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FY 16-17: Agency Priority Goal
Support implementation of college- and career-ready standards and assessments
Priority Goal
Goal Overview
GOAL OVERVIEW
The adoption of college- and career-ready standards is the foundation to ensuring every student graduates from high school with meaningful opportunities to be successful. The reauthorized Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), maintains the requirement that States develop and implement challenging academic content standards in reading/language arts, mathematics, and science. In the past, those standards did not always reflect the knowledge and skills needed for success after high school, either in further education or in a job. Additionally, college- and career-ready standards must be coupled with high-quality aligned assessments to measure the extent to which students are mastering the standards. High-quality, annual Statewide assessments are essential to providing critical information about student achievement and growth to parents, teachers, principals, and administrators at all levels. When the assessment system is aligned with the academic content and achievement standards that a State expects all children to know and be able to do, it provides the roadmap for aligning instruction to meet the academic needs of students. High-quality, annual, Statewide assessments provide information on all students so that educators can improve educational outcomes, close achievement gaps among subgroups of historically underserved students, increase equity, and improve instruction.
Through the Race to the Top- Assessment (RTTA) program, ESEA flexibility, the Enhanced Assessment Grant program, formula funds to all States for developing and administering Statewide assessments, and other federal programs, the Department of Education (ED) has provided and continues to provide significant resources to support States in implementing college- and career-ready standards and aligned high-quality assessments for all students, including English Learners, students with disabilities, economically disadvantaged and low-achieving students. The RTTA consortia and the two consortia that have developed alternate assessments based on alternate achievement standards for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities completed the field testing of their assessments during the 2013-2014 school year and successfully implemented the first full administration in spring 2015. 28 States, DC, and the US Virgin Islands (USVI) participated in the Partnerships for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) or Smarter Balanced - the two RTTA consortia- first operational administration in spring 2015. 22 of those states, DC, and the USVI administered PARCC or Smarter Balanced in spring 2016.
As States and districts transition to the ESSA, ED will continue working to support States with the implementation of their college- and career-ready standards and aligned assessments for all students, including English Learners, students with disabilities, economically disadvantaged and low-achieving students to ensure that all students are prepared for post-secondary success.
KEY BARRIERS AND CHALLENGES
A challenge facing ED over the next two years relates to the changes States may make to their currently adopted college- and career-ready standards and their aligned assessments, as a result of internal pushback due to concerns about overtesting, technological challenges or political challenges. In many cases, these barriers and challenges may prohibit a State from transitioning to or keeping a high-quality assessment.
Additionally, ED is working to support States with the implementation of their college- and career-ready standards and aligned assessments for all students, including English Learners, students with disabilities, economically disadvantaged and low-achieving students to ensure that all students are prepared for post-secondary success.
EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS
ED has and continues to seek input from a wide variety of stakeholders in the early stages of implementation of the new ESSA. On December 22, 2015, the Department published in the Federal Register a Request for Information, seeking advice and recommendations regarding topics under Title I of the ESEA where regulations would be beneficial. ED has also held over 200 meetings with a wide variety of stakeholders to ask for advice on regulations, guidance, or technical assistance that will be necessary to ensure successful transition to and implementation of the new law, including the standards and assessments provisions. In January 2016, the Department announced its intention to undertake a negotiated rulemaking process to regulate on provisions related to Statewide assessments under Title I of the ESSA and issued a call for negotiators, In March and April 2016, a committee representing a wide variety of stakeholders, including Federal administrators, State administrators, district administrators, teachers, principals, other schools leaders, paraprofessionals, civil rights organizations and the business community, assembled to draft such regulations. The committee reached consensus on the proposed regulations, and the Department published those draft regulations as part of a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on July 11, 2016. Hundreds of commenters commented through the public comment period on the proposed regulations, which ended on September 9, 2016. ED is currently reviewing comments before releasing a final regulation this year.
Strategies
IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY
ED’s primary vehicle for increasing the implementation of high quality college- and career-ready assessments has been through ESEA flexibility. ED has used the approval, extension, renewal and monitoring processes to ensure that States move forward in using high-quality assessments. Going forward, under the ESSA, States will be required to implement “challenging” standards that prepare all students for entry-level courses in higher education, as well as aligned assessments. While ED will not review or approve specific State standards, all States will be required to have (and to demonstrate through ED’s peer review process of State assessment systems) college- and career-ready content standards and high quality, aligned assessments.
