Pub. L. 89-10, tit. I, pt. A, subpt. 1, sec. 1111 (as amended)
STATE PLANS.
SEC. 1111. [20 U.S.C. 6311] STATE PLANS.
(a) Filing for Grants.—
(1) In general.—For any State desiring to receive a grant under this part, the State educational agency shall file
with the Secretary a plan that is—
(A) developed by the State educational agency with timely and meaningful consultation with the
Governor, members of the State legislature and State board of education
(if the State has a State board of education), local educational agencies
(including those located in rural areas), representatives of Indian tribes
located in the State, teachers, principals, other school leaders, charter
school leaders (if the State has charter schools), specialized
instructional support personnel, paraprofessionals, administrators, other
staff, and parents; and
(B) is coordinated with other programs under this Act, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
(20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq.), the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (20 U.S.C. 701 et
seq.), the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (20
U.S.C. 2301 et seq.), the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29
U.S.C. 3101 et seq.), the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9831 et seq.), the
Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858 et
seq.), the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (20 U.S.C. 9501 et seq.),
the Education Technical Assistance Act of 2002 (20 U.S.C. 9601 et. seq.),
the National Assessment of Educational Progress Authorization Act (20
U.S.C. 9621 et seq.), the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42
U.S.C. 11301 et seq.), and the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (29
U.S.C. 3271 et seq.).
(2) Limitation.—Consultation required under paragraph (1)(A) shall not interfere with the timely submission of the
plan required under this section.
(3) Consolidated plan.—A State plan submitted under paragraph (1) may be submitted as part of a consolidated plan under
section 8302.
(4) Peer review and secretarial approval.—
(A) In general.—The Secretary shall—
(i) establish a peer-review process to assist in the review of State plans;
(ii) establish multidisciplinary peer-review teams and appoint members of such teams—
(I) who are representative of—
(aa) parents, teachers, principals, other school leaders, specialized instructional support personnel,
State educational agencies, local educational agencies, and the community
(including the business community); and
(bb) researchers who are familiar with—
(AA) the implementation of academic standards, assessments, or accountability systems; and
(BB) how to meet the needs of disadvantaged students, children with disabilities, and English learners,
the needs of low-performing schools, and other educational needs of
students;
(II) that include, to the extent practicable, majority representation of individuals who, in the most
recent 2 years, have had practical experience in the classroom, school
administration, or State or local government (such as direct employees of
a school, local educational agency, or State educational agency); and
(III) who represent a regionally diverse cross-section of States;
(iii) make available to the public, including by such means as posting to the Department’s website, the
list of peer reviewers who have reviewed State plans under this section;
(iv) ensure that the peer-review teams consist of varied individuals so that the same peer reviewers are
not reviewing all of the State plans;
(v) approve a State plan not later than 120 days after its submission, unless the Secretary meets the
requirements of clause (vi);
(vi) have the authority to disapprove a State plan only if—
(I) the Secretary—
(aa) determines how the State plan fails to meet the requirements of this section;
(bb) immediately provides to the State, in writing, notice of such determination, and the supporting
information and rationale to substantiate such determination;
(cc) offers the State an opportunity to revise and resubmit its State plan, and provides the State—
(AA) technical assistance to assist the State in meeting the requirements of this section;
(BB) in writing, all peer-review comments, suggestions, recommendations, or concerns relating to its
State plan; and
(CC) a hearing, unless the State declines the opportunity for such hearing; and
(II) the State—
(aa) does not revise and resubmit its State plan; or
(bb) in a case in which a State revises and resubmits its State plan after a hearing is conducted under
subclause (I)(cc)(CC), or after the State has declined the opportunity for
such a hearing, the Secretary determines that such revised State plan does
not meet the requirements of this section.
(B) Purpose of peer review.—The peer-review process shall be designed to—
(i) maximize collaboration with each State;
(ii) promote effective implementation of the challenging State academic standards through State and
local innovation; and
(iii) provide transparent, timely, and objective feedback to States designed to strengthen the technical
and overall quality of the State plans.
(C) Standard and nature of review.—Peer reviewers shall conduct an objective review of State plans in their totality and out of
respect for State and local judgments, with the goal of supporting State-
and local-led innovation and providing objective feedback on the technical
and overall quality of a State plan.
(D) Prohibition.—Neither the Secretary nor the political appointees of the Department, may attempt to participate
in, or influence, the peer-review process.
(5) Public review.—All written communications, feedback, and notifications under this subsection shall be conducted in
a manner that is transparent and immediately made available to the public
on the Department’s website, including—
(A) plans submitted or resubmitted by a State;
(B) peer-review guidance, notes, and comments and the names of the peer reviewers (once the peer
reviewers have completed their work);
(C) State plan determinations by the Secretary, including approvals or disapprovals; and
(D) notices and transcripts of hearings under this section.
(6) Duration of the plan.—
(A) In general.—Each State plan shall—
(i) remain in effect for the duration of the State’s participation under this part; and
(ii) be periodically reviewed and revised as necessary by the State educational agency to reflect
changes in the State’s strategies and programs under this part.
(B) Additional information.—
(i) In general.—If a State makes significant changes to its plan at any time, such as the adoption of new
challenging State academic standards or new academic assessments under
subsection (b), or changes to its accountability system under subsection
(c), such information shall be submitted to the Secretary in the form of
revisions or amendments to the State plan.
(ii) Review of revised plans.—The Secretary shall review the information submitted under clause (i) and approve changes to the
State plan, or disapprove such changes in accordance with paragraph
(4)(A)(vi), within 90 days, without undertaking the peer-review process
under such paragraph.
(iii) Special rule for standards.—If a State makes changes to its challenging State academic standards, the requirements of
subsection (b)(1), including the requirement that such standards need not
be submitted to the Secretary pursuant to subsection (b)(1)(A), shall
still apply.
(7) Failure to meet requirements.—If a State fails to meet any of the requirements of this section, the Secretary may withhold funds
for State administration under this part until the Secretary determines
that the State has fulfilled those requirements.
(8) Public comment.—Each State shall make the State plan publicly available for public comment for a period of not less
than 30 days, by electronic means and in an easily accessible format,
prior to submission to the Secretary for approval under this subsection.
The State, in the plan it files under this subsection, shall provide an
assurance that public comments were taken into account in the development
of the State plan.
(b) Challenging Academic Standards and Academic Assessments.—
(1) Challenging state academic standards.—
(A) In general.—Each State, in the plan it files under subsection (a), shall provide an assurance that the State
has adopted challenging academic content standards and aligned academic
achievement standards (referred to in this Act as “challenging State academic standards”), which achievement standards shall include not less than 3 levels of achievement, that will be
used by the State, its local educational agencies, and its schools to
carry out this part. A State shall not be required to submit such
challenging State academic standards to the Secretary.
(B) Same standards.—Except as provided in subparagraph (E), the standards required by subparagraph (A) shall—
(i) apply to all public schools and public school students in the State; and
(ii) with respect to academic achievement standards, include the same knowledge, skills, and levels of
achievement expected of all public school students in the State.
(C) Subjects.—The State shall have such academic standards for mathematics, reading or language arts, and
science, and may have such standards for any other subject determined by
the State.
(D) Alignment.—
(i) In general.—Each State shall demonstrate that the challenging State academic standards are aligned with
entrance requirements for credit-bearing coursework in the system of
public higher education in the State and relevant State career and
technical education standards.
(ii) Rule of construction.—Nothing in this Act shall be construed to authorize public institutions of higher education to
determine the specific challenging State academic standards required under
this paragraph.
