ExcelinEd Submits Comments to the U.S. Department of Education on ESSA Regulations

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., Aug. 2, 2016 -- The Foundation for Excellence in Education (ExcelinEd) this week submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Education on its proposed accountability regulations implementing the 2015 Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). 

"ExcelinEd commends the efforts of the U.S. Department of Education to clarify some key provisions of the Every Student Succeeds Act," said ExcelinEd CEO Patricia Levesque.

"However, it is imperative that implementation of this law remain consistent with the bipartisan intent of the legislation to provide more authority to states in developing, or preserving, innovative and effective approaches to accountability that can benefit the performance of all students."

Key comments include:

• We support the Department's proposed clarification that state accountability systems must generate a single, summative rating for each school each year, which would provide a clear and powerful signal to parents on the overall quality of a school.
• We support the Department's proposed requirement that states select rigorous, consequences for schools that fail to assess at least 95 percent of their students, which reflects an appropriate balance between state flexibility and federal prescription.
• We call on the Department to limit proposed, burdensome restrictions on how states construct their accountability systems.
• We ask the Department to avoid restrictive school improvement funding allocations that do not recognize the diversity among schools and states.

To read ExcelinEd's comment letter, and for more information on ESSA, visit our library of ESSA resources.

CONTACT: Press Office
         850-391-4090
         [email protected]