ED has used monitoring to track State implementation against their approved ESEA flexibility plans and to identify areas where technical assistance is needed. ED’s Office of State Support (OSS) is developing and piloting a revised monitoring approach in FY2016 during the transition to ESSA that builds on the partnerships created with States during the initial ESEA flexibility approval process. ED also released renewal guidance in fall 2014 requiring States to continue to meet commitments to implement college- and career-ready standards and aligned assessments for all students in order to maintain ESEA flexibility. ED then leveraged the ESEA flexibility renewal process in summer and fall 2015 to support full adoption and implementation of college- and career-ready standards, with high-quality, aligned, valid, and reliable assessments. As of November 2015, ED had approved ESEA flexibility requests from all 41 states, DC, and Puerto Rico that applied for renewal.
ESEA flexibility waivers expired on August 1, 2016. To facilitate an orderly transition to the new ESSA, ED has issued transition guidance explaining the timeline on which the new ESSA requirements will come into effect. In general, FY2016 formula funds will be awarded and administered in accordance with the ESEA as in effect on the day before the date of enactment of the ESSA (i.e. , the requirements promulgated under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB)) for the 2016-2017 school year); full implementation of ESSA will begin starting in the 2017-18 school year.
In January 2016, the Department announced its intention to undertake a negotiated rulemaking process to regulate on provisions related to Statewide assessments under Title I of the ESSA and issued a call for negotiators, In March and April 2016, a committee representing a wide variety of stakeholders, including Federal administrators, State administrators, district administrators, teachers, principals, other schools leaders, paraprofessionals, civil rights organizations and the business community, assembled to draft such regulations. The committee reached consensus on the proposed regulations, and the Department published those draft regulations as part of a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on July 11, 2016. Among other provisions, the proposed regulations include language to support States in implementing new flexibility in the ESEA, as amended by the ESSA, including by allowing: (1) students taking advanced mathematics courses in eighth grade in States that offer end-of-course tests in high school mathematics to avoid unnecessary, redundant testing by allowing those students to take the assessment typically administered to high school students enrolled in their course, and (2) States to permit a district to use a single, locally-selected, nationally recognized high school assessment across the district in place of the Statewide high school assessment so long as such an assessment is administered in multiple States, recognized by institutions of higher education for the purposes of entrance or placement into courses in postsecondary education or training programs, and provides all students – including English learners and students with disabilities – with the same opportunities. In addition, the proposed regulations include a requirement that the State’s assessment system be fully aligned to the State’s academic content standards and measure the whether the student is ready for college or the workforce. The public comment period on the proposed regulations ended on September 9, 2016 and ED is currently reviewing comments before releasing a final regulation this year.
Additionally, in September 2015, ED disseminated revised criteria, procedures, and guidance for ED’s peer review of State assessment systems under Title I of the ESEA. ED has worked with the Council on Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) to provide technical assistance to States in advance of the peer review submissions by States. ED anticipated holding two windows for peer review in spring 2016, but given the transition to the ESSA, delayed these windows until late spring and summer 2016. External peer reviewers examined evidence submitted on behalf of 38 states, and ED anticipates beginning to provide feedback based on peer reviewers’ feedback to these states in the coming weeks.
ED will also continue to use the OSEP Results Driven Accountability (RDA) framework and State Systemic Improvement Plan (SSIP) development process to help States increase their focus on college- and career-readiness for students with disabilities and closing achievement gaps between students with disabilities and their non-disabled peers. By collaborating across OSEP, OESE, and other offices on RDA and SSIP, ED will help States similarly coordinate across offices in their agencies.
The Department’s 2017 budget request includes a $25 million increase for the reauthorized State Assessments program, which would further support this work.
EXTERNAL FACTORS THAT ED CAN AND CANNOT INFLUENCE
External factors that ED can influence:
•State capacity for successful implementation by the State and districts
•State actions taken to implement college- and career-ready standards and aligned assessments under the ESSA
•Ability (both perception and capacity) for ED to actively support implementation work
•Engagement of institutions of higher education
•Engagement of national civil rights organizations
•Success or lack of success of early-implementing States and whether these States provide good examples for others
External factors that ED cannot influence:
•Changes in State approaches to education reform
•Changes in State-level leadership and staff
•Congressional, State legislative, and gubernatorial action regarding college- and career-ready standards and assessments, as well as reactions to the new ESSA
Progress Update
- In October, 2015, ED, in conjunction with the White House, released President Obama’s Testing Action Plan, which included a set of principles for fewer and smarter assessments, and a list of actions the Administration will take to reduce over-testing. ED released the 6-month report of the President’s Testing Action Plan (available at: http://www2.ed.gov/admins/lead/account/tap6monthsrpt4182016.pdf) on April 15, 2016.
