OSPI to Host ESSA Regional Forums

Washington Regional Forums: Every Student Succeeds Act

OSPI will host forums across the state to provide an overview of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) implementation in Washington. Join Dr. Gil Mendoza, Deputy Superintendent of K–12 Education, and Gayle Pauley, Assistant Superintendent of Special Programs and Federal Accountability in an open discussion on ESSA and implementation considerations.

June 14, 6–8 pm, Everett Community Resource Center, Everett
June 15, 6–8 pm, Emerald Ridge High School, Puyallup
June 16, 6–8 pm, Educational Service District 112, Vancouver
July 11, 6–8 pm, Educational Service District 105, Yakima
July 12, 6–8 pm, Wenatchee High School, Wenatchee
July 13, 6–8 pm, West Valley High School, Spokane
July 19, 6–8 pm, Highline Performing Arts Center, Burien
August 1, 6–8 pm, Webinar, Registration required
August 2, 6–8 pm, Olympic ESD 114, Bremerton

Each forum is open to the public and will cover:

• Opportunities and challenges that lie ahead
• How ESSA is similar to and different from the No Child Left Behind Act
• Open discussion for the community to provide feedback

Except for the webinar, there is no registration required. For questions about the forum in your area, contact Jami.Peterson@k12.wa.us

The above information is from OSPI’s website and can be found at this link:
http://www.k12.wa.us/esea/essa/forums.aspx

Also at the above link are jpg and document downloads to use on Twitter, Facebook.

Please plan on attending one or more of these forums if you are able.  Be prepared to ask questions.  The text of S.1177 Every Student Succeeds Act is available for download.

In some discussion about ESSA restoring local control, standards, and assessments, these are comments I have had:

In my eyes, ESSA does not return local control to the states or local districts.  On some issues ESSA (the bill) is vague while on other issues the bill contradicts itself lending to varying interpretations.  Early in this bill, Sec. 1005, it addresses State Plans.  Any state desiring to receive a grant under ESSA must file a plan.  The US Secretary of Education has the authority to approve or disapprove a State plan.  This is not local control.

As a part of the plan, the state must adopt challenging academic content standards that will be used by the State, its local educational agencies, and its schools.  The required standards apply to all public schools and public school students in the State.  Is this local control?  Does local control consist of the local school board rubber stamping what the state requires that has been approved by federal government in compliance with ESSA?

Also, as part of the plan, the State has to implement a set of high-quality student academic assessments in mathematics, reading or language arts, and science.  The same academic assessments are to be used to measure the achievement of all public elementary school and secondary school students in the State and administered to all public elementary school and secondary school students in the State.  This is pretty clear.  Local districts will use the assessment determined by the state to be in compliance with ESSA.

And as part of the plan, the standards and assessment can be approved or disapproved by the US Sec. of Educ.

About the required high-quality student academic assessments—if one traces this back through various documents—NCLB, ESEA, RTTT, and the Federal Register, one will find included in the definition of high-quality student academic assessments is that they must be valid and reliable.  So any assessment that is being passed off as being high-quality student academic assessments, such as SBAC and PARCC, are required to be valid and reliable.  (neither SBAC, PARCC, or any other groups or individuals have provided evidence that SBAC and PARCC are valid and reliable…   so much for the law).