ESEA Flexibility Renewal Process: FAQs

1. ESEA FLEXIBILITY RENEWAL PROCESS:FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS December 18, 2014

2. ESEA FLEXIBILITY – OVERVIEW Where are we now?

3. renewal requests Relevant documents • ESEA Flexibility Renewal Guidance: http://www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/guid/esea-flexibility/flex-renewal/flexguidrenewal2014.doc • ESEA Flexibility Renewal Form: http://www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/guid/esea-flexibility/flex-renewal/flexrenewalform2014.doc • ESEA Flexibility Renewal Webinar:http://www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/guid/esea-flexibility/resources/index.html • ESEA Flexibility Renewal Frequently Asked Questions: http://www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/guid/esea-flexibility/flex-renewal/flexrenewalfaqs.doc

4. RENEWAL REQUESTS – PROCESS How and when Key Dates (Questions A-2, A-3): • January 30, 2015: Submission deadline for SEA participating in expedited review • March 31, 2015: Submission deadline for any SEA seeking renewal of ESEA flexibility beyond 2014–2015 What to Submit (Question A-4): • Completed Renewal Form • Updated, redlined ESEA Flexibility Request, including cover page, waivers, and assurances replaced with updated versions from the Renewal Form (Questions A-5, A-6)

5. Renewal Requests – process cover page, waivers, assurances • Question A-6 details all of the differences between the waivers and assurances pages an SEA previously submitted and the waivers and assurances pages it will submit with its renewal request • Question A-7 discusses what an SEA must submit in its renewal request in order to receive the waiver of ESEA section 1003(a) that permits an SEA to allocate ESEA section 1003(a) funds to LEAs for other Title I schools • Question A-8 discusses what an SEA must submit in its renewal request in order to receive the “eighth-grade math assessment waiver”

6. RENEWAL REQUESTS – PROCESS (CONT’D) How and when Review Process (Question A-10): • Conducted by ED staff, led by the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, in collaboration with other offices • ED may consult with external experts, as needed Length of renewal (Question A-12): • Generally three years • Up to four years for SEAs eligible for expedited review and for SEAs that conduct a funded evaluation that would benefit from an additional year of implementation • ED may determine, in its discretion, that a shorter renewal, e.g., one year, or denial of renewal is warranted.

7. ESEA FLEXIBILITY – EVALUATION A Voluntary opportunity Overview (Question B-1) • An SEA may apply for funding to evaluate the effects of policies pursued under one or more aspects of its ESEA flexibility request Benefits • Increase understanding of the effects of various strategies • Inform national, state, and local policies and practices • Potentially receive renewal through 2018–2019 (four years) Timing:We encourage an interested SEA to submit its application with its renewal request Additional information: Questions B-2, B-3

8. Consultation and input meaningful solicitation of input With whom must an SEA consult? (Question C-2) • LEAs • Teachers and their representatives • Administrators • Students and parents • Community-based organizations • Civil rights organizations • Organizations representing students with disabilities • Organizations representing English Learners • Business organizations • IHEs • Indian Tribes

9. Consultation and input (cont’d) MEANINGFUL SOLICITATION OF INPUT – EXAMPLES “Meaningfully soliciting input” means ensuring that all LEAs and stakeholders within those LEAs have an opportunity to provide input and feedback. How should an SEA do this? (Question C-3) • Present and disseminate relevant information in a manner that is clear and comprehensible • Use a variety of formats • Stakeholders representative of students attending schools across the State • Multiple methods, e.g., face-to-face meetings, telephone conferences, publication in State register or on SEA website

10. Principle 1: Standards and Assessments

11. Principle 1 in renewal College- and career-ready standards (Question D-1) An SEA must describe how it will continue to ensure that all students graduate high school ready for college or careers. For example, an SEA might describe: • How it has built capacity of administrators and teachers • How it supports students, particularly English Learners and students with disabilities, and their teachers • How it is using data to identify opportunity gaps, determine underlying causes, and drive supports based on need

12. Principle 1 in Renewal College- and career-aligned assessments (Question D-2) • An SEA must ensure that Section 1.C of its ESEA flexibility request accurately reflects the SEA’s plan to administer annual, Statewide, aligned high-quality assessments that measure student growth throughout the period of renewal. • If current request is accurate, no change is required.

13. Principle 2: Differentiated Recognition, Accountability, and Support

14. Principle 2 in renewal CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT (Question E-1) What: An SEA must describe its process for continuous improvement of its systems and processes supporting implementation of its differentiated accountability system. How: An SEA should consider how to use systematic strategies to analyze data and revise approaches to address challenges Examples: • Analyze data to determine if the right schools and students are identified for interventions supports • Analyze data to determine efficacy of interventions and supports • Use data and research to identify evidence-based interventions

15. Principle 2 in renewal Continuous improvement and opportunity gaps (Question E-2) Why focus on opportunity gaps? • Opportunity gaps may contribute to achievement gaps • Interventions and supports may help both close opportunity gaps and improve achievement Examples of opportunity gaps: Gaps in access to … • Advanced coursework, including AP/IB • Full-day preschool and kindergarten • Excellent teachers and leaders • Adequate facilities

16. Principle 2 in renewal Annual measurable objectives (Question E-4) • An SEA need not submit updated AMOs with its renewal request • SEAs have until January 31, 2016 to submit revised AMOs based on new assessments administered in 2014-2015 • ED will issue additional guidance on revising AMOs and other issues related to the transition to new assessments later

