The document summarizes the key aspects of the new federal K-12 education law called the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). ESSA replaces No Child Left Behind and gives states more flexibility around assessments and accountability. It also provides new funding that can support personalized and competency-based learning through grants for education technology, innovative assessment pilots, and student support programs.

1. www.inacol.org
The Every Student Succeeds Act:
How Will the New Federal K-12
Education Law Support
Personalized Learning?
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
3:00 PM ET

2. Upcoming iNACOL Events
Teacher Talk Webinar: 2015 iNACOL Teacher of the Year Paula Barr
Dec. 17, 6:00 pm Eastern
Conference on Blended and Online Learning (CBOL)
Feb. 18-19, Denver, CO, co-hosted with eLearn Collaborative
Mid-Atlantic Conference on Personalized Learning (MACPL)
Feb. 29-Mar. 2, Baltimore, MD, co-hosted with Capital Area
Intermediate Unit (CAIU)
http://www.inacol.org/events/

3. Webinar Presenters
Aisha Woodward
Legislative Assistant
US Senator Angus King (I-ME)
Maria Worthen
VP, Federal & State Policy
iNACOL

4. Today, we will discuss:
• Historical context for the Every Student
Succeeds Act (2015 reauthorization of the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act)
• What’s in the new law and what does it
mean for personalized, competency based
learning?
• Answer your questions about ESSA
(submit them at any time in the chat)

5. 50 Years Ago…
ESEA signed into law by
President Johnson on April
11, 1965
War on Poverty
–Great Society (poverty, racial
inequality; Civil Rights Act of
1964)
–Economic Opportunity Act of
1964 (Head Start, Job Corps)
–Social Security Amendments
of 1965 (Medicaid, Medicare)

6. Recent Reauthorizations
1981: Education Consolidation and Improvement Act
-collapsed over 30 smaller categorical programs into block grants to states
-cut federal education budget by approximately 15% ($1 billion+) in first
year (1982-1983); called for larger cuts for the future. Shift responsibility
to state and local government (cutting federal budget deficit)
1994: Improving America’s Schools Act (IASA)
-increased aid to schools serving students from low socioeconomic
backgrounds, bilingual/immigrant populations
-charter school funding (Title X—Programs of National Significance)
-provided aid to states implemented standards-based reforms at state
and local levels
2001: No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)
-most recent reauthorization (signed into law January 2002)
-Bush, Kennedy, Boehner, Gregg, Miller
-Top domestic priority, pre-September 11

8. No Child Left Behind
• Standards-based reform initiatives
• Adequate Yearly Progress
• Annual, summative assessments with high-stakes
accountability
• Subgroups
• Highly-qualified teachers (HQT)
• Curricula, methods—scientifically-based research
• Military recruitment
• 100 percent student proficiency by 2014

9. ESEA Reauthorization: Context
• NCLB (2001) expired in 2007
• Reauthorization attempts: 2007, 2011,
2013, 2015
• Outdated accountability & assessment
system– barrier to personalized,
competency based learning
• Race to the Top, Common Core-aligned
assessments, Waivers

10. iNACOL Federal Policy Frameworks

11. Federal Frameworks 2015
1. Redesign assessment around student-centered learning
2. Rethink accountability for continuous improvement of next
generation learning models
3. Modernize educator and leadership development
4. Make personalized learning a cross-cutting grant priority
5. Protect student data privacy and security
6. Invest in new learning models research and development
7. Build robust technology infrastructure and improve
broadband
8. Support the development and use of Open Educational
Resources

13. K-12 Federal
Policy
Framework
for
Competency
Education

14. Every Student Succeeds Act
signed into law: December 10, 2015

15. “With this bill, we reaffirm that
fundamental American ideal that every
child, regardless of race, income,
background, the zip code where they
live, deserves the chance to make out
of their lives what they will.”
- President Barack Obama
Every Student Succeeds Act Signing Ceremony
12/10/15

16. ESSA: Key differences from NCLB
• Less federal waiver and regulatory
authority, more flexibility for states
• Maintains annual assessments in grades
3-8, once in HS in Math and Reading/ELA
• Moves away from high stakes
accountability

17. ESSA: Key differences
• Greater flexibility for states on assessments:
– Growth measures
– Adaptive assessments
– Multiple measures
– Innovative Assessment Pilot
• Greater flexibility for states on accountability
• “Highly Qualified Teacher” and “Adequate
Yearly Progress” are no more
• Flexible funding for personalized learning and
education technology

18. Innovative Assessment Pilot
• The need
– States need clear path forward for approval of
system of assessments that aligns/supports
CBE (see: NH PACE Waiver)
– Varying state approaches– need to ensure
quality, rigor, and validity
• Innovation, not evasion
– Testing and piloting innovative strategies
before scale up

19. Innovative Assessment Pilot
• May combine summative, interim,
formative, performance-based
assessments
• May validate when students are ready to
demonstrate mastery
• Ensures rigor, quality, validity
• May be used for accountability purposes

20. Innovative Assessments and ESSA:
Building Momentum in the Senate
Aisha Woodward,
Legislative Assistant to Senator Angus King

21. Title IV: Student Support and Academic
Enrichment Grants
• $1.6 billion annually through 2020
• 95% grants to districts
• Funds can be used for:
– School health and safety (at least 20%)
– School counseling
– Expanding access to a well-rounded education
(at least 20%)
– Education technology
• Remaining 60% can be used for any of the
above purposes

22. Education Technology Funds
• Can be used for professional development
• No more than 15% of funds may be used
for technology infrastructure
• Also: support for OER and data privacy
PD

23. Digital Learning Resources Study
• Directs the Institute for Education
Sciences to study the educational impact
of students’ out-of-school access to digital
learning resources.

24. Q&A
• Please leave your questions in the chat.

25. iNACOL Center for Policy Advocacy
• Maria Worthen, VP for Federal & State
Policy – mworthen@inacol.org
• Dale Frost, State Policy Director –
dfrost@inacol.org
• Susan Gentz, State Policy Associate –
sgentz@inacol.org