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<div>May 19, 2016 - In This Issue:</div>
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<td class="TOCLink TOCContent" style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;padding:0px 25px 0px 25px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
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<tbody><tr><td class="TOCLink TOCLinkBorderColor TOCLinkSingle" style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;border-bottom:2px dotted #8c8d8d;border-color:#8c8d8d;padding:7px 0px 7px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div><a class="TOCLink" style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" href="https://mail.aol.com/webmail-std/en-us/suite?ac=f&rt=st&r=502#LETTER.BLOCK12">ESSA in a nutshell</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td class="TOCLink TOCLinkBorderColor TOCLinkSingle" style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;border-bottom:2px dotted #8c8d8d;border-color:#8c8d8d;padding:7px 0px 7px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div><a class="TOCLink" style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" href="https://mail.aol.com/webmail-std/en-us/suite?ac=f&rt=st&r=502#LETTER.BLOCK13">An opportunity for best practices</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td class="TOCLink TOCLinkBorderColor TOCLinkSingle" style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;border-bottom:2px dotted #8c8d8d;border-color:#8c8d8d;padding:7px 0px 7px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div><a class="TOCLink" style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" href="https://mail.aol.com/webmail-std/en-us/suite?ac=f&rt=st&r=502#LETTER.BLOCK14">An expansion of alternative teacher prep?</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td class="TOCLink TOCLinkBorderColor TOCLinkSingle" style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;border-bottom:2px dotted #8c8d8d;border-color:#8c8d8d;padding:7px 0px 7px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div><a class="TOCLink" style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" href="https://mail.aol.com/webmail-std/en-us/suite?ac=f&rt=st&r=502#LETTER.BLOCK15">A boon for English Language Learners</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td class="TOCLink TOCLinkBorderColor TOCLinkSingle" style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;border-bottom:2px dotted #8c8d8d;border-color:#8c8d8d;padding:7px 0px 7px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div><a class="TOCLink" style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" href="https://mail.aol.com/webmail-std/en-us/suite?ac=f&rt=st&r=502#LETTER.BLOCK16">The potential for effective assessments</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td class="TOCLink TOCLinkBorderColor TOCLinkSingle" style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;border-bottom:2px dotted #8c8d8d;border-color:#8c8d8d;padding:7px 0px 7px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div><a class="TOCLink" style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" href="https://mail.aol.com/webmail-std/en-us/suite?ac=f&rt=st&r=502#LETTER.BLOCK17">ESSA's actual effect</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td class="TOCLink TOCLinkBorderColor TOCLinkSingle" style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;border-bottom:2px dotted #8c8d8d;border-color:#8c8d8d;padding:7px 0px 7px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div><a class="TOCLink" style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" href="https://mail.aol.com/webmail-std/en-us/suite?ac=f&rt=st&r=502#LETTER.BLOCK18">Prohibitions</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td class="TOCLink TOCLinkBorderColor TOCLinkSingle" style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;border-bottom:2px dotted #8c8d8d;border-color:#8c8d8d;padding:7px 0px 7px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div><a class="TOCLink" style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" href="https://mail.aol.com/webmail-std/en-us/suite?ac=f&rt=st&r=502#LETTER.BLOCK19">Themes in ESSA coverage</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td class="TOCLink TOCLinkBorderColor TOCLinkSingle" style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;border-bottom:2px dotted #8c8d8d;border-color:#8c8d8d;padding:7px 0px 7px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div><a class="TOCLink" style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" href="https://mail.aol.com/webmail-std/en-us/suite?ac=f&rt=st&r=502#LETTER.BLOCK31">The ESEA devolves</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td class="TOCLink TOCLinkBorderColor TOCLinkSingle" style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;border-bottom:2px dotted #8c8d8d;border-color:#8c8d8d;padding:7px 0px 7px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div><a class="TOCLink" style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" href="https://mail.aol.com/webmail-std/en-us/suite?ac=f&rt=st&r=502#LETTER.BLOCK32">A few recommendations for ED</a></div>
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<div><b>All About ESSA</b></div>
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<a name="LETTER.BLOCK12"></a><table style="display: table;" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK12" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="MainText Content" style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;padding:8px 25px 9px 25px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 14pt; color: #ff6600;"><span><strong>
<div><span>ESSA in a nutshell</span></div>
</strong></span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span>
<div>
<div><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span>The Alliance for Excellent
Education has created a series of concise analyses in both text and
video of several key areas within the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).
