For Immediate Release: May 26, 2016

Contact: Renee Rybak Lang, renee.lang@nasbe.org, 703-740-4841

NASBE Issues Statement on Proposed ESSA Accountability Regulations

Washington, DC – Today, the U.S. Department of Education issued proposed regulations to implement the accountability, data reporting, and state plan provisions of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). At a roundtable discussion hosted by the department at J. C. Nalle Elementary School in Washington, DC, this afternoon, Kristen Amundson, executive director of the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) said the department’s proposed regulations will help ensure state flexibility is balanced with the need to implement strong accountability systems under ESSA. She noted the critical role state boards of education will play in developing state accountability plans and their commitment toward ensuring an equitable and excellent education for all students. Her statement appears below.

“Good afternoon. I want to thank to Secretary King for inviting the National Association of State Boards of Education to participate in this roundtable. And thanks to Principal Kim Burke and the students and teachers here at Nalle Elementary School.

When Lyndon Johnson signed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in 1965, he noted that the law represented ‘a major new commitment of the federal government to quality and equality in the schooling that we offer our young people.’

NASBE strongly supported the passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act because we saw it as a continuation of that effort. ESSA’s dual goals of excellence and equity are the foundation of all the work states are doing as they begin to make this new law a reality.  And that is the lens through which we will evaluate the proposed regulations released today.

It’s worth noting that many of the most significant and successful regulations and guidance implemented under No Child Left Behind emerged years after the law’s passage, based on important collective work initiated at the state and local level. We know that states and local districts are continuing that work.

For example, state efforts to develop and adopt a common graduation rate later provided the basis for the graduation rate definition now codified in the Department’s regulations. Similarly, state leadership on growth models led to the establishment of a growth model pilot, which was not envisioned at the time of enactment but later took shape and resulted in significant improvements in state systems of accountability.

Competency-based learning approaches and the integration of English proficiency in accountability systems also didn’t get much attention in the early years of NCLB but are now reflected in federal law and policy. We are confident that similar policy and practice improvements will emerge through state leadership if the Department gives the state and local ESSA implementation process meaningful time to work.

States support strong accountability systems. Setting clear expectations and then measuring progress toward achieving those goals are central to the work that ESSA has assigned to states.

Because state leaders are committed to ensuring that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills required to succeed after graduation, we support the regulatory language that calls on states to set ambitious goals for students. We are glad to see that the regulations generally offer states flexibility in how to achieve that goal.

State board members welcome ESSA’s commitment to providing every student with a rich and well-rounded education, which students at this school are receiving. States are already working to develop indicators that will create a more holistic view of student success.

We strongly support the rules’ emphasis on involving stakeholders in meaningful discussions prior to the creation and adoption of any state plan and were especially happy to see the language in Section 299 that calls out the critical role of state boards of education in developing the state plan.

We know that states need to work with parents and stakeholders to provide better and more accurate information. We are glad that the department offered some flexibility on n size, and will note that we have a paper coming out soon to help states navigate that issue.

There are some places in the proposed regulations where state board members are not in agreement with the Department’s proposals. For example, you will be hearing more from us on the issue of comprehensive summative ratings for each school, as well as on the department’s proposed timelines.

But for the most part, those areas of disagreement are issues that we can take up during the comment period.

We supported Congress’s work to balance the need for state flexibility with the need for strong accountability systems when they passed ESSA. We support the Department’s efforts to bring more specificity to those efforts through these regulations. We will continue to work to reach the goals of quality and equality that have been the foundation of this legislation for fifty years.”

The National Association of State Boards of Education represents America’s state and territorial boards of education. Our principal objectives are to strengthen state leadership in education policymaking, advocate equality of access to educational opportunity, promote excellence in the education of all students, and ensure responsible lay governance of education. Learn more at www.nasbe.org.

###