- On December 20, 2015, President Obama signed the Every Student Succeeds Act into law, which requires – for the first time – that all students in America be taught to high academic standards that will prepare them to succeed in college and careers. It also ensures that vital information is provided to educators, families, students, and communities through annual Statewide assessments that measure students’ progress toward those high standards.
- ED announced its intention to regulate on State assessments under the ESSA in January 2016 and began the first formal negotiation session at the end of Q2. Negotiations were completed during Q3 and the committee, which represented a broad array of stakeholders including State and local administrators, teachers, principals and other school leaders, parents, civil rights organizations, tribal leaders and the business community, reached consensus on draft regulatory language. These regulations will help support States in implementing rigorous college- and career-ready assessments that are valid, reliable, and fair, as well as aligned to college- and career-ready standards, and will provide States direction as they implement new flexibilities and requirements in the law. For example, the statute allows States to provide LEAs with flexibility to implement a locally selected, nationally recognized assessment for high school students, so long as that assessment meets a set of technical criteria and is approved by the State. The consensus-based regulatory language includes requirements to ensure that locally selected, nationally recognized high school academic assessments are used by at least some institutions of higher education for entry or placement, and that these assessments go through ED’s assessment peer review process for approval. At the beginning of Q3, the Department issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that included the consensus-based regulatory language. See https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2016/07/11/2016-16124/title-i-improving-the-academic-achievement-of-the-disadvantaged-academic-assessments?utm_content=header&utm_medium=slideshow&utm_source=homepage for the NPRM. The public comment period for these proposed regulations closed on September 9, 2016, and ED is currently reviewing comments and preparing a Notice of Final Rulemaking for release by the end of the year.
- Additionally, ED released a second NPRM to support states in implementing a new innovative demonstration authority under Title I, part B of the ESSA, that will allow up to 7 states to pilot new approaches to statewide assessment systems before scaling such assessments statewide. See:https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2016/07/11/2016-16125/elementary-and-secondary-education-act-of-1965-as-amended-by-the-every-student-succeeds?utm_content=header&utm_medium=slideshow&utm_source=homepage. The public comment period for these proposed regulations closed on September 9, 2016, and ED is currently reviewing comments and preparing a Notice of Final Rulemaking for release by the end of the year.
- The Enhanced Assessment Grants (EAG) program provides competitive grant awards to State educational agencies (SEAs) and consortia of SEAs to help them enhance the quality of their assessment instruments and assessment systems. ED released a notice of final priorities and a Notice Inviting Applications for the EAG program in Q3 (See: https://federalregister.gov/a/2016-18532). ED anticipates announcing grantees under the EAG program in Q1 of FY 2017.
- In Q3, ED began conducting peer reviews of 38 State assessment systems to determine whether they meet the requirements of Title I of the ESEA. Among other criteria, this peer review evaluated the alignment of State assessment systems with college- and career-ready standards. This process, which is iterative and is based on documentation from the States confirming the quality of their assessment systems, will be ongoing, and ED anticipates providing States with feedback, based on the peers’ review, later this year.
Next Steps
NEXT STEPS
ED is taking steps to develop and target technical assistance activities that will, in part, increase State capacity to leverage resources and continue to identify promising practices across multiple States. First, ED will continue to provide assistance to States in understanding the recently released Title I assessment peer review guidance, which articulates the requirements for a high-quality assessment system to help support State assessment development; ED is providing technical assistance to States on this new guidance and will provide States with determinations and peer feedback in FY 2017.
Second, ED continues to solicit input from the field – through stakeholder meetings and listening sessions– on the technical assistance and guidance that are most needed to help States and districts successfully transition to ESSA, including its provisions related to standards and assessments, and will continue to develop plans to support States and districts on identified priorities. ED will also continue to implement its monitoring processes for OSS programs to provide feedback on State implementation of college- and career-ready standards and high quality aligned assessments. ED will ensure that where monitoring has identified challenges in implementation, States address these challenges.