In terms of accountability, under ESSA, states must focus resources on
low-performing schools and traditionally underserved students who
consistently demonstrate low academic performance. ESSA supports states
in implementing high-quality assessments through flexibility, funding,
and a new pilot program. Under ESSA, states and districts are
responsible for supporting and improving the quality of low-performing
high schools, and for improving the quality and effectiveness of
teachers, principals, and other school leaders. State exams must include
measures that assess higher-order thinking skills and understanding,
and may be partially delivered in the form of portfolios, projects, or
extended-performance tasks. States are also required to adopt
challenging academic content standards and demonstrate that those
standards align with entrance requirements for credit-bearing course
work in the state's public system of higher education. States must also
adopt relevant state career and technical education (CTE) standards, and
states and districts may use federal Title II funds to support training
and professional development for teachers, principals, and other school
leaders on effective integration of technology into curricula and
instruction. ESSA also includes a competitive grant program to support
professional development around classroom instruction for English
language learners.</span><br>
</span><a style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001q4cMQvtSRAkZZbqMaQis2esin1giuNvF-e8DtiwYF9SUZfgQ3YXme7qDp3PRrxh2kfHI1r_LITSo1jvLhAuf0YlYv2uEfQ-4p7vay83q9Rjx1Z55to3frB6tqbSnHeFPoHixKKN-M1ajLNnPo_NlLhhHNXCTWBmsVBJF4WdYsys=&c=WA5i46kmiEdYTdyYbxkC-9RwnbcpY9xxrRj9KV65o_VodNUPit2rlA==&ch=iPpo_20XHFsWRzYkqFYpSvD_3OFx8PXRg6WlQDYNHlrb9HzuVZX6IQ==">More</a></div>
</div>
</span></div>
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<a name="LETTER.BLOCK13"></a><table style="display: table;" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK13" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="MainText Content" style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;padding:8px 25px 9px 25px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 14pt; color: #ff6600;"><span><strong>An opportunity for best practices</strong></span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span><span>A March
2016 report from the Center for American (CAP) Progress finds that
recent passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act offers a chance to
implement comprehensive, evidence-based school-improvement strategies
similar to those under the Houston Independent School District's Apollo
20 program. Apollo 20 implemented five best practices of high-performing
charters -- data-driven instruction; excellence in teaching and
leadership; a culture of high expectations; frequent and intensive
tutoring; and an extended school day and year -- and saw significant
gains in student scores in Math and English Language Arts. The report
indicates that although ESSA requires districts to implement
evidence-based interventions in underperforming schools, states and
districts have discretion in their approach and wide latitude to develop
school-improvement plans. As examples, the report documents and
analyzes how three districts -- Houston; Denver; and Lawrence,
Massachusetts -- overcame significant obstacles using the Apollo 20
strategies to produce significant student gains; these strategies are
available to all districts. The report also highlights the policy
context and external partnerships that enabled each district's success,
and offers evidenced-based examples of school improvement that states
and districts should consider as they start to implement ESSA.</span> <a style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001q4cMQvtSRAkZZbqMaQis2esin1giuNvF-e8DtiwYF9SUZfgQ3YXme7qDp3PRrxh2B3lFJU3aDNGDM3o_DmwSB6a2F82WB7V8gbYVfXfqsA4gX9_QaEhGaX8VgbUyZNrXacAHwXkIDG-eP1naBYZJehh7ZEyiY5mQhqpk70AjTDN9AOnfEPwX_MhoIivoOwJHF0RgZPZq-cBz_cRZItxCUStcoeYd7rttllxQ2S0_XlA4ZpuOEh1ik6Aw-uKylIEi2XwiOW9D2IJUOTTbtFt4a9Beslce5RlWCl4rojVaA05KXKs5E21t6pr-RArLB0Gv4KCxRb0bDvQ67yjLDdOYQhC-bW1OEfJEb1V8nso1IHHA9KDm0JcBkg==&c=WA5i46kmiEdYTdyYbxkC-9RwnbcpY9xxrRj9KV65o_VodNUPit2rlA==&ch=iPpo_20XHFsWRzYkqFYpSvD_3OFx8PXRg6WlQDYNHlrb9HzuVZX6IQ==">More</a></span></div>
