In a letter from the United States Department of Education last week, the Maine Department of Education was notified of the approval of Maine’s consolidated state plan under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).
Signed by President Obama in 2015, ESSA is a bipartisan measure that reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the nation’s national education law and longstanding commitment to equal opportunity for all students. Maine’s ESSA plan provides alternative measures for many of the regulations put into place by No Child Left Behind.
“Maine’s ESSA plan is moving away from compliance and regulation toward a model that supports and assists schools and educators, especially in areas where students are at a disadvantage,” said Maine Department of Education Commissioner, Robert G. Hasson, Jr.
Highlights of Maine’s Plan:
- Creates a three-tiered system of support for schools based on performance, with the highest level of support offering coaching and mentoring to teach effective strategies for school turnaround, in addition to increased funding for staff professional development.
- Plans to reduce the number of non-proficient students in half by 2030.
- Leverages requirements across Federal programs and state statute to implement a single comprehensive needs assessment/SAU Consolidated Plan template to assist and support local school districts in the blending and braiding local, state and federal funds to increase the achievement and growth of students.
- Provides a collaborative cross Department approach to promote and encourage the integration and alignment between state and local initiatives to support local school districts.
The approval letter, other correspondence, and the final consolidated plan can be found on the U.S. Department of Education’s website.
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