Third, ED will develop and publish a Notice of Final Rulemaking related to the requirements for assessment systems in Title I, Part A of the ESSA (based on the consensus draft language agreed to by the members of the negotiated rulemaking committee and comments received through the public comment period) and the requirements for States interested in developing innovative assessment demonstration projects, authorized under Title I, Part B of the ESSA.
Fourth, ED is working internally to coordinate the provision of technical assistance across OESE, the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), and other related offices and programs. ED also funds a Center on Standards and Assessments Implementation (part of the ESEA Comprehensive Centers program) that helps build the capacity of State educational agencies to implement college- and career-ready standards.
Finally, as described in the President’s Testing Action Plan, ED will continue to support States efforts to eliminate duplicative local or State assessments and continue to develop new and innovative approaches to using assessments effectively to support and inform classroom instruction by continuing to highlight and discuss the President’s Testing Action Plan and related resources.
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Performance Indicators
Increase the number of states/territories that are implementing next-generation reading and mathematics assessments, aligned with college- and career-ready standards
Contributing Programs & Other Factors
CONTRIBUTING PROGRAMS
- Title I Grants to Local Educational Agencies (ESEA Title I, Part A)
- State Assessments
- Special Education Grants to States
For additional programs see Appendix D of the Department’s FY2015 Annual Performance Report and FY2017 Annual Performance Plan, available here: http://www2.ed.gov/about/reports/annual/2017plan/2015-2017-apr-app.pdf
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Strategic Goals
Strategic Goal:
Elementary and Secondary Education
Statement:
Improve the elementary and secondary education system’s ability to consistently deliver excellent instruction aligned with rigorous academic standards while providing effective support services to close achievement and opportunity gaps, and ensure all students graduate high school college- and career-ready.
Strategic Objectives
Statement:
Support implementation of internationally benchmarked college- and career-ready standards, with aligned, valid, and reliable assessments.
Description:
Statement:
Improve the preparation, recruitment, retention, development, support, evaluation, recognition, and equitable distribution of effective teachers and leaders.[1]
[1] States with approved ESEA Flexibility requests were initially required to implement teacher and principal evaluation and support systems by 2014–15 or 2015–16, depending on the school year of initial approval. Through ESEA Flexibility renewal in fall 2014, the Department committed to working with states that need to make adjustments to implementation timelines or sequencing through the ESEA Flexibility renewal process.
Description:
Statement:
Increase the success, safety, and health of students, particularly in high-need schools, and deepen family and community engagement.
Description:
Statement:
Accelerate achievement by supporting states and districts in turning around and closing achievement gaps in low-performing schools, and developing models of next generation high schools.
Description:
Statement:
Increase the number and quality of STEM teachers and increase opportunities for students to access rich STEM learning experiences.
Description:
Agency Priority Goals
Statement:
By September 30, 2015, at least 37 States will have fully implemented teacher and principal evaluation and support systems that consider multiple measures of effectiveness, with student growth as a significant factor.
Description:
GOAL OVERVIEW
The goal is based on the premise, supported by abundant research, that teachers are the single most critical in-school factor in improving student achievement. Principals are often cited as the second most influential in-school factor. Teacher and principal evaluation and support systems supported by the Department of Education's (ED) contributing programs enable the development and identification of effective educators and provide needed information to improve the educator workforce. Teachers and principals often lack meaningful evaluation, feedback, and support for professional growth. Indeed, teachers are often dissatisfied with their preparation programs and their opportunities for professional development and advancement. Too often, effective teachers and leaders are not recognized, rewarded, or asked to share their expertise with colleagues. Most teacher compensation systems do not recognize effectiveness or provide incentives to teach in challenging schools or shortage areas. And race and family income too often predict a child’s access to excellent educators. In light of the importance of teachers and school leadership for student success, the nation has to do more to ensure that every student has an effective teacher, every school has an effective leader, and every teacher and leader has access to the preparation, on-going support, recognition, and collaboration opportunities he or she needs to succeed. ED will help strengthen the profession by focusing on meaningful feedback, support, and incentives at every stage of a career, based on fair evaluation and support systems that look at multiple measures, including, in significant part, growth in student learning. ED will support state and district efforts that provide time for teacher collaboration, personalized on-the-job learning opportunities, and professional advancement. Targets are based on state implementation timelines provided through original Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) flexibility requests. These timelines indicated that 37 states expected to implement the systems by September 30, 2015. “Fully implemented” is defined as the school year in which teachers and principals receive effectiveness ratings. However, as states and districts are moving forward, they are also encountering challenges with implementation of these systems, and are making adjustments to timelines, sequencing, and implementation steps that may not follow their original plans but will ultimately result in high-quality teacher and principal evaluation and support systems.
