Prior to the passage of the Every Student Success Act (ESSA), the Maine Department of Education had provided a protocol for schoolwide annual review. The recent reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) as amended by ESSA places the schoolwide annual review in transition during 2016-2017 school year.
This means the Department no longer will request districts previously identified to submit a copy of their annual schoolwide review on July 1, 2016 (listed below). In order to ensure an orderly transition from No Child Left Behind (NCLB) to ESSA, districts with schoolwide authority will be required to submit a synopsis of their evaluation within the FY17 NCLB Consolidated Application on the identified Schoolwide page for each school with schoolwide authority.
A Schoolwide Plan is a comprehensive reform strategy designed to improve the entire educational program in a Title I school. Its primary goal is to ensure that all students, particularly those who are low-achieving, demonstrate proficient and advanced levels of achievement of the Maine Learning Results.
A significant component of the Schoolwide application is a comprehensive needs assessment and as such, applications from schools that have not already identified intent to implement a Schoolwide model will not be accepted. Once non-regulatory guidance for school programs under ESSA is received Maine DOE will provide additional guidance.
In summary, the following projected timeline regarding Schoolwide Annual reviews moving forward can be viewed here.
For further information, contact Maine DOE’s ESEA Director – Title I Janette Kirk at janette.kirk@maine.gov or 624-6707.