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Explore guides, research papers, policy briefs, and tools to aid decisions on standards and assessments.
Major Provisions of Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Related to the Education of English Learners
The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) commissioned the Penn Hill Group to develop this resource that should benefit states as they begin implementation of ESSA. “The purpose of this document is to describe the major provisions of the recently enacted Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) as they affect the education of English learners (ELs), focusing in particular on issues that state educational agencies (SEAs) should be aware of as they begin implementation of the new statute” (p. 1). The paper begins with an overview of the new Act and then provides a detailed analysis of the provisions most relevant to services for ELs.
This is a very accessible and readable introduction to ESSA as it relates to the education of ELs. The paper first lists the major provisions of ESSA in a succinct, bulleted list. Then the remainder of the paper delves into a deeper discussion of ESSA provisions that have the most impact on ELs, such as English language proficiency standards, academic content assessments for ELs, etc. As expected, most of these areas relate to Title I, as the assessment and accountability of ELs has moved from Title III under No Child Left Behind to Title I in ESSA. After a brief summary of these specific provisions, a list of issues and questions for states to reflect upon are provided. Although written for state leaders, any stakeholder interested in ELs under ESSA should read this resource.