</td></tr></tbody></table><a name="LETTER.BLOCK14"></a><table style="display: table;" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK14" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="MainText Content" style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;padding:8px 25px 9px 25px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 14pt; color: #ff6600;"><span><strong>An expansion of alternative teacher prep?</strong></span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span>The Every
Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) could usher in new ways to prepare teachers
for the classroom, wrote Sarah Garland in December 2015 for The
Hechinger Report. Some ESSA provisions allow states to institute new
degree-granting academies for teachers outside of traditional higher
education systems, and encourage the creation of residency programs in
which teacher recruits are paired with veterans for a year of
in-classroom training alongside coursework. Alternative programs like
these are already popular in certain states, but the new law could spur
even faster expansion -- which could be controversial. "The way the
language is couched, you read it, it sounds so fabulous for prospective
teachers and education generally. And then you stop and think, 'Wait a
minute. We're talking about using money to support teacher preparation
programs that aren't accountable,'" said Pamela Carroll of the
University of Central Florida. But even those concerned about a possible
lowering of standards were heartened by the law's promotion of training
in which new recruits spend significant time overseen by an experienced
teacher in a real classroom. New regulations for teacher-preparation
programs that the Department of Education is set to release could
indicate whether regulations will apply across the board to traditional
programs and alternatives.</span> <a style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001q4cMQvtSRAkZZbqMaQis2esin1giuNvF-e8DtiwYF9SUZfgQ3YXme7qDp3PRrxh2fFoyRMN25G02CwBSsyyWfQ8tsr5uq9ekFTVLQK1GWOYEa9HEOIYoYOTXyAXPB0ygZeBqhOIe9U8GPAuuls4E-29Nlvw0MJ5pDKVzAGo6ntqbXnlXmjGu7C2L79vxarKBuzkup6-psw0LWAofwogHxejT3t6urpEP7n2jKvMN-TW4RwLPSB0IseRjt9aK9PlcHaSJFL09-Tw1syDGV7NTXfIhqSxGwEPA&c=WA5i46kmiEdYTdyYbxkC-9RwnbcpY9xxrRj9KV65o_VodNUPit2rlA==&ch=iPpo_20XHFsWRzYkqFYpSvD_3OFx8PXRg6WlQDYNHlrb9HzuVZX6IQ==">More</a></div>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 14pt; color: #ff6600;"><span style="color: #454545; font-size: 10pt;">
<div style="font-size: 14pt; color: #ff6600;"><span><strong>A boon for English Language Learners</strong></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">
<div><span>The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) could significantly
bolster support for English-language learners (ELL), their families, and
the educators who work with them, wrote Scott Sargrad in January 2016
in U.S. News and World Report. No Child Left Behind took a major step
forward for ELLs by disaggregating achievement data and holding
schools accountable for improving ELL reading and math achievement and
graduation rates under Title I. However, the law treated English
language acquisition for ELLs differently, creating a completely
separate accountability system that only applied to districts and
states, causing confusion. Now, under ESSA, improving English language
proficiency is a required indicator in every state's school
accountability system. Importantly, these changes signal to states that
helping ELLs gain skills for academic success must be a priority. Still,
widespread shortages of teachers of English as a second language
remain, and these teachers often experience poor teacher preparation,
inadequate compensation, and a lack of high-quality professional
development; this must be fixed. Fortunately, under ESSA, the amount
