Illinois’ plan under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was submitted to the federal government for review. The plan, which was adopted by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) a few weeks ago, includes plans to close opportunity and achievement gaps.
Importantly, it ensures the state’s accountability plan will be inclusive, transparent, and informative to parents. Some of the changes included:
- Weighting growth more than proficiency so we can reward schools for how much students are learning, not what they knew before starting.
- Counting students from historically underserved subgroups, demonstrating our state’s commitment to educating all students.
- New school ratings that are simple and easy to understand for parents so they know how their children’s schools are doing.
The U.S. Department of Education now has 120 days to review the state’s ESSA plan for approval or to provide feedback.