(E) Alternate academic achievement standards for students with the most significant cognitive
disabilities.—
(i) In general.—The State may, through a documented and validated standards-setting process, adopt alternate
academic achievement standards for students with the most significant
cognitive disabilities, provided those standards—
(I) are aligned with the challenging State academic content standards under subparagraph (A);
(II) promote access to the general education curriculum, consistent with the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq.);
(III) reflect professional judgment as to the highest possible standards achievable by such students;
(IV) are designated in the individualized education program developed under section 614(d)(3) of the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1414(d)(3)) for
each such student as the academic achievement standards that will be used
for the student; and
(V) are aligned to ensure that a student who meets the alternate academic achievement standards is on
track to pursue postsecondary education or employment, consistent with the
purposes of Public Law 93–112, as in effect on July 22, 2014.
(ii) Prohibition on any other alternate or modified academic achievement standards.—A State shall not develop, or implement for use under this part, any alternate academic achievement
standards for children with disabilities that are not alternate academic
achievement standards that meet the requirements of clause (i).
(F) English language proficiency standards.—Each State plan shall demonstrate that the State has adopted English language proficiency standards
that—
(i) are derived from the 4 recognized domains of speaking, listening, reading, and writing;
(ii) address the different proficiency levels of English learners; and
(iii) are aligned with the challenging State academic standards.
(G) Prohibitions.—
(i) Standards review or approval.—A State shall not be required to submit any standards developed under this subsection to the
Secretary for review or approval.
(ii) Federal control.—The Secretary shall not have the authority to mandate, direct, control, coerce, or exercise any
direction or supervision over any of the challenging State academic
standards adopted or implemented by a State.
(H) Existing standards.—Nothing in this part shall prohibit a State from revising, consistent with this section, any
standards adopted under this part before or after the date of enactment of
the Every Student Succeeds Act.
(2) Academic assessments.—
(A) In general.—Each State plan shall demonstrate that the State educational agency, in consultation with local
educational agencies, has implemented a set of high-quality student
academic assessments in mathematics, reading or language arts, and
science. The State retains the right to implement such assessments in any
other subject chosen by the State.
(B) Requirements.—The assessments under subparagraph (A) shall—
(i) except as provided in subparagraph (D), be—
(I) the same academic assessments used to measure the achievement of all public elementary school and
secondary school students in the State; and
(II) administered to all public elementary school and secondary school students in the State;
(ii) be aligned with the challenging State academic standards, and provide coherent and timely
information about student attainment of such standards and whether the
student is performing at the student's grade level;
(iii) be used for purposes for which such assessments are valid and reliable, consistent with relevant,
nationally recognized professional and technical testing standards,
objectively measure academic achievement, knowledge, and skills, and be
tests that do not evaluate or assess personal or family beliefs and
attitudes, or publicly disclose personally identifiable information;
(iv) be of adequate technical quality for each purpose required under this Act and consistent with the
requirements of this section, the evidence of which shall be made public,
including on the website of the State educational agency;
(v)(I) in the case of mathematics and reading or language arts, be administered—
(aa) in each of grades 3 through 8; and
(bb) at least once in grades 9 through 12;
(II) in the case of science, be administered not less than one time during—
(aa) grades 3 through 5;
(bb) grades 6 through 9; and
(cc) grades 10 through 12; and
(III) in the case of any other subject chosen by the State, be administered at the discretion of the
State;
(vi) involve multiple up-to-date measures of student academic achievement, including measures that
assess higher-order thinking skills and understanding, which may include
measures of student academic growth and may be partially delivered in the
form of portfolios, projects, or extended performance tasks;
(vii) provide for—
(I) the participation in such assessments of all students;
(II) the appropriate accommodations, such as interoperability with, and ability to use, assistive
technology, for children with disabilities (as defined in section 602(3)
of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1401(3))),
including students with the most significant cognitive disabilities, and
students with a disability who are provided accommodations under an Act
other than the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1400
et seq.), necessary to measure the academic achievement of such children
relative to the challenging State academic standards or alternate academic
achievement standards described in paragraph (1)(E); and
(III) the inclusion of English learners, who shall be assessed in a valid and reliable manner and
provided appropriate accommodations on assessments administered to such
students under this paragraph, including, to the extent practicable,
assessments in the language and form most likely to yield accurate data on
what such students know and can do in academic content areas, until such
students have achieved English language proficiency, as determined under
subparagraph (G);
(viii) at the State’s discretion—
(I) be administered through a single summative assessment; or
(II) be administered through multiple statewide interim assessments during the course of the academic
year that result in a single summative score that provides valid,
reliable, and transparent information on student achievement or growth;
(ix) notwithstanding clause (vii)(III), provide for assessments (using tests in English) of reading or
language arts of any student who has attended school in the United States
(not including the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico) for 3 or more consecutive
school years, except that if the local educational agency determines, on a
case-by-case individual basis, that academic assessments in another
language or form would likely yield more accurate and reliable information
on what such student knows and can do, the local educational agency may
make a determination to assess such student in the appropriate language
other than English for a period that does not exceed 2 additional
consecutive years, provided that such student has not yet reached a level
of English language proficiency sufficient to yield valid and reliable
information on what such student knows and can do on tests (written in
English) of reading or language arts;
(x) produce individual student interpretive, descriptive, and diagnostic reports, consistent with
clause (iii), regarding achievement on such assessments that allow
parents, teachers, principals, and other school leaders to understand and
address the specific academic needs of students, and that are provided to
parents, teachers, and school leaders, as soon as is practicable after the
assessment is given, in an understandable and uniform format, and to the
extent practicable, in a language that parents can understand;
(xi) enable results to be disaggregated within each State, local educational agency, and school by—
(I) each major racial and ethnic group;
(II) economically disadvantaged students as compared to students who are not economically disadvantaged;
(III) children with disabilities as compared to children without disabilities;
(IV) English proficiency status;
(V) gender; and
(VI) migrant status,
except that such disaggregation shall not be required in the case of a State, local educational
agency, or a school in which the number of students in a subgroup is
insufficient to yield statistically reliable information or the results
would reveal personally identifiable information about an individual
student;
(xii) enable itemized score analyses to be produced and reported, consistent with clause (iii), to local
educational agencies and schools, so that parents, teachers, principals,
other school leaders, and administrators can interpret and address the
specific academic needs of students as indicated by the students’
achievement on assessment items; and
(xiii) be developed, to the extent practicable, using the principles of universal design for learning.
(C) Exception for advanced mathematics in middle school.—A State may exempt any 8th grade student from the assessment in mathematics described in
subparagraph (B)(v)(I)(aa) if—
(i) such student takes the end-of-course assessment the State typically administers to meet the
requirements of subparagraph (B)(v)(I)(bb) in mathematics;
(ii) such student’s achievement on such end-of-course assessment is used for purposes of subsection
(c)(4)(B)(i), in lieu of such student’s achievement on the mathematics
assessment required under subparagraph (B)(v)(I)(aa), and such student is
counted as participating in the assessment for purposes of subsection
(c)(4)(B)(vi); and
(iii) in high school, such student takes a mathematics assessment pursuant to subparagraph (B)(v)(I)(bb)
that—
(I) is any end-of-course assessment or other assessment that is more advanced than the assessment taken
by such student under clause (i) of this subparagraph; and
(II) shall be used to measure such student’s academic achievement for purposes of subsection
(c)(4)(B)(i).
(D) Alternate assessments for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities.—
(i) Alternate assessments aligned with alternate academic achievement standards.—A State may provide for alternate assessments aligned with the challenging State academic standards
and alternate academic achievement standards described in paragraph (1)(E)
for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities, if the
State—
(I) consistent with clause (ii), ensures that, for each subject, the total number of students assessed
in such subject using the alternate assessments does not exceed 1 percent
of the total number of all students in the State who are assessed in such
subject;
(II) ensures that the parents of such students are clearly informed, as part of the process for
developing the individualized education program (as defined in section
614(d)(1)(A) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C.
