Dive Brief:

• The Council of Chief State School Officers says at least 39 states have hosted community meetings or town halls to get public feedback on ESSA plans, and states are deciding on accountability measures ahead of the first U.S. Department of Education deadline.
• District Administration reports 10 states are incorporating the CCSSO’s New Skills for Youth Initiative into their ESSA plans, including Louisiana, which will offer mentoring and financial assistance in rural districts, ensure students with significant disabilities get workplace experience in school, and develop pathways for college-bound students.
• Some states are keeping more traditional accountability measures, including Maryland, which incorporated new long-term proficiency goals into its ESSA plan and said it wants to increase graduation rates from 86% last spring to 88% in 2020.

Dive Insight:

The Trump administration marks a major shift from Obama when many school districts and states around the country were planning on a continuation of Obama-era policies under an expected Clinton presidency. U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos has said states should continue to move forward with the timelines her predecessors laid out, however, even as her team decides whether to make any changes to regulations.

Administrators in any of the states that have not yet held public sessions to gather feedback for ESSA plans or in those that are continuing public outreach efforts should be sure to get involved. Investing time now to influence the decision-making around new accountability plans will surely pay off later.