i_coessacomm_2016a_2016-08-04t09:09:09z2 Hearing Summary

Date: 08/04/2016

09:42 AM -- Comparison of Every Student Succeeds Act to No Child Left Behind Act



Ms. Posey discussed the differences between what states asked for and and what they received under ESSA. She discussed states' desire for flexibility in their accountability systems, and stated that states should be able to align their K-12 academic standards with their higher education and career preparation goals, as well as possibilities for innovation in assessment design. She discussed the elimination of the "highly qualified teacher" and "adequate yearly progress" metrics, the prohibition on federal approval or incentivizing of state standards or plan, and the prohibition on the use of additional or new federal requirements as a condition of waiver approval. She talked about performance goals for state indicator systems and requirements for proficiency rates and graduation rates.



10:03 AM



Ms. Posey talked about federal overreach, the role of the U.S. Secretary of Education, and the prohibition on federal agencies controlling the academic standards adopted by the states or endorsing any particular curriculum. Ms. Posey continued to discussed the differences between the requirements of ESSA and NCLB, and the support in ESSA for using Title I funds for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) programs and instruction in the arts and humanities. The committee discussed the differences between college readiness and career readiness and the need for states to focus on both.



10:23 AM



Ms. Posey explained ESSA's Student Support and Academic Enrichment formula grants, which can be used for three broad purposes: to provide students with access to a well-rounded education; to improve school conditions for student learning; and to improve the use of technology to improve academic achievement and digital literacy. She also discussed Title II funds to support teachers and school leaders in diverse academic areas, and explained the importance of disaggregated data on all of the indicators. Ms. Posey answered questions about expenditures, apportioning state and local funding, and directing Title II funding to impoverished and rural schools.



10:37 AM



Ms. Posey talked about assessment flexibility under ESSA, and explained that ESSA requires statewide assessments on the same schedule as was required under NCLB. She said that ESSA requires reporting of a summative score, but that the assessment can be broken down into separate parts to be given throughout the year. She talked about several other specific areas of flexibility for the assessments as required under ESSA, such as the Innovative Assessment pilot that allows Local Education Agencies to experiment with different kinds of assessments, and the associated issues with comparability.



11:04 AM



The presenters continued to answer questions about assessment flexibility, and talked about the difference in turnaround strategies between NCLB and ESSA.