1414(d)(1)(A)))—
(aa) that their child’s academic achievement will be measured based on such alternate standards; and
(bb) how participation in such assessments may delay or otherwise affect the student from completing the
requirements for a regular high school diploma;
(III) promotes, consistent with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq.),
the involvement and progress of students with the most significant
cognitive disabilities in the general education curriculum;
(IV) describes in the State plan the steps the State has taken to incorporate universal design for
learning, to the extent feasible, in alternate assessments;
(V) describes in the State plan that general and special education teachers, and other appropriate
staff—
(aa) know how to administer the alternate assessments; and
(bb) make appropriate use of accommodations for students with disabilities on all assessments required
under this paragraph;
(VI) develops, disseminates information on, and promotes the use of appropriate accommodations to
increase the number of students with significant cognitive disabilities—
(aa) participating in academic instruction and assessments for the grade level in which the student is
enrolled; and
(bb) who are tested based on challenging State academic standards for the grade level in which the
student is enrolled; and
(VII) does not preclude a student with the most significant cognitive disabilities who takes an alternate
assessment based on alternate academic achievement standards from
attempting to complete the requirements for a regular high school diploma.
(ii) Special rules.—
(I) Responsibility under idea.—Subject to the authority and requirements for the individualized education program team for a child
with a disability under section 614(d)(1)(A)(i)(VI)(bb) of the Individuals
with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1414(d)(1)(A)(i)(VI)(bb)), such
team, consistent with the guidelines established by the State and required
under section 612(a)(16)(C) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1412(c)(16)(C)) and
clause (i)(II) of this subparagraph, shall determine when a child with a
significant cognitive disability shall participate in an alternate
assessment aligned with the alternate academic achievement standards.
(II) Prohibition on local cap.—Nothing in this subparagraph shall be construed to permit the Secretary or a State educational
agency to impose on any local educational agency a cap on the percentage
of students administered an alternate assessment under this subparagraph,
except that a local educational agency exceeding the cap applied to the
State under clause (i)(I) shall submit information to the State
educational agency justifying the need to exceed such cap.
(III) State support.—A State shall provide appropriate oversight, as determined by the State, of any local educational
agency that is required to submit information to the State under subclause
(II).
(IV) Waiver authority.—This subparagraph shall be subject to the waiver authority under section 8401.
(E) State authority.—If a State educational agency provides evidence, which is satisfactory to the Secretary, that
neither the State educational agency nor any other State government
official, agency, or entity has sufficient authority, under State law, to
adopt challenging State academic standards, and academic assessments
aligned with such standards, which will be applicable to all students
enrolled in the State’s public elementary schools and secondary schools,
then the State educational agency may meet the requirements of this
subsection by—
(i) adopting academic standards and academic assessments that meet the requirements of this subsection,
on a statewide basis, and limiting their applicability to students served
under this part; or
(ii) adopting and implementing policies that ensure that each local educational agency in the State that
receives grants under this part will adopt academic content and student
academic achievement standards, and academic assessments aligned with such
standards, which—
(I) meet all of the criteria in this subsection and any regulations regarding such standards and
assessments that the Secretary may publish; and
(II) are applicable to all students served by each such local educational agency.
(F) Language assessments.—
(i) In general.—Each State plan shall identify the languages other than English that are present to a significant
extent in the participating student population of the State and indicate
the languages for which annual student academic assessments are not
available and are needed.
(ii) Secretarial assistance.—The State shall make every effort to develop such assessments and may request assistance from the
Secretary if linguistically accessible academic assessment measures are
needed. Upon request, the Secretary shall assist with the identification
of appropriate academic assessment measures in the needed languages, but
shall not mandate a specific academic assessment or mode of instruction.
(G) Assessments of english language proficiency.—
(i) In general.—Each State plan shall demonstrate that local educational agencies in the State will provide for an
annual assessment of English proficiency of all English learners in the
schools served by the State educational agency.
(ii) Alignment.—The assessments described in clause (i) shall be aligned with the State’s English language
proficiency standards described in paragraph (1)(F).
(H) Locally-selected assessment.—
(i) In general.—Nothing in this paragraph shall be construed to prohibit a local educational agency from
administering a locally-selected assessment in lieu of the State-designed
academic assessment under subclause (I)(bb) and subclause (II)(cc) of
subparagraph (B)(v), if the local educational agency selects a
nationally-recognized high school academic assessment that has been
approved for use by the State as described in clause (iii) or (iv) of this
subparagraph.
(ii) State technical criteria.—To allow for State approval of nationally-recognized high school academic assessments that are
available for local selection under clause (i), a State educational agency
shall establish technical criteria to determine if any such assessment
meets the requirements of clause (v).
(iii) State approval.—If a State educational agency chooses to make a nationally-recognized high school assessment
available for selection by a local educational agency under clause (i),
which has not already been approved under this clause, such State
educational agency shall—
(I) conduct a review of the assessment to determine if such assessment meets or exceeds the technical
criteria established by the State educational agency under clause (ii);
(II) submit evidence in accordance with subsection (a)(4) that demonstrates such assessment meets the
requirements of clause (v); and
(III) after fulfilling the requirements of subclauses (I) and (II), approve such assessment for selection
and use by any local educational agency that requests to use such
assessment under clause (i).
(iv) Local educational agency option.—
(I) Local educational agency.—If a local educational agency chooses to submit a nationally-recognized high school academic
assessment to the State educational agency, subject to the approval
process described in subclause (I) and subclause (II) of clause (iii) to
determine if such assessment fulfills the requirements of clause (v), the
State educational agency may approve the use of such assessment consistent
with clause (i).
(II) State educational agency.—Upon such approval, the State educational agency shall approve the use of such assessment in any
other local educational agency in the State that subsequently requests to
use such assessment without repeating the process described in subclauses
(I) and (II) of clause (iii).
(v) Requirements.—To receive approval from the State educational agency under clause (iii), a locally-selected
assessment shall—
(I) be aligned to the State’s academic content standards under paragraph (1), address the depth and
breadth of such standards, and be equivalent in its content coverage,
difficulty, and quality to the State-designed assessments under this
paragraph (and may be more rigorous in its content coverage and difficulty
than such State-designed assessments);
(II) provide comparable, valid, and reliable data on academic achievement, as compared to the
State-designed assessments, for all students and for each subgroup of
students defined in subsection (c)(2), with results expressed in terms
consistent with the State’s academic achievement standards under paragraph
(1), among all local educational agencies within the State;
(III) meet the requirements for the assessments under subparagraph (B) of this paragraph, including
technical criteria, except the requirement under clause (i) of such
subparagraph; and
(IV) provide unbiased, rational, and consistent differentiation between schools within the State to meet
the requirements of subsection (c).
(vi) Parental notification.—A local educational agency shall notify the parents of high school students served by the local
educational agency—
(I) of its request to the State educational agency for approval to administer a locally-selected
assessment; and
(II) upon approval, and at the beginning of each subsequent school year during which the locally
selected assessment will be administered, that the local educational
agency will be administering a different assessment than the
State-designed assessments under subclause (I)(bb) and subclause (II)(cc)
of subparagraph (B)(v).
(I) Deferral.—A State may defer the commencement, or suspend the administration, but not cease the development,
of the assessments described in this paragraph, for 1 year for each year
for which the amount appropriated for grants under part B is less than
$369,100,000.
(J) Adaptive assessments.—
(i) In general.—Subject to clause (ii), a State retains the right to develop and administer computer adaptive
assessments as the assessments described in this paragraph, provided the
computer adaptive assessments meet the requirements of this paragraph,
except that—
(I) subparagraph (B)(i) shall not be interpreted to require that all students taking the computer
adaptive assessment be administered the same assessment items; and
(II) such assessment—
(aa) shall measure, at a minimum, each student’s academic proficiency based on the challenging State
academic standards for the student’s grade level and growth toward such
standards; and
(bb) may measure the student’s level of academic proficiency and growth using items above or below the
student’s grade level, including for use as part of a State’s
accountability system under subsection (c).
