ESSA Implementation Toolkit
WHAT IS ESSA? The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was signed by President Obama on December 10, 2015. It reauthorized the 50-year-old Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), creating a long-term, stable federal policy that gives states additional flexibility and encourages innovation, while at the same time holding states accountable for results. The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) was signed into law in 1965 by President Lyndon Baines Johnson, who believed that “full educational opportunity” should be “our first national goal.”
WHAT IS ESSA?
Since the signing of ESSA in December 2015, the Wyoming Department of Education (WDE) has been working to develop Wyoming’s ESSA implementation plan, which will be provided to school districts and be implemented during the 2017-18 school year. While this state plan provides guidance and a useful framework, many aspects of the implementation will vary depending on the needs of each school district. In creating the Wyoming state plan, the WDE held a statewide listening tour to collect the input and feedback from various groups and individuals from around the state.
ARTS OPPORTUNITIES IN ESSA AND WYOMING STATE PLAN: How are the arts specifically included in ESSA and where are their opportunities for the arts within the Wyoming state ESSA plan? Importance of a Well-Rounded Education: “Arts” and “music” are specifically included in ESSA’s definition of a well-rounded education: “Courses, activities, and programming in subjects such as English, reading or language arts, writing, science, technology, engineering, mathematics, foreign languages, civics and government, economics, arts, history, geography, computer science, music, career and technical education, health, physical education, and any other subject, as determined by the State or
The Importance of the Arts Integrated into STEM: November 2015, Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici proposed an amendment which congress unanimously adopted to be included in ESSA. The amendment states: “Integrating other academic subjects, including the arts, into STEM subject programs to increase participation in STEM subjects, improve attainment of skills related to STEM subjects and promote well-rounded education.” In the Wyoming ESSA plan, Title IV, Part B competitive funding priority is given to programs with measurable objectives in STEM and Fine & Performing Arts. Statewide Assessments and Annual Yearly Progress (AYP): Beginning 2017-2018, Wyoming will have a new statewide assessment system with multiple measures— including student equity and postsecondary readiness (college and career readiness indicators). The arts teach many important skills to promote college and career readiness, including: attention to detail, focus, innovation, creative thinking, and problem solving. Wyoming Long Term Graduation Goals: According to the Wyoming State Plan, the long-term goal for graduation rates for all students is to increase the four-year, on-time, adjusted cohort graduation rate to 89% over the next 15 years. The arts can be a tremendous resource in reaching these goals, as evidence suggests that arts-rich schools graduate higher percentages of students. Flexibility of Title I funds to support a well-rounded education: All Title I programs, both school-wide and targeted, are now available to provide supplemental funds for a well-rounded education, including the arts (more information in Title Funding & the Arts section).
ARTS OPPORTUNITIES IN ESSA AND WYOMING STATE PLAN
local educational agency, with the purpose of providing all students access to an enriched curriculum and educational experience.”
TITLE FUNDING AND THE ARTS: How does ESSA effect government Title funding, and where are there opportunities for the arts? Title I: Title I funds, like all federal funds, are meant to supplement, not replace, current funding available for public education. If arts education classes are currently funded in your school by local/state dollars, they should continue to be funded in this way. Title I funding might be appropriately used to support arts education as a strategy to improve student achievement in ELA and/or mathematics at a Title I school if, after conducting a comprehensive needs assessment, the school has identified evidence-based strategies or programs incorporating arts instruction to improve student achievement. Title I & the Arts Video: https://www.title1arts.org/
Title IV 21st Century Schools, Part A: This grant funding is designed to assist with improving academic achievement. The State Education Agency aims to provide all students with access to a well-rounded education (which includes the arts and music), improve school conditions for student learning, and improve the use of technology. This funding allows the Wyoming Department of Education to use up to 4% to provide ongoing professional development and training in a wide variety of subjects related to offering a well-rounded education, and may be an opportunity for professional development in the arts. Title IV, Part B: 21st Century Community Learning Centers: Based on the Wyoming plan, competitive priority is given to programs (after school, before school, and summer programs) that have measurable objectives in 1) STEM; 2) College, Career, and Military Readiness; 3)serving middle and high schools that partner to offer workplace and internship experiences; 4) fine and performing arts, project-based learning, and social emotional learning as part of a well-rounded education framework, and 5) evidence-based family engagement activities. These priorities require that programs intentionally recruit students from the targeted subgroups that include low achieving students, students experiencing homelessness, those in foster care, children with disabilities, and other at-risk youth.
