prepare students to succeed in college and careers, and that students be assessed on these standards annually to provide important information to educators, families, students, and communities.
• Maintains an expectation there will be accountability, support and action to create positive change in our lowest-performing schools in which groups of students are not making progress or in which graduation rates are low.
After more than a year of engagement with thousands of stakeholders, the New York State Education Department is releasing its draft ESSA state plan in May for public comment.
Some of the key points included in the draft document include the following.
• New York State believes the highest levels of learning can occur when students and educators learn and teach in environments that are safe, supportive, and welcoming to all.
What We Heard
• Consider the effect of testing on school environments
• Help schools create more positive school climates
• Consider English language learners'/multilingual learners' starting points when measuring their English language proficiency
What We Propose
• Applying to a federal program to pilot new kinds of assessments
• Piloting and then expanding the use of a school climate survey
• Reinforcing anti-bullying laws
• Recognizing the unique needs of English language learners/ multilingual learners and differentiating the accountability for their progress, based on their initial language proficiency
What We Want to See
• More creative and innovative assessments
• More safe and welcoming school environments for students, teachers, and families
• More English language learners/multilingual learners gaining language proficiency on a customized timeline with more support
What Stays the Same? What Will be Different?
New York State's ESSA plan continues and refines successful efforts the state has launched in teaching and learning over the past decade while proposing new initiatives and policy changes to promote achievement for all. Below is a brief summary of major efforts that will continue, as well as those that are new in this proposal.
Planning Area
Challenging Academic Standards and Aligned Assessments
What Stays the Same?
• Requirement that students be annually assessed in grades 3-8 in English language arts and mathematics
• Requirement that students be assessed once in high school in English language arts and mathematics
• Requirement that students be assessed once in science at the elementary, middle and high school levels
• Accountability system that includes English language arts and mathematics assessment results and graduation rates
• Accountability determinations linked, in part, to subgroup performance in relation to state goals and annual progress
• Identification of lowest-performing schools, based on the performance of all students as well as the performance of subgroups of students
• Identification of low-performing districts
• Public reporting of school and district performance
What Will be Different?
• New Next Generation English language arts, mathematics, and science learning standards
• Reduction in length of Next Generation assessments
• Application for federal innovative assessment pilot
• Inclusion of new indicators in the areas of science; social studies; chronic absenteeism; acquisition of English language proficiency by English language learners/multilingual leaners; and college, career and civic readiness.
• Revised Performance Indices that give schools extra credit for students who are advanced.
• Use of six-year graduation cohort results
• Sunset of identification of Local Assistance Plan Schools
• More rigorous standards for identification of high schools based on graduation rate as required by ESSA
• Data dashboards to provide more transparent reporting of results, including for indicators that are not part of the accountability and support system
• Advisory Group to examine different indicators of school quality for accountability.
For more, visit the state education website at http://www.p12.nysed.gov/accountability/documents/draft-ny-essa-plan-summary-may-2017.pdf.