Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)State Plan Development

Regional Meetings –Overview of High Concept Ideas

October 26, 2016

Purpose of This Meeting

To provide stakeholders with:

• The high concept ideas for possible inclusion in the draft ESSA state plan and to gather feedback on these ideas.

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Background Information • Over the past two months, the Department has worked with the ESSA

Think Tank to answer several essential questions related to development of the state’s ESSA plan.

• In response to the essential questions and in many cases guided by the discussion within the Think Tank, the Department has drafted a list of high concept ideas for proposed inclusion in the New York State ESSA plan.

• Over the next two months, the Department will request feedback on these high concept ideas from the Think Tank, the Title I Committee of Practitioners, and through Regional State Plan Development Meetings held across the state. The Department will then seek Board of Regents approval to use the high concept ideas as the basis for New York’s ESSA plan.

• The Department plans to continue development of additional high concept ideas and plans to continue to request feedback from the Think Tank.

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Challenging Academic Standards and

Assessments

Challenging Academic Standards and Assessments

1. To ensure all schools are provided withaccurate measurement of their students’academic proficiencies, New Yorkproposes to determine a State-designedrigorous action that will lead toimprovements in the participation rate ofschools that do not test 95 percent of theirstudents (as opposed to an actiondesigned by USDE).

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Challenging Academic Standards and Assessments

2. To ensure all students have access toadvanced coursework, New York willdevelop procedures to allow districts toadminister and accept multiple types ofalternatives to state assessments at thesecondary level.

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Challenging Academic Standards and Assessments

3. To ensure all students have access toadvanced coursework, New York will seekUSDE approval to allow grade 7 andgrade 8 students to take a Regents examin mathematics in lieu of the grade levelmath test.

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Challenging Academic Standards and Assessments

4. To ensure all students have equal access tolearning and being able to demonstrate whatthey have learned, New York proposes to:a. Expand on the current set of testing

accommodations that enable studentswith disabilities to participate inassessment programs on an equal basiswith their nondisabled peers.

b. Provide accessibility features that willenhance the test experience for allstudents, including the use of assistivetechnologies on computer-based tests asthey are developed.

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Challenging Academic Standards and Assessments

5. To ensure that the appropriate assessmentis administered to English learners and theyare not over tested, New York proposes toseek USDE approval to not require Englishlearners to take multiple English skills tests(i.e., the state ELA test and the NYSESLAT)in a single year to satisfy the EnglishLanguage Arts (ELA) assessmentrequirement.

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Challenging Academic Standards and Assessments

6. To ensure that parents, teachers,principals, other school leaders, andadministrators can address specificneeds of students in relation toassessments, the State proposes toreport assessment sub-scores instudent-level reports provided to theparents and school.

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Accountability Measurements

and Methodologies

Accountability Measurements and Methodologies

7. To ensure that schools focus on studentswith low performance in ELA and math, wewill give schools “full credit” for studentswho are proficient (Level 3 and 4 scores onGrades 3-8 assessments and Levels 4 and5 on Regents) and “partial credit” forstudents who are partially proficient (Level 2scores on grades 3-8 assessments andLevel 3 on Regents).

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Accountability Measurements and Methodologies

8. To ensure that students are able to meetassessment requirements for graduation, wewill give schools credit for a student’s bestscore on state exams within four years ofthe student entering high school.

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Accountability Measurements and Methodologies

9. To incentivize schools to make efforts to havestudents reach advanced levels of proficiency,we will give “extra credit” to schools forstudents who are performing at the advancedlevel.

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Accountability Measurements and Methodologies

10. To ensure that all schools value studentproficiency, student growth, and improvingstudent outcomes, we will hold schoolsaccountable for percentages of studentswho are proficient and partially proficient inELA and math; progress in increasing thepercentage of proficient students over time;and growth of students in ELA and mathfrom year to year.

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Accountability Measurements and Methodologies

11. To ensure that schools support students untilthey graduate, we will use 4-, 5-, and 6- yeargraduation rates to determine how wellschools are doing in getting students tograduate.

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Accountability Measurements and Methodologies

12. To ensure that schools support studentsregardless of the subgroup that they arepart of, we will hold schools accountable forclosing gaps between groups of students.

