Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Diane Douglas announced the approval of Arizona’s consolidated state plan under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) by the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE).
“I am extremely proud of the hundreds of hours of work put into developing this plan by my staff here at the Arizona Department of Education (ADE), and I am most thankful for the thousands of comments we have received from parents, teachers, administrators, stakeholder groups, community members and elected officials that truly helped make this a plan for all of Arizona,” Superintendent Douglas said. “This is a plan made by Arizona – for Arizona – that would be ideal with or without ESSA.”
The USDOE highlighted several aspects of Arizona’s state plan, including the ability of elementary and middle schools to earn additional points in its accountability system for accelerating student achievement. Arizona was also recognized for allowing high schools to earn additional points in its accountability system for preparing students to be college and career ready, including students performing well in Career Technical Education (CTE) courses, passing college-level courses, earning an industry credential and/or completing a work-based learning internship.
“After reviewing Arizona’s plan and ensuring it complies with the law, I am pleased to approve it,” said USDOE Secretary Betsy DeVos. “I commend Governor (Doug) Ducey, Superintendent Douglas and the many stakeholders in Arizona who helped craft a plan to improve education for the students of the Grand Canyon State.”
ESSA was passed into law by Congress in December 2015, replacing No Child Left Behind as the primary federal legislation addressing America’s public education system. Taking effect in the 2017-18 school year, $1 billion of federal aid to Arizona would be at risk without compliance.
To learn more about ADE’s state plan, please visit www.azed.gov/essa.