(ii) Students with the most significant cognitive disabilities and english learners.—In developing and administering computer adaptive assessments—
(I) as the assessments allowed under subparagraph (D), a State shall ensure that such computer adaptive
assessments—
(aa) meet the requirements of this paragraph, including subparagraph (D), except such assessments shall
not be required to meet the requirements of clause (i)(II); and
(bb) assess the student's academic achievement to measure, in the subject being assessed, whether the
student is performing at the student's grade level; and
(II) as the assessments required under subparagraph (G), a State shall ensure that such computer
adaptive assessments—
(aa) meet the requirements of this paragraph, including subparagraph (G), except such assessment shall
not be required to meet the requirements of clause (i)(II); and
(bb) assess the student’s language proficiency, which may include growth towards such proficiency, in
order to measure the student’s acquisition of English.
(K) Rule of construction on parent rights.—Nothing in this paragraph shall be construed as preempting a State or local law regarding the
decision of a parent to not have the parent's child participate in the
academic assessments under this paragraph.
(L) Limitation on assessment time.—Subject to Federal or State requirements related to assessments, evaluations, and accommodations,
each State may, at the sole discretion of such State, set a target limit
on the aggregate amount of time devoted to the administration of
assessments for each grade, expressed as a percentage of annual
instructional hours.
(3) Exception for recently arrived english learners.—
(A) Assessments.—With respect to recently arrived English learners who have been enrolled in a school in one of the
50 States in the United States or the District of Columbia for less than
12 months, a State may choose to—
(i) exclude—
(I) such an English learner from one administration of the reading or language arts assessment required
under paragraph (2); and
(II) such an English learner’s results on any of the assessments required under paragraph (2)(B)(v)(I)
or (2)(G) for the first year of the English learner’s enrollment in such a
school for the purposes of the State-determined accountability system
under subsection (c); or
(ii)(I) assess, and report the performance of, such an English learner on the reading or language arts and
mathematics assessments required under paragraph (2)(B)(v)(I) in each year
of the student’s enrollment in such a school; and
(II) for the purposes of the State-determined accountability system—
(aa) for the first year of the student’s enrollment in such a school, exclude the results on the
assessments described in subclause (I);
(bb) include a measure of student growth on the assessments described in subclause (I) in the second
year of the student’s enrollment in such a school; and
(cc) include proficiency on the assessments described in subclause (I) in the third year of the
student’s enrollment in such a school, and each succeeding year of such
enrollment.
(B) English learner subgroup.—With respect to a student previously identified as an English learner and for not more than 4 years
after the student ceases to be identified as an English learner, a State
may include the results of the student’s assessments under paragraph
(2)(B)(v)(I) within the English learner subgroup of the subgroups of
students (as defined in subsection (c)(2)(D)) for the purposes of the
State-determined accountability system.
(c) Statewide Accountability System.—
(1) In general.—Each State plan shall describe a statewide accountability system that complies with the
requirements of this subsection and subsection (d).
(2) Subgroup of students.—In this subsection and subsection (d), the term “subgroup of students” means—
(A) economically disadvantaged students;
(B) students from major racial and ethnic groups;
(C) children with disabilities; and
(D) English learners.
(3) Minimum number of students.—Each State shall describe—
(A) with respect to any provisions under this part that require disaggregation of information by each
subgroup of students—
(i) the minimum number of students that the State determines are necessary to be included to carry out
such requirements and how that number is statistically sound, which shall
be the same State-determined number for all students and for each subgroup
of students in the State;
(ii) how such minimum number of students was determined by the State, including how the State
collaborated with teachers, principals, other school leaders, parents, and
other stakeholders when determining such minimum number; and
(iii) how the State ensures that such minimum number is sufficient to not reveal any personally
identifiable information.
(4) Description of system.—The statewide accountability system described in paragraph (1) shall be based on the challenging
State academic standards for reading or language arts and mathematics
described in subsection (b)(1) to improve student academic achievement and
school success. In designing such system to meet the requirements of this
part, the State shall carry out the following:
(A) Establishment of long-term goals.—Establish ambitious State-designed long-term goals, which shall include measurements of interim
progress toward meeting such goals—
(i) for all students and separately for each subgroup of students in the State—
(I) for, at a minimum, improved—
(aa) academic achievement, as measured by proficiency on the annual assessments required under
subsection (b)(2)(B)(v)(I); and
(bb) high school graduation rates, including—
(AA) the four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate; and
(BB) at the State’s discretion, the extended-year adjusted cohort graduation rate, except that the State
shall set a more rigorous long-term goal for such graduation rate, as
compared to the long-term goal set for the four-year adjusted cohort
graduation rate;
(II) for which the term set by the State for such goals is the same multi-year length of time for all
students and for each subgroup of students in the State; and
(III) that, for subgroups of students who are behind on the measures described in items (aa) and (bb) of
subclause (I), take into account the improvement necessary on such
measures to make significant progress in closing statewide proficiency and
graduation rate gaps; and
(ii) for English learners, for increases in the percentage of such students making progress in achieving
English language proficiency, as defined by the State and measured by the
assessments described in subsection (b)(2)(G), within a State-determined
timeline.
(B) Indicators.—Except for the indicator described in clause (iv), annually measure, for all students and
separately for each subgroup of students, the following indicators:
(i) For all public schools in the State, based on the long-term goals established under subparagraph
(A), academic achievement—
(I) as measured by proficiency on the annual assessments required under subsection (b)(2)(B)(v)(I); and
(II) at the State’s discretion, for each public high school in the State, student growth, as measured by
such annual assessments.
(ii) For public elementary schools and secondary schools that are not high schools in the State—
(I) a measure of student growth, if determined appropriate by the State; or
(II) another valid and reliable statewide academic indicator that allows for meaningful differentiation
in school performance.
(iii) For public high schools in the State, and based on State-designed long term goals established under
subparagraph (A)—
(I) the four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate; and
(II) at the State’s discretion, the extended-year adjusted cohort graduation rate.
(iv) For public schools in the State, progress in achieving English language proficiency, as defined by
the State and measured by the assessments described in subsection
(b)(2)(G), within a State-determined timeline for all English learners—
(I) in each of the grades 3 through 8; and
(II) in the grade for which such English learners are otherwise assessed under subsection
(b)(2)(B)(v)(I) during the grade 9 through grade 12 period, with such
progress being measured against the results of the assessments described
in subsection (b)(2)(G) taken in the previous grade.
(v)(I) For all public schools in the State, not less than one indicator of school quality or student
success that—
(aa) allows for meaningful differentiation in school performance;
(bb) is valid, reliable, comparable, and statewide (with the same indicator or indicators used for each
grade span, as such term is determined by the State); and
(cc) may include one or more of the measures described in subclause (II).
(II) For purposes of subclause (I), the State may include measures of—
(III) student engagement;
(IV) educator engagement;
(V) student access to and completion of advanced coursework;
(VI) postsecondary readiness;
(VII) school climate and safety; and
(VIII) any other indicator the State chooses that meets the requirements of this clause.
(C) Annual meaningful differentiation.—Establish a system of meaningfully differentiating, on an annual basis, all public schools in the
State, which shall—
(i) be based on all indicators in the State’s accountability system under subparagraph (B), for all
students and for each of subgroup of students, consistent with the
requirements of such subparagraph;
(ii) with respect to the indicators described in clauses (i) through (iv) of subparagraph (B) afford—
(I) substantial weight to each such indicator; and
(II) in the aggregate, much greater weight than is afforded to the indicator or indicators utilized by
the State and described in subparagraph (B)(v), in the aggregate; and
(iii) include differentiation of any such school in which any subgroup of students is consistently
underperforming, as determined by the State, based on all indicators under
subparagraph (B) and the system established under this subparagraph.