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Accountability Measurements and Methodologies

13. To ensure that schools maximize opportunities forstudents, we will create a high school “SuccessIndex” that gives partial credit for students whosuccessfully complete the TASC through AHSEPprograms and programs at the school, BOCES, ornight school; and extra credit for students who earna Regents diploma with advanced designation, CTEendorsements, or a Seal of Biliteracy.

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Accountability Measurements and Methodologies

14. To ensure that all students benefit fromaccess to rigorous coursework, we willmeasure student participation in advancedcoursework and measure the degree towhich students score at specified levels onadvanced high school assessments or earncollege credit.

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Accountability Measurements and Methodologies

15. To ensure that students have access to a well-rounded curriculum, we will differentiateschool performance by using student resultson Grades 4 and 8 Science exams; Scienceand Social Studies Regents; and approvedgraduation pathway examinations.

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Accountability Measurements and Methodologies

16. To ensure that school districts have time to implement improvement strategies, we will create new lists of Comprehensive Support and Improvement Schools once every three years.

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Accountability Measurements and Methodologies

17. To ensure that schools engage students,we will hold schools accountable based onmeasures of chronic absenteeism andremoval of students from instruction (e.g.,suspensions).

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Supporting Excellent Educators

Supporting Excellent Educators

18. To ensure that all students have equitable access tothe most effective educators, regardless of theirphysical location, the Department will support schooldistricts, BOCES and Institutes of Higher Education todevelop comprehensive systems of educator supportthat address five common challenge areas: 1)preparation; 2) recruitment and hiring; 3) professionaldevelopment and growth; 4) retention of effectiveteachers; and 5) extending the reach of the mosteffective educators to the most high-need students;and family and community engagement.

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Supporting Excellent Educators

19. To ensure that educators entering the field frompreparatory programs understand and are preparedto enter the profession, the Department will increasethe minimum placement requirement of 100 hours,require that these placements include a full-timeworkload for an extended period (e.g., one semester),and require that field experience occur throughout thepreparatory program rather than at the end of theprogram to allow prospective educators exposure tothe rigors of the profession before committing toprogram completion.

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Supporting Excellent Educators

20. To ensure that educators entering the fieldfrom preparatory programs understand thedemands of the profession and areprepared to enter it, the Department willwork to expand clinically rich preparatoryprograms.

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Supporting Excellent Educators

21. To ensure that novice educators receive thesupports that are necessary to persist in theprofession, the Department will seek to revisethe current first year mentoring requirement torequire a full school year of formal mentoring.

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Supporting Excellent Educators

22. To ensure that early career educators (boththose new to teaching and to leadership)receive the supports that are necessary topersist in the teaching profession, theDepartment will develop and encouragedistricts/Boards of Cooperative EducationServices (BOCES) to adopt induction modelsto support educators during the first threeyears of their educators’ careers.

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Supporting Excellent Educators

23. To ensure that principals and other schoolleaders receive the supports that arenecessary, the Department will use theoptional 3% set-aside under Title IIA todevelop programs that provide for systemicimprovements for principals and other schoolleaders.

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Supporting English Language Learners

/Multilingual Learners

Supporting English Language Learners/Multilingual Learners

24. To ensure that accountability for ELLs/MLLs beginningin their first year of enrollment is equitable andreliable, New York State will use student specificfactors (like prior schooling, level of Englishproficiency, and age) to determine whether a studenttakes either the ELA or NYSESLAT to set a baselinefor accountability in Year 1, after which schools will beheld accountable for a student's growth in languagearts on that same assessment in Year 2 and beyondYear 2 as appropriate.

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Supporting English Language Learners/Multilingual Learners

25. To ensure that language arts assessments ofELLs/MLLs are equitable and accurate, New YorkState will seek funding to develop and implement highquality native/home language arts assessmentsaligned to standards and curricula.

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26. To ensure that ELLs/MLLs have enough time andEnglish instruction to understand coursework, NewYork State ELLs/MLLs will be expected to becomeEnglish proficient in three to six years, and this timelineshould be extended based on factors like age, prioramount of schooling, the level of proficiency at entryand grade entered.