Congress provides for ELL programs could increase to $885 million by
2020. Although actual funding will depend on appropriations, Congress
clearly and finally understands the importance of support for this
growing population of students.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span><a style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001q4cMQvtSRAkZZbqMaQis2esin1giuNvF-e8DtiwYF9SUZfgQ3YXme7qDp3PRrxh28ruPT_Pzp_Z0Vp8MWjIoUf8WIVmVeXa8LtjjCenVlwvjU9kDPw7ushbfQ0LchofP_-9vWpV6525AQNhUhSzBDsdvJPWWDguVqnLpyEGfxve_0arcmNaAlaFxuiaAjKL5F9SiQJJZJsyl_hF8SpAPZVx8cl5urxWKLLXkS-9IB2z72ujSX-K_e-Jo41cW96gofWJuCervuqznheq90iff0hOM7ipYxeiAnSyLdEax1wDs1HbPJ437SzJIwdOaAXj7ZadXpAoNctU=&c=WA5i46kmiEdYTdyYbxkC-9RwnbcpY9xxrRj9KV65o_VodNUPit2rlA==&ch=iPpo_20XHFsWRzYkqFYpSvD_3OFx8PXRg6WlQDYNHlrb9HzuVZX6IQ==">More</a></div>
</span></div>
</span></div>
</td></tr></tbody></table><a name="LETTER.BLOCK16"></a><table style="display: table;" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK16" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="MainText Content" style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;padding:8px 25px 9px 25px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div style="font-size: 14pt; color: #ff6600;"><strong>
<div><span>The potential for effective assessments</span></div>
</strong></div>
<span style="font-size: 10pt; color: #454545;">Under the Every Student
Succeeds Act (ESSA), states could develop stronger testing systems
without the pressure of NCLB's exclusive focus on summative tests,
according to a January 2016 report from the Center for American
Progress. With this changing policy landscape, the report recommends
that system leaders take a holistic look to ensure that students are
tested on what they are learning, and that what students are learning
aligns with state standards. States should also review formative and
interim tests, and make available information about their alignment with
state standards. Moreover, States should show leadership by pushing
testing companies for delivery of test results of two months or less.
States can increase the value of tests for stakeholders by partnering
with institutions of higher education to use state-required high school
exams for college placement. Parents should receive data from all
assessments -- formative, interim, and summative -- along with
individualized resources. Finally, states should celebrate high
performance or significant progress on tests with rewards similar to the
federal Blue Ribbon Schools Program or through public recognition
ceremonies with the governor or state legislators.</span> <a style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001q4cMQvtSRAkZZbqMaQis2esin1giuNvF-e8DtiwYF9SUZfgQ3YXme7qDp3PRrxh2ifamSVE77XvCRxie_LBHupWYkpeL99BafQR1yzCgFYO9lHrq004nZC9HDOzaqziO_qdozlGHLntLdOCTD_A6v8M9fLs5XhsGWud2v6YS8AwCIj16Yo_f6R8WyrHhHoet1BXRC4hBOsJg_UnIWIxzegxXu1J53A9uF87F71dBgC-X8QvZ0wbDDqX5O29ge2z4VFr1k3U7jmIdBkS0ZTRtTrYvWxXMEIHEVtMXD6K91fpsJnnfqiuLfrIDP6RbCCtY&c=WA5i46kmiEdYTdyYbxkC-9RwnbcpY9xxrRj9KV65o_VodNUPit2rlA==&ch=iPpo_20XHFsWRzYkqFYpSvD_3OFx8PXRg6WlQDYNHlrb9HzuVZX6IQ==">More</a></td></tr></tbody></table><a name="LETTER.BLOCK17"></a><table style="display: table;" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK17" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="MainText Content" style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;padding:8px 25px 9px 25px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div style="font-size: 14pt; color: #ff6600;"><span><strong>
<div><span>ESSA's actual effect</span></div>
</strong></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 10pt; color: #454545;">
<div><span>For all the hype surrounding the Every Student Succeeds Act
(ESSA), it seems unlikely to produce many changes actually visible on
the ground, wrote Alia Wong in December 2015 for The Atlantic. Forty-two
states and the District of Columbia already had waivers from No Child
Left Behind (NCLB), so most students nationally were already learning
under a system that had rejected much of NCLB's most onerous provisions.