17. Principle 2 in renewal School Rating or grading pause (Question E-3)- OPTIONAL What is it? • If an SEA requests and receives the “pause,” schools retain their 2014-2015 rating or grade in 2015-2016 and continue to implement appropriate interventions based on that rating or grade in the 2015-2016 school year What is it not? • A pause of implementing interventions • A pause in reporting requirements

18. Principle 2 in renewal School Rating or grading pause (Question E-3) - OPTIONAL Requirements for the Pause: • New college- and career-aligned assessments in 2014-2015 • Continue to meet ESEA flexibility requirements for identifying reward, priority, and focus schools • Continue to meet ESEA flexibility requirements for reporting performance of all students and subgroups against AMOs • Resume rating or grading schools based on 2015-2016 assessment results

19. Principle 2 in renewal HIGHEST-RATED SCHOOLS– Question E-5 Requirement: An SEA must demonstrate that a school may not receive the highest rating in its differentiated accountability system (e.g., an “A”; five-star rating) if it has significant achievement or graduation rate gaps that are not closing. How can an SEA make this demonstration? • State policy or rule that a school may not receive the highest rating if it has gaps that are not closing • State policy or rule that a school with gaps that are not closing has its grade or rating lowered (e.g., from “A” to “B”) • Data showing that, in fact, schools that receive the highest rating do not have gaps that are not closing • SEA applies reward school definition to identify highest-rated schools

20. Esea flexibility – Principle 2 Priority and Focus School Identification What must an SEA provide with its renewal request? (E-6) • An SEA must provide either: • Its updated lists of priority and focus schools, based on the most recent available data, for implementation in 2015-2016 OR • An assurance that it will provide, no later than January 31, 2016, updated lists of priority and focus schools, based on SY 2014-2015 data, for implementation in 2016-2017. How must an SEA determine the number of priority and focus schools it must identify? (E-14) • Priority Schools: At least 5% of all Title I schools in the State • Focus Schools: At least 10% of all Title I schools in the State

21. Esea flexibility – Principle 2 Priority Schools Which schools comprise an SEA’s second cohort of priority schools? (E-7) • Any previously identified priority school that has not yet met the SEA’s exit criteria. • To reach the requisite number of priority schools (5%), additional schools that meet the definition of “priority school.” Over how many years must a priority school identified in the second cohort implement interventions? (E-8) • It depends on whether the school is newly identified or a previously identified school. • All priority schools must implement interventions for three years. • A school that has implemented interventions for three years, but not met the SEA’s exit criteria, must increase the rigor of its interventions and continue to implement until it meets the SEA’s exit criteria.

22. Esea flexibility – Principle 2 Focus Schools Which schools comprise an SEA’s second cohort of focus schools? (E-9) • Any previously identified focus school that has not yet met the SEA’s exit criteria. • To reach the requisite number of focus schools (10%), additional schools that meet the definition of “focus school.” What must an SEA provide with respect to its process and timeline for ensuring implementation of interventions in all focus schools? (E-13) • An SEA must provide a process, including a timeline, for ensuring that its LEAs implement interventions targeted to a focus school’s reason for its identification as a focus school. • An SEA has discretion to determine what process it will use. • An LEA with a newly identified focus school may use the year immediately following identification for planning, pre-implementation, or piloting of interventions and still be considered to be meeting the required the required timeline for implementing interventions.

23. Esea flexibility – Principle 2 Priority and Focus Schools That have not exited What must an SEA provide with respect to interventions and supports for schools that have NOT yet met the SEA’s exit criteria? (E-10) • An SEA must describe its process for identifying any schools that, after implementing interventions, have not met the SEA’s exit status. • The SEA must describe how it will ensure increased rigor of interventions and supports. • For example: • An SEA may want to consider escalating oversight or monitoring. • An SEA might devise a strategy to better track school implementation progress and identify areas to be improved. When must a school that has not yet exited implement more rigorous interventions and supports? (E-11) • 2015-2016

24. Principle 2 in renewal Other title I schools- (Questions E-15 and E-16) Requirement: An SEA must provide a clear and rigorous process for ensuring that LEAs provide interventions and supports to low-achieving students in other Title I schools when one or more individual ESEA subgroupsmiss AMOs, graduation rate targets, or both over a number of years. • The Department encourages an SEA it provides clear, timely, and reliable subgroup performance data to other Title I schools on an annual basis. • The Department encourages an SEA, as part of its continuous improvement process to include in its updated plan a description of how LEAs and schools will use data and research to identify the most promising interventions.

25. Principle 2 in renewal LEA Accountability (Question E-17) Requirement: An SEA must have a process in place to evaluate the performance of each LEA, determine if the LEA is performing adequately, and, if the LEA is not performing adequately, to hold the LEA accountable for continuously improving its performance. • An SEA has flexibility to determine precisely how it will meet this requirement. • For example, an SEA might use performance against AMOs, AMAOs, and graduation rate targets to drive LEA-level interventions.

26. Help with renewal requests Key contact information • If you have questions, please contact your current ESEA flexibility state lead. • You may also submit questions to ESEAflexibility@ed.gov. • If you do not know who your current ESEA flexibility contact is, please use the e-mail address above to contact the Department.

27. Questions

28. Thank you