TITLE FUNDING AND THE ARTS
Title II, Part A Schools: Title II, Part A funding supports relevant professional development to improve student achievement and is designed to improve equal access to “effective” teachers (a term replacing “highly qualified”). The state-coordinated professional development activities will be chosen through a statewide needs assessment survey conducted every three years.
TALKING POINTS FOR PARENTS: If I am a parent, what proof can I point to that the arts are enhancing our students’ interest and performance in school? Under ESSA, written family engagement plans are required for Title I school districts and must be developed in collaboration with parents. Districts must establish, implement, and annually review with parents and other stakeholders a policy for engaging families in the school and, through doing so, improve their children’s education. The arts, as an effective strategy to engage families in the school, can be incorporated into these policies
FOR PARENTS
in a variety of ways, including incorporating arts programming in a back-to-school night or other broader parent engagement events, providing updates on arts education activities in parent newsletters, and including attendance at arts events as part of a parent engagement plan evaluation. Districts must provide parents and families of English language learners (ELLs) with information on how they can support their children in learning within the well-rounded education subjects. For example, schools can provide parents with expectations for their children in arts classes, as well as strategies to encourage their children to practice and engage in creative activities at home (Title I, Part A, Subpart 1, Section 1006).
TALKING POINTS/ QUESTIONS FOR TEACHERS: How can I get involved during ESSA Implementation?
FOR TEACHERS
Regarding Title funds: • What are the goals of your Title I program? How is the program currently working (or not)? How can I help support the goals of Title I with my music/art/theatre/ dance program? • Who is serving on the needs assessment committee for Title IV fogr our district? May I participate on that committee and/or provide information on music/ art/theatre/dance education in our schools to that committee? Regarding Long-Term Graduation Rate Goals (89% in next 15 years) • What are the short-term goals we are setting to achieve this long-term goal? How can the arts best support these goals?
TALKING POINTS FOR OUT-OF-SCHOOL/COMMUNITY ARTS PROGRAMS: How can we be involved and what opportunities might ESSA have for community arts education programming? Wyoming Education Partners: Beginning in 2017-18, the Wyoming Department of Education will develop a list of “Wyoming Education Partners� that can provide support aligned to the identified statewide highest priority targets. This may be an opportunity for community arts/arts education organizations and educational partners to get involved in professional development.
FOR OUT-OF-SCHOOL/COMMUNITY ARTS PROGRAMS
ARTS EDUCATION FACTS: Visit ArtsEdSearch.org for more information! Closing the Achievement Gap. Studies find that arts education engages students who are often underserved in public schools – including students from low socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds, ELLs and students with special needs – and that these students do better in arts-rich schools than in schools that do not have robust arts programs. These students also show the greatest relative improvement in academic achievement when participating in the arts, though they are least likely to have access to arts learning. Studies further find that arts integrated instruction offers alternative avenues for students to access information and learn in English language arts (ELA) and mathematics and may be more effective than traditional remedial programs, thus offering a resource in helping to close the achievement gap.
School Climate and Culture. Research demonstrates that artscentered initiatives can improve school climate and culture and connect schools to families and communities. For instance, schools with extensive arts education opportunities have students think more positively about and engage in classroom activities, have better student and teacher attendance, and maintain teacher satisfaction with and engagement in their work. In addition, arts education participation encourages parental and community engagement through attendance at school performances, community events and programs, and opportunities for volunteering.
ARTS EDUCATION FACTS
Access to Arts Education. Research suggests that students in schools with extensive and broad offerings in the arts are not only able to learn the arts – a part of a well-rounded education – but also do better on state and district standardized tests and have more opportunities to achieve and succeed than students in schools lacking robust arts programs. Arts-rich schools graduate higher percentages of students, who in turn are more likely to complete college and be socially active in their communities in adulthood.