States with waivers were allowed to set their own goals for raising
achievement, devise their own strategies for turning around struggling
schools, and design their own methods for measuring student progress --
as they can with ESSA. The new law does contain novel elements, however.
ESSA for the first time ever seeks to expand access to preschool by
including $250 million in annual funding for early-childhood education.
It also authorizes funding to scale up evidence-based strategies to
improve student outcomes, and other initiatives that promote innovative
reform. In many ways, what most conservatives seem to celebrate about
ESSA is that it's replacing President Obama's waiver system. It was
through waivers (and the Race to the Top grant program) that the
administration mandated test-score-based teacher evaluations and all but
required participating states to adopt the Common Core. ESSA makes
clear that the federal government can't mandate teacher evaluations or
standards.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span><a style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001q4cMQvtSRAkZZbqMaQis2esin1giuNvF-e8DtiwYF9SUZfgQ3YXme7qDp3PRrxh2CJjhb5MyXT2QrvGqgSz03Y_9swpog3Ij1kJUmpJFAyHKNVfdiaj1tSpxHH7o7RwWiVK589N6Zy3JQcDadfNNFm-HCg7VE-8wPAs1oPHZlSzPRsNZaLw1b63eCL9TwfGB0oHAG-WqOgGVgoTGm1hHzEVjzGeHZ6FX3ocgJl8vyRlgl9LlWrzkCdFzGXFZmN4QpAmnENxxdVqpWl_fLuaDn_Ivrs5mjY5qviG5GOzjLtteoyWmIcy8oQ==&c=WA5i46kmiEdYTdyYbxkC-9RwnbcpY9xxrRj9KV65o_VodNUPit2rlA==&ch=iPpo_20XHFsWRzYkqFYpSvD_3OFx8PXRg6WlQDYNHlrb9HzuVZX6IQ==">More</a></div>
</span></td></tr></tbody></table><a name="LETTER.BLOCK18"></a><table style="display: table;" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK18" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="MainText Content" style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;padding:8px 25px 9px 25px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div style="font-size: 14pt; color: #ff6600;"><span><strong>Prohibitions</strong></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);">The Every Student
Succeeds Act (ESSA), in additon to other measures, contains a laundry
list of prohibitions, wrote Alyson Klein in a January 2016 article in
Education Week. Under ESSA, the U.S. secretary of education cannot
prescribe specific goals for student achievement, long-term or
short-term; tell states exactly how to turn around their
lowest-performing schools or intervene in schools that are struggling;
coerce or provide incentives -- using federal funding or flexibility --
for states to adopt a particular set of standards; specify any aspect or
parameter of evaluations for teachers and school leaders at the state
and district level; use money under ESSA to develop, implement,
administer, or distribute a federally sponsored national test; force
states to use a specific test for accountability; or tell states exactly
how they must factor test participation for accountability purposes.
