The Latest from VEA

Key Takeaways for VEA Members

• First Review of Waiver Request from the United States Department of Education to Certain Accountability and Reporting Requirements under the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA)

Latest Developments

First Review of Waiver Request from the United States Department of Education to Certain Accountability and Reporting Requirements under the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA)

On March 8, 2021, the United States Department of Education (USED) released a waiver template for states to use to request accountability and reporting waivers for certain requirements under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) for the 2020-2021 school year.  The current allowable waivers described during this Board meeting were slightly different from those included in the previously proposed Addendum and Waiver brought to the Virginia Board of Education for first review during the January 27, 2021, Business Meeting.

A summary of the new waiver requests included in the template is provided below:

Accountability:

• Offers waiver of requirement that states identify additional schools for Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI), Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI), and Additional Targeted Support and Improvement (ATSI) based on 2020-2021 data.
• Offers waiver to the requirement that states measure a school’s progress toward the Measures of Interim Progress and Long Term Goals based on 2020-2021data.
• Offers waiver to the requirement that pass rates used for ESSA pass rates are based on a denominator that represents at least 95% of enrolled students.
• States approved for these waivers must assure USED that:
• Federal identifications of CSI, TSI, and ATSI schools will be maintained from the 2019-2020 school year and receive appropriate supports and interventions as a result.
• Identification of CSI, TSI, and ATSI schools will resume in fall 2022 using data from the 2021-2022 school year.

Transparency and Public Reporting:

• Offers a waiver to the reporting requirements for growth, accreditation ratings, and progress toward Measures of Interim Progress and Long-Term Goals.
• States approved for these waivers must assure USED that:
  • Reports that disaggregate 2020-2021 school year data associated with assessment results, student participation on assessments, chronic absenteeism, federal graduation cohort rate, and Progress of ELs toward English language attainment measured by the ACCESS for ELs^® test will be made publicly available.

To the extent the state or school district already collects such information, reports on student and educator access to technology devices like laptops or tablets and high-speed internet at home will be made publicly available.

Waivers are set to be submitted to USDOE immediately.  VDOE will still have to wait to hear of the acceptance of the waivers.

For a full run-down of the VBOE’s April 2021 Business Meeting – Click Here