Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) State Plans Due Today: Much to Watch in Coming Months

The deadline for states’ ESSA plans is today, September 18, 2017.  The 34 states that did not submit their ESSA plans in April are expected to submit by this deadline.

The United States Department of Education (USDOE) Secretary DeVos has already received ESSA plans from sixteen states and the District of Columbia, which submitted their plans in April. According to CheckStatePlans.org, the sixteen states include: Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, Tennessee, and Vermont. Education Week offers a complete interactive breakdown of what states, and the District of Columbia, plan to do with their new flexibility under the Every Student Succeeds Act.

ESSA’s new dynamic of state flexibility with federal monitoring has already stirred up more questions than answers. According to reports on USDOE feedback on the ESSA plans submitted in April, some states, such as Connecticut, received DOE approval despite not having resolved the federal areas of concern noted in the feedback. It is not yet known exactly how this approach will impact submissions from the balance of the states but Advocacy & Communication Solutions, LLC, (ACS) will continue to track and watch what occurs in the coming months. Read our earlier report on ESSA from August 17, 2017 here and if you need help navigating K-12 policy, see what we’ve done with The Ohio 8 Coalition and get in touch with us here with your questions.