Dive Brief:
- The U.S. Department of Education on Thursday unveiled new regulation proposals for the implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act's accountability, data reporting and state plan provisions, initiating a 60-day public comment period ending August 1.
- The rules focus on greater flexibility for states and districts, a more holistic approach to measuring education beyond just math and English, and new data reporting requirements to bolster school accountability.
- Parent engagement is also stressed in the new rules, and the Education Department says that "the proposed regulations ensure that states consult with parents to design state and district report cards so that they provide easily accessible, meaningful, and clear information to families on student progress and school quality."
Dive Insight:
To help educators and school leaders understand the new proposed rules, and how they differ from existing regulations, the Education Department also created a chart detailing how they compare to NCLB. One issue highlighted by the department is the creation of new, streamlined performance report cards for schools and students that are designed to better serve and engage parents. Another is a stronger emphasis on helping struggling schools and students improve.
Upon implementation, the department noted that states will be responsible for defining their own accountability plans by "set[ting] their own ambitious goals and measurements of interim progress, provided those goals take into account the improvement necessary to close achievement and graduation rate gaps." A summary of the regulations was also released in addition to the full 192 pages document.