"We are confident we can work together with states and ensure that
implementation of the new law advances equity and excellence in our
schools," said acting Education Secretary John King. "The key will be to
make sure states use their new flexibility around accountability and
intervention systems in ways that are [focused] on equity and
opportunity for the highest-need students." </span> <a style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001q4cMQvtSRAkZZbqMaQis2esin1giuNvF-e8DtiwYF9SUZfgQ3YXme7qDp3PRrxh2doRE7DcO3AnrlaayehxrO0KUGpPtBtVQDKHUBDqvLLV2JAuA2H0q59AMv1KrtwuCavPaYTrTbP2w3j-6kR5tVA4pJUolo5OdaEXt7wipSalheArqq7FSPshPmd0RqVQeMU47xEkC6fndeOxpLS-puFeRikYQ7Ifpeb3oDRrWUoP-eIoB2tUxQSq0iLlboYq3VzXH9IRq9YZgrRru_7YdGbvmH0r6gWnY&c=WA5i46kmiEdYTdyYbxkC-9RwnbcpY9xxrRj9KV65o_VodNUPit2rlA==&ch=iPpo_20XHFsWRzYkqFYpSvD_3OFx8PXRg6WlQDYNHlrb9HzuVZX6IQ==">More</a></td></tr></tbody></table>
<a name="LETTER.BLOCK19"></a><table style="display: table;" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK19" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="MainText Content" style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;padding:8px 25px 9px 25px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div style="font-size: 14pt; color: #ff6600;"><strong>
<div><span>Themes in ESSA coverage</span></div>
</strong></div>
<span style="font-size: 10pt; color: #454545;">
<div>Five major themes surfaced in media coverage after passage of the
Every Students Succeeds Act (ESSA), wrote Andy Smarick in a January 2016
post on the Flypaper Blog. The prevailing ESSA narrative, he said, is a
dramatically reduced role for the federal government. In this capacity,
many feel that "conservatives scored a smashing educational triumph,"
in the words of Frederick Hess, though some on the Right feel it didn't
go far enough. The law is a perceived blow to Arne Duncan's legacy,
since it marks a clear departure from his priorities -- teacher
evaluation, Common Core, RTTT, and SIG. ESSA is also more conservative
than both the administration's 2010 "blueprint" and the Harkin-Enzi bill
of 2011, leading to a situation where Duncan's tenure will be known for
a law that, as one analyst noted, coincided with "perhaps the sharpest
reversal of federal ambitions since the welfare-reform act of 1996."
Despite this coverage, two groups declared ESSA to be a victory for the
Obama administration: the administration itself, and those who used to
work for it. What all observers agreed is that power and debate now move
to the states: Quickly after passage, New York set about dismantling
what groundwork the administration had laid for reform, and Smarick says
we should anticipate more of this. Exactly how much autonomy states
have is unclear, since like all laws, ESSA has vague language.
"Typically, the executive branch issues regulations to clarify matters,"
Smarick wrote, "but Duncan's too-expansive interpretation of regulatory
authority was a catalyst for the law in the first place." <a style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001q4cMQvtSRAkZZbqMaQis2esin1giuNvF-e8DtiwYF9SUZfgQ3YXme7qDp3PRrxh29Hracyr1QA2kvr6ICMc96MMaLfIgB-4PJrEwY8OPOnV5yU8SAnVcwtrJEivRKdL-Ortiws2RpCc5RVjD0hm3kEskrIHP8L5rXSjDc87dkDESgjS_12510OhTcViA4R-LejCNeHuAaS-dx_c6OqkfIE5yUhBjzFc97EhgvgdA4BM=&c=WA5i46kmiEdYTdyYbxkC-9RwnbcpY9xxrRj9KV65o_VodNUPit2rlA==&ch=iPpo_20XHFsWRzYkqFYpSvD_3OFx8PXRg6WlQDYNHlrb9HzuVZX6IQ==">More</a></div>
</span></td></tr></tbody></table><a name="LETTER.BLOCK31"></a><table style="display: table;" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK31" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="MainText Content" style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;padding:8px 25px 9px 25px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div style="font-size: 14pt; color: #ff6600;"><strong>
<div><span>The ESEA devolves</span></div>
</strong></div>
<span style="font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);">"Although many
groups have lauded the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) because it
abolishes the 'hated No Child Left Behind,' ESSA is less a 'repeal' than
another step in the federal retreat from the classroom," wrote Arnold
Shober in a December 2015 post on the Brookings Institution website.