(D) Identification of schools.—Based on the system of meaningful differentiation described in subparagraph (C), establish a
State-determined methodology to identify—
(i) beginning with school year 2017–2018, and at least once every three school years thereafter, one
statewide category of schools for comprehensive support and improvement,
as described in subsection (d)(1), which shall include—
(I) not less than the lowest-performing 5 percent of all schools receiving funds under this part in the
State;
(II) all public high schools in the State failing to graduate one third or more of their students; and
(III) public schools in the State described under subsection (d)(3)(A)(i)(II); and
(ii) at the discretion of the State, additional statewide categories of schools.
(E) Annual measurement of achievement.—(i) Annually measure the achievement of not less than 95 percent of all students, and 95 percent of all
students in each subgroup of students, who are enrolled in public schools
on the assessments described under subsection (b)(2)(v)(I).
(ii) For the purpose of measuring, calculating, and reporting on the indicator described in subparagraph
(B)(i), include in the denominator the greater of—
(I) 95 percent of all such students, or 95 percent of all such students in the subgroup, as the case
may be; or
(II) the number of students participating in the assessments.
(iii) Provide a clear and understandable explanation of how the State will factor the requirement of
clause (i) of this subparagraph into the statewide accountability system.
(F) Partial attendance.—(i) In the case of a student who has not attended the same school within a local educational agency for
at least half of a school year, the performance of such student on the
indicators described in clauses (i), (ii), (iv), and (v) of subparagraph
(B)—
(I) may not be used in the system of meaningful differentiation of all public schools as described in
subparagraph (C) for such school year; and
(II) shall be used for the purpose of reporting on the State and local educational agency report cards
under subsection (h) for such school year.
(ii) In the case of a high school student who has not attended the same school within a local
educational agency for at least half of a school year and has exited high
school without a regular high school diploma and without transferring to
another high school that grants a regular high school diploma during such
school year, the local educational agency shall, in order to calculate the
graduation rate pursuant to subparagraph (B)(iii), assign such student to
the high school—
(I) at which such student was enrolled for the greatest proportion of school days while enrolled in
grades 9 through 12; or
(II) in which the student was most recently enrolled.
(5) Accountability for charter schools.—The accountability provisions under this Act shall be overseen for charter schools in accordance
with State charter school law.
(d) School Support and Improvement Activities.—
(1) Comprehensive support and improvement.—
(A) In general.—Each State educational agency receiving funds under this part shall notify each local educational
agency in the State of any school served by the local educational agency
that is identified for comprehensive support and improvement under
subsection (c)(4)(D)(i).
(B) Local educational agency action.—Upon receiving such information from the State, the local educational agency shall, for each school
identified by the State and in partnership with stakeholders (including
principals and other school leaders, teachers, and parents), locally
develop and implement a comprehensive support and improvement plan for the
school to improve student outcomes, that—
(i) is informed by all indicators described in subsection (c)(4)(B), including student performance
against State-determined long-term goals;
(ii) includes evidence-based interventions;
(iii) is based on a school-level needs assessment;
(iv) identifies resource inequities, which may include a review of local educational agency and
school-level budgeting, to be addressed through implementation of such
comprehensive support and improvement plan;
(v) is approved by the school, local educational agency, and State educational agency; and
(vi) upon approval and implementation, is monitored and periodically reviewed by the State educational
agency.
(C) State educational agency discretion.—With respect to any high school in the State identified under subsection (c)(4)(D)(i)(II), the
State educational agency may—
(i) permit differentiated improvement activities that utilize evidence-based interventions in the case
of such a school that predominantly serves students—
(I) returning to education after having exited secondary school without a regular high school diploma;
or
(II) who, based on their grade or age, are significantly off track to accumulate sufficient academic
credits to meet high school graduation requirements, as established by the
State; and
(ii) in the case of such a school that has a total enrollment of less than 100 students, permit the
local educational agency to forego implementation of improvement
activities required under this paragraph.
(D) Public school choice.—
(i) In general.—A local educational agency may provide all students enrolled in a school identified by the State
for comprehensive support and improvement under subsection (c)(4)(D)(i)
with the option to transfer to another public school served by the local
educational agency, unless such an option is prohibited by State law.
(ii) Priority.—In providing students the option to transfer to another public school, the local educational agency
shall give priority to the lowest-achieving children from low-income
families, as determined by the local educational agency for the purposes
of allocating funds to schools under section 1113(a)(3).
(iii) Treatment.—A student who uses the option to transfer to another public school shall be enrolled in classes and
other activities in the public school to which the student transfers in
the same manner as all other students at the public school.
(iv) Special rule.—A local educational agency shall permit a student who transfers to another public school under this
paragraph to remain in that school until the student has completed the
highest grade in that school.
(v) Funding for transportation.—A local educational agency may spend an amount equal to not more than 5 percent of its allocation
under subpart 2 of this part to pay for the provision of transportation
for students who transfer under this paragraph to the public schools to
which the students transfer.
(2) Targeted support and improvement.—
(A) In general.—Each State educational agency receiving funds under this part shall, using the meaningful
differentiation of schools described in subsection (c)(4)(C)—
(i) notify each local educational agency in the State of any school served by the local educational
agency in which any subgroup of students is consistently underperforming,
as described in subsection (c)(4)(C)(iii); and
(ii) ensure such local educational agency provides notification to such school with respect to which
subgroup or subgroups of students in such school are consistently
underperforming as described in subsection (c)(4)(C)(iii).
(B) Targeted support and improvement plan.—Each school receiving a notification described in this paragraph, in partnership with stakeholders
(including principals and other school leaders, teachers and parents),
shall develop and implement a school-level targeted support and
improvement plan to improve student outcomes based on the indicators in
the statewide accountability system established under subsection (c)(4),
for each subgroup of students that was the subject of notification that—
(i) is informed by all indicators described in subsection (c)(4)(B), including student performance
against long-term goals;
(ii) includes evidence-based interventions;
(iii) is approved by the local educational agency prior to implementation of such plan;
(iv) is monitored, upon submission and implementation, by the local educational agency; and
(v) results in additional action following unsuccessful implementation of such plan after a number of
years determined by the local educational agency.
(C) Additional targeted support.—A plan described in subparagraph (B) that is developed and implemented in any school receiving a
notification under this paragraph from the local educational agency in
which any subgroup of students, on its own, would lead to identification
under subsection (c)(4)(D)(i)(I) using the State’s methodology under
subsection (c)(4)(D) shall also identify resource inequities (which may
include a review of local educational agency and school level budgeting),
to be addressed through implementation of such plan.
(D) Special rule.—The State educational agency, based on the State’s differentiation of schools under subsection
(c)(4)(C) for school year 2017–2018, shall notify local educational
agencies of any schools served by the local educational agency in which
any subgroup of students, on its own, would lead to identification under
subsection (c)(4)(D)(i)(I) using the State’s methodology under subsection
(c)(4)(D), after which notification of such schools under this paragraph
shall result from differentiation of schools pursuant to subsection
(c)(4)(C)(iii).
