Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was signed into law in 2015. Its purpose is to provide high-quality K-12 education to all students in the United States while shifting decision-making authority to the states, rather than the federal government.

ESSA replaced the previous No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) legislation enacted in 2002. While the standardized testing emphasized under NCLB is still a measure of success, other factors are used to evaluate students. ESSA provides additional resources to reduce educational barriers, but its limitations include how the causes of inequities are addressed.

This article discusses the purpose, highlights, and standards of the ESSA. 

Purpose

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) is a law enacted by the United States Congress in 2015. Its purpose is to provide high-quality education to all children in the U.S., better prepare students for life after high school, and address barriers for disadvantaged children.

In achieving this mission, ESSA sought to strengthen state authority and improve the flexibility of how schools can implement plans to achieve these goals.

Goals and Advantages of ESSA

ESSA provides states the opportunity to recognize and help low-performing schools, while engaging parents and local communities. States set high academic challenges. However, they have more flexibility in testing and measuring success with specific goals.

Advance Equity in K-12 Schools

Under ESSA, each state is responsible for identifying and providing solutions for poor-performing schools, students, and subgroups of students. The legislation offers protections designed to advance educational equity for disadvantaged groups and those with higher support needs.

Examples of these subgroups of students include:

• Racial and ethnic minorities
• Children diagnosed with disabilities
• Children who live in poverty
• Those learning English
• Children who are homeless
• Children who live in foster care
• Children of parents who are in the military
  

Require Students Be Taught to High Academic Standards

States are required to set challenging academic standards and be specific about how they will measure those standards. States and school districts must provide state report cards to parents online.

Improve Parent-Teacher Communication

ESSA legislation requires that states listen to input from parents and families when developing their education plans. Other provisions to enhance parent-teacher communication include:

• Establishing a National Center on Improving Literacy and reading issues (including dyslexia) as a resource for parents and teachers
• Requiring that parents be notified if a specific population group or school is struggling to meet standards
  

Encourage Local Input

ESSA provides flexibility in decision-making at a local level, including how and when to give standardized tests.

While ESSA still requires standardized testing, schools, teachers, and students are not evaluated on tests alone. Evaluation includes four academic factors and at least one school quality measurement.

Increase School Funding

Increased funding provides resources that help high-risk students meet academic standards. This includes activities, programs, or courses to create a well-rounded education.

A few examples of where schools can use funds can include:

• School psychological services
• School safety 
• Parental engagement
• Music or art courses
• After-school or summer programs
• Physical education

Emphasize Accountability

ESSA ensures that states set high academic standards for all schools and students. Like the NCLB, the ESSA requires yearly standardized testing for reading and math for children in third to eighth grade. It also involves testing in science at least three times before graduation.

ESSA allows for flexibility regarding the types and timing of the tests. Schools can decide to test once a year or several times throughout the year. Test scores may still be a factor, but ESSA encourages states to measure success in additional ways.

Beyond testing, examples of other assessment factors include:

• Graduation rates
• English-language proficiency tests
• Advanced coursework
• Progress
• Absenteeism
• College readiness
• School culture

Each state is responsible for identifying and providing solutions for poor-performing schools, students, and subgroups of students. The standards also apply to teacher training, curriculum, and instructor materials.

Academic standards define what each student should learn for each grade. States can still use common core standards if that works best for them. However, the federal government does not encourage states to use this measurement.

Limitations and Drawbacks of ESSA

ESSA generally is considered an improvement over the No Child Left Behind Act it replaced. ESSA gives states more flexibility, provides more program funding, and broadens assessment with less emphasis on standardized test scores. There is also a view to its shortcomings, though.

Success Measured by Unreliable Testing

Standardized tests are still important under ESSA but some experts raise questions about how states are deciding which tests to use, the design of those tests, how they are administered, and other factors.

There are calls for rigorous oversight to ensure test data is accurate and reliable.

Doesn’t Address Causes of Inequality

Many civil rights and education equity activists have expressed concern that ESSA, with its flexibility for local control and implementation, will further disadvantage those already in underserved schools. That’s despite the fact that it encourages states to target assistance more effectively.

Some studies find continued racial and socioeconomic inequities under ESSA.

Adequate Yearly Progress No Longer Considered

Prior to ESSA, a measure called Adequate Yearly Progress was used to identify targets for improvement. If students failed to meet the proficiency standard, there could be consequences (like firing staff) and other federal penalties at the affected schools.

There are no such penalties under ESSA, with additional resources instead for struggling schools. There are concerns over how a perceived lack of accountability could be abused.

Doesn’t Address School Closings

There are ongoing concerns about what happens to at-risk students when schools close in a community. Often, under ESSA, charter schools are proposed as a remedy when traditional public schools face closure.

Yet some studies find that charter schools are no solution, either. Research from Stanford University found a rate of 3.2% for closure of traditional district schools, compared with an even higher 5.5% rate for charters.

Adjustments to ESSA

The COVID-19 pandemic required significant changes in education and how schools were to meet their goals under ESSA. By 2024, more than $189 billion in federal funding had been made available to K-12 schools to recover from the pandemic and develop plans for moving forward.

Waivers, for example, were issued when schools found they’d be unable to administer tests in accordance with ESSA timelines and guidelines. Lost instruction time changed a range of factors (like reporting data), while resource allocation was geared toward communities heavily impacted by the pandemic.

Summary 

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) is the education law that replaced the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) in 2015. The ESSA’s purpose is to provide high-quality education to all students. It shifts decision-making from a federal to a state level, giving states more flexibility.

While states set high academic standards for all students, they have more say about measuring and testing. One of the act’s goals is faster recognition and use of resources for students, subgroups, or schools who are falling behind, but ESSA has not been without its challenges.

If you are a parent or caregiver, you may have questions about what ESSA means for you, your family, and the community. One of the most positive aspects of ESSA is that it requires states to get input from parents and families as they create state plans and work on improvement. If you want to be more involved, reach out to your school district or state education department to learn more.