Iowa Department of Education seeking public input on Every Student Succeeds Act at scheduled meetings
Iowa Department of Education leaders will hit the road this fall as part of a statewide tour to gather public input as they develop a plan to meet the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).
ESSA, which replaces the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and will be fully implemented starting in the 2017-18 school year, provides a more reasonable balance between the role of states and the federal government in accountability for the success of all children. Under the reauthorized law, the federal government sets expectations, and states determine how schools will reach them.
Nine public input meetings will be held across Iowa from September through November. Each meeting will open with an overview of ESSA and the Department's goals for developing the state plan.
"We all have a stake in the success of our students and schools, and engaging Iowans will be key to successful implementation of ESSA," Iowa Department of Education Director Ryan Wise said. "Our goal is to build a system of accountability and support that drives student achievement and makes sense for Iowa. These public input meetings are one important way the
Department is listening to what Iowans think student success should look like."
The Department is also engaging education stakeholders in following ways:
• Facilitating a state advisory committee representing the K-12 education system and parents. The ESSA Advisory Committee will provide input on pieces of Iowa's ESSA plan.
• Consulting representatives of education associations, state legislators, the higher education community, other state agencies and the business community.
• Incorporating stakeholders' voices into Department-led work teams that are drafting components of the state plan.
State plans must address academic standards, assessments, school and district accountability, and special help for struggling schools. Iowa's state plan will be submitted to the U.S. Department of Education no later than July 2017.
All public input meetings will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Remaining meeting dates and locations are as follows and include the most local meetingt in Elkader:
Tuesday, October 11 - Keystone Area Education Agency, Rooms D2-D3, 1400 2nd Street NW, Elkader;
Thursday, October 20 in Sioux City;
Tuesday, October 25 in Bettendorf;
Wednesday, October 26 in Storm Lake;
Wednesday, November 2 - Grant Wood Area Education Agency, Winter/Spring/Autumn/Revere/Stone conference rooms, 4401 Sixth Street SW, Cedar Rapids;
Monday, November 7 in Ottumwa;
Wednesday, November 9 - Area Education Agency 267, Rooms B/C, 3712 Cedar Heights Drive, Cedar Falls.
For more information on Iowa's plans to meet the Every Student Succeeds Act, visit https://www.educateiowa.gov/pk-12/every-student-succeeds-act.
Iowans also can submit questions and feedback by sending an email to essa@iowa.gov.