KEY BARRIERS AND CHALLENGES
ED will support states in the development and adoption of state requirements for comprehensive teacher and principal evaluation and support systems and in district development and implementation of comprehensive educator evaluation and support systems. Providing additional support to teachers and principals, as well as educator evaluators regarding these new evaluation and support systems is necessary so they are able, for example, to use and develop learning objectives to measure growth in student learning and to implement new classroom observation tools. However, providing this level of support is also resource-intense at both the state educational agency (SEA) and local educational agency (LEA) level. Additional challenges center on maintaining momentum for reform, given districts’ and states’ current political situations, potential changes in leadership, ongoing development of valid and reliable measures of growth in student learning in non-tested grades and subjects, and the scaling up of systems in a relatively short time frame.
EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS
Engagement of external stakeholders is regular and ongoing. Program staff have regular contact with SEA staff through monitoring, technical assistance, and other outreach. Policy and program staff regularly hold calls and travel to the Hill to brief member and committee staff. ED has also engaged with and provided briefings for key external educational organizations, including the Council of Chief State School Officers, the National Governors Association, National Education Association, and American Federation of Teachers. Ongoing outreach further involves a wide range of professional and content organizations, national community-based organizations, and foundations.
Statement:
By September 30, 2015, at least 50 states/territories[1] will be implementing next-generation assessments, aligned with college- and career-ready standards.
[1] In addition to the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and other territories are candidates for implementing these assessments.
Description:
GOAL OVERVIEW
The adoption of college- and career-ready standards is the foundation to improving educational outcomes for all students and a fundamental step toward meeting the President’s goal of once again having the highest proportion of college graduates in the world by 2020. The college- and career-ready standards must be coupled with high-quality aligned assessments to measure the extent to which students are mastering the standards.
KEY BARRIERS AND CHALLENGES
A key challenge facing the Department of Education (ED) over the next two years relates to the changes States may make to their currently adopted college- and career-ready standards due to changes from state leadership or the state legislature. Another key challenge is supporting states with the implementation of their college- and career-ready aligned assessments for all students, including English Learners, students with disabilities, economically disadvantaged and low-achieving students to ensure that all students are prepared for post-secondary success.
ED is taking steps to address these challenges by developing and targeting technical assistance activities that will, in part, increase state capacity to leverage limited resources and continue to identify promising practices across multiple states. First, ED has released its Title I assessment peer review guidance, which highlights the requirements for a high-quality assessment to help support state assessment development; in FY 2016, ED will begin conducting peer review of state assessment systems, providing examples of promising and best practices in the field. ED will build also library of resources to assist SEAs in full and effective transition to college- and career-ready standards, leveraging work that has occurred during Race to the Top with other partner organizations such as Achieve, Student Achievement Partners, PTA, and others. In addition, ED is working internally to coordinate the provision of technical assistance across OESE, the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), and other related offices and programs. ED also funds a Center on Standards and Assessments Implementation (part of the ESEA Comprehensive Centers program) that helps build the capacity of State educational agencies to implement college- and career-ready standards.
ED is taking steps to address these challenges by developing and targeting technical assistance activities that will, in part, increase state capacity to leverage limited resources and continue to identify promising practices across multiple states. First, ED has released its Title I assessment peer review guidance, which highlights the requirements for a high-quality assessment to help support state assessment development; in FY 2016, ED will begin conducting peer review of state assessment systems, providing examples of promising and best practices in the field. ED will build also library of resources to assist SEAs in full and effective transition to college- and career-ready standards, leveraging work that has occurred during Race to the Top with other partner organizations such as Achieve, Student Achievement Partners, PTA, and others. In addition, ED is working internally to coordinate the provision of technical assistance across OESE, the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), and other related offices and programs. ED also funds a Center on Standards and Assessments Implementation (part of the ESEA Comprehensive Centers program) that helps build the capacity of State educational agencies to implement college- and career-ready standards
Finally, ED is working with states to provide communication support and technical assistance to help states and LEAs reduce redundant and unaligned local assessments, as well as to help states develop a process and strategy to share state assessment results from 2014-2015 as scores are likely to drop due to increased rigor of the assessments. Among other activities, this includes assisting states in resetting baselines and annual goals related to student performance.
EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS
ED consistently engaged with Congress, advocacy organizations, education organizations, State educational agencies and other external stakeholders regarding Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) flexibility, including state plans for transitioning to and implementing college- and career-ready standards. ED has met with stakeholders to provide information on state plans, as well as to enlist external support and technical assistance for states and districts as they move forward with implementing the new standards.
Strategic Objectives
Strategic Objective:
Statement:
Support implementation of internationally benchmarked college- and career-ready standards, with aligned, valid, and reliable assessments.
Description:
Agency Priority Goals
Statement: By September 30, 2015, at least 50 states/territories[1] will be implementing next-generation assessments, aligned with college- and career-ready standards. [1] In addition to the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and other territories are candidates for implementing these assessments.
Description: GOAL OVERVIEW The adoption of college- and career-ready standards is the foundation to improving educational outcomes for all students and a fundamental step toward meeting the President’s goal of once again having the highest proportion of college graduates in the world by 2020. The college- and career-ready standards must be coupled with high-quality aligned assessments to measure the extent to which students are mastering the standards. KEY BARRIERS AND CHALLENGES A key challenge facing the Department of Education (ED) over the next two years relates to the changes States may make to their currently adopted college- and career-ready standards due to changes from state leadership or the state legislature. Another key challenge is supporting states with the implementation of their college- and career-ready aligned assessments for all students, including English Learners, students with disabilities, economically disadvantaged and low-achieving students to ensure that all students are prepared for post-secondary success. ED is taking steps to address these challenges by developing and targeting technical assistance activities that will, in part, increase state capacity to leverage limited resources and continue to identify promising practices across multiple states. First, ED has released its Title I assessment peer review guidance, which highlights the requirements for a high-quality assessment to help support state assessment development; in FY 2016, ED will begin conducting peer review of state assessment systems, providing examples of promising and best practices in the field. ED will build also library of resources to assist SEAs in full and effective transition to college- and career-ready standards, leveraging work that has occurred during Race to the Top with other partner organizations such as Achieve, Student Achievement Partners, PTA, and others. In addition, ED is working internally to coordinate the provision of technical assistance across OESE, the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), and other related offices and programs. ED also funds a Center on Standards and Assessments Implementation (part of the ESEA Comprehensive Centers program) that helps build the capacity of State educational agencies to implement college- and career-ready standards. ED is taking steps to address these challenges by developing and targeting technical assistance activities that will, in part, increase state capacity to leverage limited resources and continue to identify promising practices across multiple states. First, ED has released its Title I assessment peer review guidance, which highlights the requirements for a high-quality assessment to help support state assessment development; in FY 2016, ED will begin conducting peer review of state assessment systems, providing examples of promising and best practices in the field. ED will build also library of resources to assist SEAs in full and effective transition to college- and career-ready standards, leveraging work that has occurred during Race to the Top with other partner organizations such as Achieve, Student Achievement Partners, PTA, and others. In addition, ED is working internally to coordinate the provision of technical assistance across OESE, the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), and other related offices and programs. ED also funds a Center on Standards and Assessments Implementation (part of the ESEA Comprehensive Centers program) that helps build the capacity of State educational agencies to implement college- and career-ready standards Finally, ED is working with states to provide communication support and technical assistance to help states and LEAs reduce redundant and unaligned local assessments, as well as to help states develop a process and strategy to share state assessment results from 2014-2015 as scores are likely to drop due to increased rigor of the assessments. Among other activities, this includes assisting states in resetting baselines and annual goals related to student performance. EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS ED consistently engaged with Congress, advocacy organizations, education organizations, State educational agencies and other external stakeholders regarding Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) flexibility, including state plans for transitioning to and implementing college- and career-ready standards. ED has met with stakeholders to provide information on state plans, as well as to enlist external support and technical assistance for states and districts as they move forward with implementing the new standards.