(3) Continued support for school and local educational agency improvement.—To ensure continued progress to improve student academic achievement and school success in the
State, the State educational agency—
(A) shall—
(i) establish statewide exit criteria for—
(I) schools identified by the State for comprehensive support and improvement under subsection
(c)(4)(D)(i), which, if not satisfied within a State-determined number of
years (not to exceed four years), shall result in more rigorous
State-determined action, such as the implementation of interventions
(which may include addressing school-level operations); and
(II) schools described in paragraph (2)(C), which, if not satisfied within a State-determined number of
years, shall, in the case of such schools receiving assistance under this
part, result in identification of the school by the State for
comprehensive support and improvement under subsection (c)(4)(D)(i)(III);
(ii) periodically review resource allocation to support school improvement in each local educational
agency in the State serving—
(I) a significant number of schools identified for comprehensive support and improvement under
subsection (c)(4)(D)(i); and
(II) a significant number of schools implementing targeted support and improvement plans under paragraph
(2); and
(iii) provide technical assistance to each local educational agency in the State serving a significant
number of—
(I) schools implementing comprehensive support and improvement plans under paragraph (1); or
(II) schools implementing targeted support and improvement plans under paragraph (2); and
(B) may—
(i) take action to initiate additional improvement in any local educational agency with—
(I) a significant number of schools that are consistently identified by the State for comprehensive
support and improvement under subsection (c)(4)(D)(i) and not meeting exit
criteria established by the State under subparagraph (A)(i)(I); or
(II) a significant number of schools implementing targeted support and improvement plans under paragraph
(2); and
(ii) consistent with State law, establish alternative evidence-based State determined strategies that
can be used by local educational agencies to assist a school identified
for comprehensive support and improvement under subsection (c)(4)(D)(i).
(4) Rule of construction for collective bargaining.—Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to alter or otherwise affect the rights, remedies,
and procedures afforded to school or local educational agency employees
under Federal, State, or local laws (including applicable regulations or
court orders) or under the terms of collective bargaining agreements,
memoranda of understanding, or other agreements between such employers and
their employees.
(e) Prohibition.—
(1) In general.—Nothing in this Act shall be construed to authorize or permit the Secretary—
(A) when promulgating any rule or regulation, to promulgate any rule or regulation on the development
or implementation of the statewide accountability system established under
this section that would—
(i) add new requirements that are inconsistent with or outside the scope of this part;
(ii) add new criteria that are inconsistent with or outside the scope of this part; or
(iii) be in excess of statutory authority granted to the Secretary;
(B) as a condition of approval of the State plan, or revisions or amendments to, the State plan, or
approval of a waiver request submitted under section 8401, to—
(i) require a State to add any requirements that are inconsistent with or outside the scope of this
part;
(ii) require a State to add or delete one or more specific elements of the challenging State academic
standards; or
(iii) prescribe—
(I) numeric long-term goals or measurements of interim progress that States establish for all students,
for any subgroups of students, and for English learners with respect to
English language proficiency, under this part, including—
(aa) the length of terms set by States in designing such goals; or
(bb) the progress expected from any subgroups of students in meeting such goals;
(II) specific academic assessments or assessment items that States or local educational agencies use to
meet the requirements of subsection (b)(2) or otherwise use to measure
student academic achievement or student growth under this part;
(III) indicators that States use within the State accountability system under this section, including any
requirement to measure student growth, or, if a State chooses to measure
student growth, the specific metrics used to measure such growth under
this part;
(IV) the weight of any measure or indicator used to identify or meaningfully differentiate schools,
under this part;
(V) the specific methodology used by States to meaningfully differentiate or identify schools under
this part;
(VI) any specific school support and improvement strategies or activities that State or local
educational agencies establish and implement to intervene in, support, and
improve schools and improve student outcomes under this part;
(VII) exit criteria established by States under subsection (d)(3)(A)(i);
(VIII) provided that the State meets the requirements in subsection (c)(3), a minimum number of students
established by a State under such subsection;
(IX) any aspect or parameter of a teacher, principal, or other school leader evaluation system within a
State or local educational agency;
(X) indicators or specific measures of teacher, principal, or other school leader effectiveness or
quality; or
(XI) the way in which the State factors the requirement under subsection (c)(4)(E)(i) into the statewide
accountability system under this section; or
(C) to issue new non-regulatory guidance that—
(i) in seeking to provide explanation of requirements under this section for State or local educational
agencies, either in response to requests for information or in
anticipation of such requests, provides a strictly limited or exhaustive
list to illustrate successful implementation of provisions under this
section; or
(ii) purports to be legally binding; or
(D) to require data collection under this part beyond data derived from existing Federal, State, and
local reporting requirements.
(2) Defining terms.—In carrying out this part, the Secretary shall not, through regulation or as a condition of
approval of the State plan or revisions or amendments to the State plan,
promulgate a definition of any term used in this part, or otherwise
prescribe any specification for any such term, that is inconsistent with
or outside the scope of this part or is in violation of paragraph (1).
(f) Existing State Law.—Nothing in this section shall be construed to alter any State law or regulation granting parents
authority over schools that repeatedly failed to make adequate yearly
progress under this part, as in effect on the day before the date of the
enactment of the Every Student Succeeds Act.
(g) Other Plan Provisions.—
(1) Descriptions.—Each State plan shall describe—
(A) how the State will provide assistance to local educational agencies and individual elementary
schools choosing to use funds under this part to support early childhood
education programs;
(B) how low-income and minority children enrolled in schools assisted under this part are not served at
disproportionate rates by ineffective, out-of-field, or inexperienced
teachers, and the measures the State educational agency will use to
evaluate and publicly report the progress of the State educational agency
with respect to such description (except that nothing in this subparagraph
shall be construed as requiring a State to develop or implement a teacher,
principal, or other school leader evaluation system);
(C) how the State educational agency will support local educational agencies receiving assistance under
this part to improve school conditions for student learning, including
through reducing—
(i) incidences of bullying and harassment;
(ii) the overuse of discipline practices that remove students from the classroom; and
(iii) the use of aversive behavioral interventions that compromise student health and safety;
(D) how the State will support local educational agencies receiving assistance under this part in
meeting the needs of students at all levels of schooling (particularly
students in the middle grades and high school), including how the State
will work with such local educational agencies to provide effective
transitions of students to middle grades and high school to decrease the
risk of students dropping out;
(E) the steps a State educational agency will take to ensure collaboration with the State agency
responsible for administering the State plans under parts B and E of title
IV of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 621 et seq. and 670 et seq.) to
ensure the educational stability of children in foster care, including
assurances that—
(i) any such child enrolls or remains in such child’s school of origin, unless a determination is made
that it is not in such child’s best interest to attend the school of
origin, which decision shall be based on all factors relating to the
child’s best interest, including consideration of the appropriateness of
the current educational setting and the proximity to the school in which
the child is enrolled at the time of placement;
(ii) when a determination is made that it is not in such child’s best interest to remain in the school
of origin, the child is immediately enrolled in a new school, even if the
child is unable to produce records normally required for enrollment;
(iii) the enrolling school shall immediately contact the school last attended by any such child to obtain
relevant academic and other records; and
(iv) the State educational agency will designate an employee to serve as a point of contact for child
welfare agencies and to oversee implementation of the State agency
responsibilities required under this subparagraph, and such point of
contact shall not be the State’s Coordinator for Education of Homeless
Children and Youths under section 722(d)(3) of the McKinney-Vento Homeless
Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11432(d)(3));
(F) how the State educational agency will provide support to local educational agencies in the
identification, enrollment, attendance, and school stability of homeless
children and youths; and
(G) such other factors the State educational agency determines appropriate to provide students an
opportunity to achieve the knowledge and skills described in the
challenging State academic standards.
