Did You Know? Your Child’s IEP Case Manager Plays a Vital Role in Your Child’s Success

What is ESSA?

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) is the primary K–12 education law in the U.S. It was enacted in 2015, and it covers every public school in the country.

ESSA replaces the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). ESSA’s stated goal is to “provide all children significant opportunity to receive a fair, equitable, and high-quality education, and to close educational achievement gaps.”

Under ESSA, states have more power to determine what education looks like in their schools, while still following a federal framework.

The plan must include a description of the following:

• Academic standards
• Annual testing
• How schools will be held responsible for student achievement
• Goals for academic achievement
• Plans for supporting and improving struggling schools

States and school districts must also develop report cards to inform the public about how their schools are doing in general, as well as how certain groups of students are faring. One of those groups is kids with disabilities, which includes many kids with learning and attention issues.

States must write a separate plan focused on special education to meet the requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

Source: ESSA Advocacy Toolkit by National Center for Learning Disabilities and Understood.org