The Indiana
Department of Education (IDOE) is taking public comment on the state ESSA plan
until April 30th. If you have
not told them what you would like to have included in the plan, please take a
moment to do so now at: http://www.doe.in.gov/essa/essa-public-comment.
Feel free to
send a copy of your comments to DSI at: lisa@dsindiana.org.
It will help DSI stay on top of the concerns of our families.
Why is ESSA important to you?
This plan
will have a huge impact on your child’s future education. The state is
currently writing the plan. I would encourage you to tell the state what you
want included in the plan at ground level before the first draft is completed.
It is better to have our concerns addressed early on in the process.
Please let the Indiana Department of
Education (IDOE) know that the following items are important to you and you
would like them included in the state ESSA Plan:
1. More time in the general education classroom: Strategies
should be included in the state plan to significantly reduce—
- the percentages of students in certain disability categories, including intellectual disability, who are not being educated in general education classrooms, in spite of decades of research demonstrating the benefits of inclusion for them and their classmates.
- the use of suspension and expulsion, and
2. Increase Universal Design for Learning (UDL): A focus on
implementing Universal Design for Learning should be included in the state plan
to ensure that instruction and assessment are addressing the needs of diverse
learners. UDL is recognized as a best practice in ESSA and the Higher Education
Opportunity Act.
3. Minimum subgroup size
(N-Size): There are national studies recommending 10 or lower as a minimum subgroup
size. Higher numbers undermine disability subgroup accountability. For example,
a national study demonstrated that a state with an N-size of 30 would not count
more than 20% of students with disabilities in most aspects of its
accountability system.
The Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) will be hosting a Virtual Meeting via WebEx on April 24, 2017 from 6:30 to 8:00PM. Their website says details will be coming soon. You may go to this link to register: http://www.doe.in.gov/essa/essa-community-meetings. Check this link frequently because there is limited availability and it will fill up fast.
What is Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)?
The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was signed into law
on December 10, 2015. It reauthorizes the 1965 Elementary and Secondary
Education Act (ESEA), which was previously reauthorized as No Child Left Behind
(NCLB).
The Indiana Department of Education is currently in the
process of determining how the requirements of ESSA will translate into state
education practice: which state practices will evolve as a result of ESSA, and
which will remain the same.
Required State Plan Components
The Every Student Succeeds Act requires all participating
states to submit a state plan for review by the United State Department of
Education. The state ESSA plan must include details regarding the following
required components:
·
Challenging
State Academic Standards
·
Academic
Assessments
·
Statewide
Accountability Systems
·
School
Support and Improvement Activities
The Indiana Plan Development Process
The state of Indiana will be taking public comment on the
plan until April 30th. It will then write the first draft, which
will be available June 30th. The public will have 30 days to comment
on the plan. Indiana has chosen to submit its ESSA plan to the U.S. Department
of Education on September 18, 2017.
More information is available at:
For information on ESSA from the Indiana
Department of Education (IDOE), visit:
To submit written comments, visit:
For a link to the entire ESSA, visit:
National Down Syndrome Congress
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