(2) Assurances.—Each State plan shall contain assurances that—
(A) the State will make public any methods or criteria the State is using to measure teacher,
principal, or other school leader effectiveness for the purpose of meeting
the requirements described in paragraph (1)(B);
(B) the State educational agency will notify local educational agencies, Indian tribes and tribal
organizations, schools, teachers, parents, and the public of the
challenging State academic standards, academic assessments, and State
accountability system, developed under this section;
(C) the State educational agency will assist each local educational agency and school affected by the
State plan to meet the requirements of this part;
(D) the State will participate in the biennial State academic assessments in reading and mathematics in
grades 4 and 8 of the National Assessment of Educational Progress carried
out under section 303(b)(3) of the National Assessment of Educational
Progress Authorization Act (20 U.S.C. 9622(b)(3)) if the Secretary pays
the costs of administering such assessments;
(E) the State educational agency will modify or eliminate State fiscal and accounting barriers so that
schools can easily consolidate funds from other Federal, State, and local
sources to improve educational opportunities and reduce unnecessary fiscal
and accounting requirements;
(F) the State educational agency will support the collection and dissemination to local educational
agencies and schools of effective parent and family engagement strategies,
including those included in the parent and family engagement policy under
section 1116;
(G) the State educational agency will provide the least restrictive and burdensome regulations for
local educational agencies and individual schools participating in a
program assisted under this part;
(H) the State educational agency will ensure that local educational agencies, in developing and
implementing programs under this part, will, to the extent feasible, work
in consultation with outside intermediary organizations (such as
educational service agencies), or individuals, that have practical
expertise in the development or use of evidence-based strategies and
programs to improve teaching, learning, and schools;
(I) the State educational agency has appropriate procedures and safeguards in place to ensure the
validity of the assessment process;
(J) the State educational agency will ensure that all teachers and paraprofessionals working in a
program supported with funds under this part meet applicable State
certification and licensure requirements, including any requirements for
certification obtained through alternative routes to certification;
(K) the State educational agency will coordinate activities funded under this part with other Federal
activities as appropriate;
(L) the State educational agency has involved the committee of practitioners established under section
1603(b) in developing the plan and monitoring its implementation;
(M) the State has professional standards for paraprofessionals working in a program supported with
funds under this part, including qualifications that were in place on the
day before the date of enactment of the Every Student Succeeds Act; and
(N) the State educational agency will provide the information described in clauses (ii), (iii), and
(vii) of subsection (h)(1)(C) to the public in an easily accessible and
user-friendly manner that can be cross-tabulated by, at a minimum, each
major racial and ethnic group, gender, English proficiency status, and
children with or without disabilities, which—
(i) may be accomplished by including such information on the annual State report card described
subsection (h)(1)(C); and
(ii) shall be presented in a manner that—
(I) is first anonymized and does not reveal personally identifiable information about an individual
student;
(II) does not include a number of students in any subgroup of students that is insufficient to yield
statistically reliable information or that would reveal personally
identifiable information about an individual student; and
(III) is consistent with the requirements of section 444 of the General Education Provisions Act (20
U.S.C. 1232g, commonly known as the “Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974”).
(3) Rules of construction.—Nothing in paragraph (2)(N) shall be construed to—
(A) require groups of students obtained by any entity that cross-tabulates the information provided
under such paragraph to be considered subgroups of students, as defined in
subsection (c)(2), for the purposes of the State accountability system
under subsection (c); or
(B) require or prohibit States or local educational agencies from publicly reporting data in a
cross-tabulated manner, in order to meet the requirements of paragraph
(2)(N).
(4) Technical assistance.—Upon request by a State educational agency, the Secretary shall provide technical assistance to
such agency to—
(A) meet the requirements of paragraph (2)(N); or
(B) in the case of a State educational agency choosing, at its sole discretion, to disaggregate data
described in clauses (ii) and (iii)(II) of subsection (h)(1)(C) for Asian
and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students using the same race
response categories as the decennial census of the population, assist such
State educational agency in such disaggregation and in using such data to
improve academic outcomes for such students.
(h) Reports.—
(1) Annual state report card.—
(A) In general.—A State that receives assistance under this part shall prepare and disseminate widely to the public
an annual State report card for the State as a whole that meets the
requirements of this paragraph.
(B) Implementation.—The State report card required under this paragraph shall be—
(i) concise;
(ii) presented in an understandable and uniform format that is developed in consultation with parents
and, to the extent practicable, in a language that parents can understand;
and
(iii) widely accessible to the public, which shall include making available on a single webpage of the
State educational agency’s website, the State report card, all local
educational agency report cards for each local educational agency in the
State required under paragraph (2), and the annual report to the Secretary
under paragraph (5).
(C) Minimum requirements.—Each State report card required under this subsection shall include the following information:
(i) A clear and concise description of the State’s accountability system under subsection (c),
including—
(I) the minimum number of students that the State determines are necessary to be included in each of
the subgroups of students, as defined in subsection (c)(2), for use in the
accountability system;
(II) the long-term goals and measurements of interim progress for all students and for each of the
subgroups of students, as defined in subsection (c)(2);
(III) the indicators described in subsection (c)(4)(B) used to meaningfully differentiate all public
schools in the State;
(IV) the State’s system for meaningfully differentiating all public schools in the State, including—
(aa) the specific weight of the indicators described in subsection (c)(4)(B) in such differentiation;
(bb) the methodology by which the State differentiates all such schools;
(cc) the methodology by which the State differentiates a school as consistently underperforming for any
subgroup of students described in section (c)(4)(C)(iii), including the
time period used by the State to determine consistent underperformance;
and
(dd) the methodology by which the State identifies a school for comprehensive support and improvement as
required under subsection (c)(4)(D)(i);
(V) the number and names of all public schools in the State identified by the State for comprehensive
support and improvement under subsection (c)(4)(D)(i) or implementing
targeted support and improvement plans under subsection (d)(2); and
(VI) the exit criteria established by the State as required under clause (i) of subsection (d)(3)(A),
including the length of years established under clause (i)(II) of such
subsection.
(ii) For all students and disaggregated by each subgroup of students described in subsection (b)(2)(B)(xi), homeless status, status as a child in foster care, and status as a student with a parent who is a member of the Armed Forces (as defined in section 101(a)(4) of title 10, United States Code) , information on student achievement on the academic assessments described in subsection (b)(2) at each level of achievement, as determined by the State under subsection (b)(1).
(iii) For all students and disaggregated by each of the subgroups of students, as defined in subsection
(c)(2), and for purposes of subclause (II) of this clause, homeless status
and status as a child in foster care—
(I) information on the performance on the other academic indicator under subsection (c)(4)(B)(ii) for
public elementary schools and secondary schools that are not high schools,
used by the State in the State accountability system; and
(II) high school graduation rates, including four-year adjusted cohort graduation rates and, at the
State’s discretion, extended-year adjusted cohort graduation rates.
(iv) Information on the number and percentage of English learners achieving English language
proficiency.
(v) For all students and disaggregated by each of the subgroups of students, as defined in subsection
(c)(2), information on the performance on the other indicator or
indicators of school quality or student success under subsection
(c)(4)(B)(v) used by the State in the State accountability system.
(vi) Information on the progress of all students and each subgroup of students, as defined in subsection
(c)(2), toward meeting the State-designed long term goals under subsection
(c)(4)(A), including the progress of all students and each such subgroup
of students against the State measurements of interim progress established
under such subsection.
(vii) For all students and disaggregated by each subgroup of students described in subsection
(b)(2)(B)(xi), the percentage of students assessed and not assessed.
(viii) Information submitted by the State educational agency and each local educational agency in the
State, in accordance with data collection conducted pursuant to section
203(c)(1) of the Department of Education Organization Act (20 U.S.C.
3413(c)(1)), on—
(I) measures of school quality, climate, and safety, including rates of in-school suspensions,
out-of-school suspensions, expulsions, school-related arrests, referrals
to law enforcement, chronic absenteeism (including both excused and
unexcused absences), incidences of violence, including bullying and
harassment; and
(II) the number and percentage of students enrolled in—
(aa) preschool programs; and
(bb) accelerated coursework to earn postsecondary credit while still in high school, such as Advanced
Placement and International Baccalaureate courses and examinations, and
dual or concurrent enrollment programs.
