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Key Issue: ESSA

Key Issue: ESSA

Once-in-a-decade opportunity

The Every Student Succeeds Act, or ESSA, has presented Pennsylvania with a once-in-a-decade opportunity to help reshape public education in the commonwealth. PSEA has been at the forefront of that opportunity, working diligently with Gov. Tom Wolf's administration to help design a comprehensive, forward-thinking state ESSA plan.

Pennsylvania's plan, approved by the U.S. Department of Education on Jan. 17, 2018, focuses on a more balanced approach to school accountability, reducing time spent on high-stakes standardized testing, and increasing supports for Pennsylvania educators and students. The plan will be fully implemented in the 2018-19 school year.

ESSA Overview

Implementing PA's ESSA plan in 2018-19

In the 2018-19 school year, Pennsylvania began to implement its Every Student Succeeds Act plan. Educators will primarily notice two key changes during the first year of ESSA.

One is that a single focus on standardized test scores will be replaced by multiple measures to track student achievement – test score proficiency, test score growth, progress among English Language Learners in attaining English language proficiency, graduation rates, career readiness, and chronic absenteeism.

The other is that the state will now measure student achievement – including all the above indicators and more – at the building level and not the district level.

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Essential Practices for Schools and Their Communities

Share the names of your ESSA team members with PSEA:

PSEA Advisories

Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)

Learn More

Pennsylvania Department of Education Links

ESSA Homepage
PA Consolidated State Plan: English / Spanish
School Improvement and Accountability (including the lists of identified schools)
Accountability Indicators
ESSA Glossary

Additional Resources

Report: The Every Student Succeeds Act in Pennsylvania: Recommendations From Stakeholder Work Groups and Associated Research (October 2016)
PSEA testimony on ESSA implementation (May 2016)
ESSA information (Pennsylvania Dept. of Education)
With Passage of Every Student Succeeds Act, Life After NCLB Begins (NEA Today, Dec. 2015)
Graphic: How ESSA reduces high-stakes testing (NEA Today, Dec. 2015)
NEA news release: U.S. Senate ushers in new era in public education with historic vote
Every Student Succeeds Act (Lily's Blackboard, Dec. 2015)