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Supporting English Language Learners/Multilingual Learners

Supporting All Students

Supporting All Students

27. To ensure that all students have access to awell-rounded education, we will allow Title Ischools that meet alternative criteria toimplement a Schoolwide program, even if theirpoverty rates are below 40 percent.

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Supporting All Students

28. To ensure that all students benefit fromstrong home-school partnerships, we willpromote state, district, and school-levelstrategies for effectively engagingparents and other family members intheir student’s education.

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Supporting All Students

29. To ensure that schools are meeting the diverseacademic and non-academic needs of allstudents, we will support districts instrengthening early intervention strategies forEnglish Learners; Students with Disabilities;Migrant Youth; Youth in Foster Care; HomelessYouth; Youth in Temporary Housing; Neglected,Delinquent, and At-Risk Students as defined inTitle I, Part D; and other at-risk/underservedgroups such as girls and LGBTQ Youth.

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Supporting All Students

30. To ensure that LEAs are developing andimplementing plans that meet the academicand non-academic needs of all students, wewill deploy a data-driven performancemanagement system focused on differentiatedtechnical assistance, progress monitoring,compliance review, and corrective action insupport of continuous improvement of studentoutcomes.

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Supporting All Students

31. To ensure that Migrant Youth; Youth in FosterCare; Homeless Youth; Youth in TemporaryHousing; and LBGTQ youth experience themaximum level of educational stability, we willdevelop and/or update policies, procedures,and guidance related to transportation,disputes and continuous enrollment practices.

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Supporting All Students

32. To ensure that students served in Neglected andDelinquent facilities graduate from high school and meetcollege- and career- readiness standards, theDepartment will work closely with the New York StateOffice of Children and Family Services, the New YorkState Department of Corrections and CommunitySupervision, and other agencies as appropriate, todevelop a plan for requiring facilities to create a formaltransition plan for each student. Additionally theDepartment will require each LEA to identify a liaison tosupport the implementation and monitoring of thoseplans for all students who return to their district.

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Supports and Improvement for Schools

Supports and Improvement for Schools

33. To ensure that school improvement plans aretailored to the identified needs of schools, wewill require low-performing schools to completea diagnostic needs assessment that looks atwhole school practices and use the results asthe basis for school improvement plans.

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Supports and Improvement for Schools

34. To ensure that plans are drivingimprovement, schools identified as low-performing will conduct an annual reviewand develop annual plans in collaborationwith the families and school community.

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Supports and Improvement for Schools

35. To ensure that schools identified asComprehensive are able to addressthe specific areas that are contributingto their identification status,Comprehensive schools will havesome flexibility in the school reformmodel they pursue.

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Supports and Improvement for Schools

36. To ensure that schools and districtsidentified as low performing have theflexibility to address their specific needs,we will not pursue the Direct Service SetAsides option contained in ESSA.

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Assistance in Answering Additional Questions

1. What indicators can the Department use to hold schools accountable for student engagement?

2. Should the Department use part of its 5% Title II set-aside for competitive grants designed to improve the quality of teaching and learning in New York State?

3. Should the Department require LEAs, in their annual Title IIA applications, to describe how funds will be used to address gaps in equitable access to effective educators?

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Assistance in Answering Additional Questions

3. Should Title I schools that are identified as Comprehensive (lowest 5%) be required to offer parents the opportunity to transfer their children to another public school in the district, or should it be an option for interested districts?

4. What nationally recognized high school assessments would be appropriate to use in place of the Regents Exams?

5. What testing accommodations should NYSED make available for students with disabilities beyond those already provided?

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Assistance in Answering Additional Questions

7. What should be included in New York’s State-designed action for schools that do not test 95 percent of their students? The action must be “equally rigorous” to USDE’s pre-approved sanctions (“assign a lower summative rating to the school,” “assign the lowest performance level on the State’s Academic Achievement indicator,” or “identify the school for targeted support and improvement”)?

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Please complete the survey!

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RochesterCSD_ESSA_Survey

Questions, Concerns, Comments:

Questions regarding ESSA may be submitted to the Department at: ESSA@nysed.gov.

The ESSA Webpage is located at: http://www.p12.nysed.gov/accountability/essa.html

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