The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) is a US federal law that governs the country's public education policy. It replaced the previous No Child Left Behind Act and shifted more control over education policies and decisions from the federal government to state and local authorities.
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The Every Student Succeeds Act was signed into law in 2015, replacing the previous No Child Left Behind Act.
ESSA gives more control and flexibility to state and local education agencies in developing their own accountability systems and interventions for struggling schools.
Under ESSA, states are required to develop challenging academic standards and administer annual standardized tests in reading and math for grades 3-8 and once in high school.
ESSA maintains requirements for states to identify and intervene in the lowest-performing schools, but allows states to determine the specific interventions and timelines.
The law also includes provisions to support teacher development, expand access to preschool, and increase funding for programs targeting disadvantaged and underserved students.
Review Questions
Describe the key differences between the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and the previous No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) in terms of federal control and state/local authority over education policy.
The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) represents a significant shift from the previous No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act in terms of the balance of power between the federal government and state/local education agencies. While NCLB greatly increased the federal government's role in holding schools accountable for student outcomes, ESSA returns more control and flexibility to state and local authorities to develop their own academic standards, assessments, and intervention strategies for struggling schools. Under ESSA, states have more autonomy in designing their accountability systems and determining appropriate actions for underperforming schools, rather than being subject to the prescriptive federal mandates of NCLB.
Explain how the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) addresses the issue of standardized testing and its role in assessing student and school performance.
The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) maintains the requirement for annual standardized testing in reading and math for grades 3-8 and once in high school. However, ESSA provides states with more flexibility in how they use and apply the results of these assessments. Unlike the rigid targets and consequences of the No Child Left Behind Act, ESSA allows states to develop their own accountability systems that incorporate multiple measures of student and school performance, not just standardized test scores. This shift recognizes the limitations of over-reliance on high-stakes testing and provides opportunities for states to utilize a more balanced approach to evaluating educational outcomes and identifying areas for improvement.
Analyze how the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) aims to address issues of educational equity and support for underserved student populations.
The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) includes several provisions and requirements intended to promote educational equity and support for disadvantaged and underserved student populations. The law mandates that states identify and intervene in the lowest-performing schools, which often serve high concentrations of low-income, minority, and special needs students. ESSA also includes increased funding and targeted programs to expand access to preschool, improve teacher quality and development, and provide additional resources for schools and districts with high percentages of students from low-income families. By shifting more control to state and local authorities, ESSA aims to empower communities to develop tailored strategies and interventions to address the unique needs of their underserved student populations and close achievement gaps.
The No Child Left Behind Act was a US federal law passed in 2001 that significantly increased the federal government's role in holding schools accountable for student outcomes.
Standardized testing refers to the administration of identical tests or assessments to all students in a school, district, or state, often used to measure academic progress and achievement.
Accountability Measures: Accountability measures are policies and systems that hold schools, districts, and states responsible for student performance and achievement, often linked to funding and interventions.