ESSA grants states and districts -- the very governments the original
authors of the ESEA distrusted in 1965 -- the power to measure,
identify, and remedy academic inequality. The original ESEA of 1965
shared deep suspicion of state and district governments with other civil
rights legislation and litigation of that decade. To reinforce equity,
in 1972 the ESEA required that states and districts spend specific money
on specific students through a host of categorical grants. But by 1994,
politicians in both parties saw federal money had done little to close
gaps in educational opportunity, so the Improving America's Schools Act
required that states define what students learn, and encouraged
participation in the National Assessment of Education Progress, which
they hoped would spur states to do "what works" in the absence of
federal ideas. By 2001, achievement gaps remained, and NCLB's theory of
action stepped even further away from the classroom, with states
reporting on academic performance and certifying that teachers were
highly qualified. With the exception of codified remedies for the lowest
performing schools, NCLB assumed public pressure and the threat of lost
funding would compel school improvement. And now ESSA, in a gesture of
federal humility, Shobe wrote, surrenders the ESEA's central measurement
components to the states and gives up federal pressure on teacher
quality, as well as allows states to use non-academic measures as part
of school scores. Well, Shobe said, states and districts have been
practicing federal policy for years; perhaps they are ready for their
solo performances.</span> <a style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001q4cMQvtSRAkZZbqMaQis2esin1giuNvF-e8DtiwYF9SUZfgQ3YXme7qDp3PRrxh2ZYNgaGblxtWYh2cfmaJtEdQ3tJWTBe_aC-1JJZUAwjhjoeFPQKLLHf7VzIbE-zQEUqT5qhURcm6a0l03jBr3xlCqu1vPvmtRuTVWZTvefp8ijVcCJaHDQJArsikGoyQvcB7ChxPqKy11VBuLk8asgSAN6ed_i1nwDeeb5Dd0Fl9NvJVSzrijdPyCu_pTiRDayRVwrSnAkA8x3xSOLDf0Bbun-LyQ0wJm&c=WA5i46kmiEdYTdyYbxkC-9RwnbcpY9xxrRj9KV65o_VodNUPit2rlA==&ch=iPpo_20XHFsWRzYkqFYpSvD_3OFx8PXRg6WlQDYNHlrb9HzuVZX6IQ==">More</a></td></tr></tbody></table><a name="LETTER.BLOCK32"></a><table style="display: table;" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK32" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="MainText Content" style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;padding:8px 25px 9px 25px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div style="font-size: 14pt; color: #ff6600;"><strong>
<div><span>
<div>A few recommendations for ED</div>
</span></div>
</strong></div>
<span style="font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);">In a January 2016
press release on the Alliance for Excellent Education website, Governor
Bob Wise offered five recommendations for the U.S. Department of
Education with regard to the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). First,
the department should use the Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate to
implement ESSA's requirement to identify and support high schools where
one-third or more students do not graduate. Second, it should not allow
state accountability systems to mask graduation rates and achievement of
traditionally underserved students, such as students of color and/or
students from low-income communities. Third, it should require that
graduation rates carry sufficient weight within state accountability
systems to trigger interventions in high schools that have low
graduation rates. Fourth, it should use funding targeted for school
improvement purposes for high-quality interventions in schools that have
the lowest-performing students and the most promising approaches to
school improvement. Finally, fifth, it should clarify that states have
flexibility to use accountability dashboards, not just indexes, to
provide information about school performance and practices, promote
transparency, support the continuous improvement of all schools, and
allow states to more effectively measure the deeper learning skills and
competencies that students need to succeed in the modern world.</span> <a style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001q4cMQvtSRAkZZbqMaQis2esin1giuNvF-e8DtiwYF9SUZfgQ3YXme7qDp3PRrxh2LiLaRvlAlje0NkBYNjg7pVfz2CsrOIF75mIJcbwgHqF-IYOVGiRg3NQibknc3o4SgYYZS-C8FajysZEQZV3Qb8AHejdR_8EtmFpovis-qByvFs5OALiAaGv2HyAdiw8TTsISMiC9LVkp0BOMP--2nimAyE-oLgLuZoMMCacDR0FIIJVKpB0TBUSLY-WXY_s8f0dsxAW0weGF6pblF9rd_MoWl-MxsHV6xqkriRHJ2PpTpZXwCJ87fNkN83D34_sjciKerYYZVGBfUcuWEYa3HtExtW0BtNwmEEIsbXFK12MMQXD0PDhrfg==&c=WA5i46kmiEdYTdyYbxkC-9RwnbcpY9xxrRj9KV65o_VodNUPit2rlA==&ch=iPpo_20XHFsWRzYkqFYpSvD_3OFx8PXRg6WlQDYNHlrb9HzuVZX6IQ==">More</a></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%">
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