(ix) The professional qualifications of teachers in the State, including information (that shall be
presented in the aggregate and disaggregated by high-poverty compared to
low-poverty schools) on the number and percentage of—
(I) inexperienced teachers, principals, and other school leaders;
(II) teachers teaching with emergency or provisional credentials; and
(III) teachers who are not teaching in the subject or field for which the teacher is certified or
licensed.
(x) The per-pupil expenditures of Federal, State, and local funds, including actual personnel
expenditures and actual nonpersonnel expenditures of Federal, State, and
local funds, disaggregated by source of funds, for each local educational
agency and each school in the State for the preceding fiscal year.
(xi) The number and percentages of students with the most significant cognitive disabilities who take an
alternate assessment under subsection (b)(2)(D), by grade and subject.
(xii) Results on the State academic assessments in reading and mathematics in grades 4 and 8 of the
National Assessment of Educational Progress carried out under section
303(b)(3) of the National Assessment of Educational Progress Authorization
Act (20 U.S.C. 9622(b)(3)), compared to the national average of such
results.
(xiii) Where available, for each high school in the State, and beginning with the report card prepared
under this paragraph for 2017, the cohort rate (in the aggregate, and
disaggregated for each subgroup of students defined in subsection (c)(2)),
at which students who graduate from the high school enroll, for the first
academic year that begins after the students’ graduation—
(I) in programs of public postsecondary education in the State; and
(II) if data are available and to the extent practicable, in programs of private postsecondary education
in the State or programs of postsecondary education outside the State.
(xiv) Any additional information that the State believes will best provide parents, students, and other members of the public with information regarding the progress of each of the State’s public elementary schools and secondary schools, which may include the number and percentage of students meeting State determined levels of performance for core indicators, as defined by section 113(b)(3)(A) of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2323(b)(3)(A)), and reported by States only in a manner consistent with section 113(b)(3)(C) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 2323(b)(3)(C)).
(D) Rules of construction.—Nothing in subparagraph (C)(viii) shall be construed as requiring—
(i) reporting of any data that are not collected in accordance with section 203(c)(1) of the Department
of Education Organization Act (20 U.S.C. 3413(c)(1); or
(ii) disaggregation of any data other than as required under subsection (b)(2)(B)(xi).
(2) Annual local educational agency report cards.—
(A) Preparation and dissemination.—A local educational agency that receives assistance under this part shall prepare and disseminate
an annual local educational agency report card that includes information
on such agency as a whole and each school served by the agency.
(B) Implementation.—Each local educational agency report card shall be—
(i) concise;
(ii) presented in an understandable and uniform format, and to the extent practicable, in a language
that parents can understand; and
(iii) accessible to the public, which shall include—
(I) placing such report card on the website of the local educational agency; and
(II) in any case in which a local educational agency does not operate a website, providing the
information to the public in another manner determined by the local
educational agency.
(C) Minimum requirements.—The State educational agency shall ensure that each local educational agency collects appropriate
data and includes in the local educational agency’s annual report the
information described in paragraph (1)(C), disaggregated in the same
manner as required under such paragraph, except for clause (xii) of such
paragraph, as applied to the local educational agency and each school
served by the local educational agency, including—
(i) in the case of a local educational agency, information that shows how students served by the local
educational agency achieved on the academic assessments described in
subsection (b)(2) compared to students in the State as a whole;
(ii) in the case of a school, information that shows how the school’s students’ achievement on the
academic assessments described in subsection (b)(2) compared to students
served by the local educational agency and the State as a whole; and
(iii) any other information that the local educational agency determines is appropriate and will best
provide parents, students, and other members of the public with
information regarding the progress of each public school served by the
local educational agency, whether or not such information is included in
the annual State report card.
(D) Additional information.—In the case of a local educational agency that issues a report card for all students, the local
educational agency may include the information under this section as part
of such report.
(3) Preexisting report cards.—A State educational agency or local educational agency may use public report cards on the
performance of students, schools, local educational agencies, or the
State, that were in effect prior to the date of enactment of the Every
Student Succeeds Act for the purpose of this subsection, so long as any
such report card is modified, as may be needed, to contain the information
required by this subsection, and protects the privacy of individual
students.
(4) Cost reduction.—Each State educational agency and local educational agency receiving assistance under this part
shall, wherever possible, take steps to reduce data collection costs and
duplication of effort by obtaining the information required under this
subsection through existing data collection efforts.
(5) Annual state report to the secretary.—Each State educational agency receiving assistance under this part shall report annually to the
Secretary, and make widely available within the State—
(A) information on the achievement of students on the academic assessments required by subsection
(b)(2), including the disaggregated results for the subgroups of students
as defined in subsection (c)(2);
(B) information on the acquisition of English proficiency by English learners;
(C) the number and names of each public school in the State—
(i) identified for comprehensive support and improvement under subsection (c)(4)(D)(i); and
(ii) implementing targeted support and improvement plans under subsection (d)(2); and
(D) information on the professional qualifications of teachers in the State, including information on
the number and the percentage of the following teachers:
(i) Inexperienced teachers.
(ii) Teachers teaching with emergency or provisional credentials.
(iii) Teachers who are not teaching in the subject or field for which the teacher is certified or
licensed.
(6) Report to congress.—The Secretary shall transmit annually to the Committee on Education and the Workforce of the House
of Representatives and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and
Pensions of the Senate a report that provides national and State-level
data on the information collected under paragraph (5). Such report shall
be submitted through electronic means only.
(i) Privacy.—
(1) In general.—Information collected or disseminated under this section (including any information collected for
or included in the reports described in subsection (h)) shall be collected
and disseminated in a manner that protects the privacy of individuals
consistent with section 444 of the General Education Provisions Act (20
U.S.C. 1232g, commonly known as the “Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974”) and this Act.
(2) Sufficiency.—The reports described in subsection (h) shall only include data that are sufficient to yield
statistically reliable information.
(3) Disaggregation.—Disaggregation under this section shall not be required if such disaggregation will reveal
personally identifiable information about any student, teacher, principal,
or other school leader, or will provide data that are insufficient to
yield statistically reliable information.
(j) Voluntary Partnerships.—A State retains the right to enter into a voluntary partnership with another State to develop and
implement the challenging State academic standards and assessments
required under this section, except that the Secretary shall not attempt
to influence, incentivize, or coerce State—
(1) adoption of the Common Core State Standards developed under the Common Core State Standards
Initiative or any other academic standards common to a significant number
of States, or assessments tied to such standards; or
(2) participation in such partnerships.
(k) Special Rule With Respect to Bureau-funded Schools.—In determining the assessments to be used by each school operated or funded by the Bureau of Indian
Education receiving funds under this part, the following shall apply until
the requirements of section 8204(c) have been met:
(1) Each such school that is accredited by the State in which it is operating shall use the assessments
and other academic indicators the State has developed and implemented to
meet the requirements of this section, or such other appropriate
assessment and academic indicators as approved by the Secretary of the
Interior.
(2) Each such school that is accredited by a regional accrediting organization (in consultation with
and with the approval of the Secretary of the Interior, and consistent
with assessments and academic indicators adopted by other schools in the
same State or region) shall adopt an appropriate assessment and other
academic indicators that meet the requirements of this section.
(3) Each such school that is accredited by a tribal accrediting agency or tribal division of education
shall use an assessment and other academic indicators developed by such
agency or division, except that the Secretary of the Interior shall ensure
that such assessment and academic indicators meet the requirements of this
section.
(l) Construction.—Nothing in this part shall be construed to prescribe the use of the academic assessments described
in this part for student promotion or graduation purposes.
- Cross-references to the US Code
- 20 U.S.C. 6311
- Public laws referenced
- 93-112