ERIC Number: ED596317
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2019-Jun
Pages: 33
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Alternative Education in ESSA State Plans: A Review of 38 States
Kannam, Jessica; Weiss, Madison
American Youth Policy Forum
The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provides states with tools to strengthen accountability and ensure high-quality educational opportunities for all students, including those served in alternative schools and programs. The American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF) conducted a review of 38 ESSA state plans to better understand how states are approaching federal accountability for alternative settings. The review focused on five key areas: inclusion of alternative settings in accountability systems and potential modifications to those systems, measures used in accountability systems, N-size and school size, where alternative education is mentioned in state plans, and descriptions of future plans or inquiry related to alternative education. This publication shares key findings and areas for future consideration. The review demonstrated that the majority of states used the same accountability system for traditional and alternative settings for federal accountability purposes. Eight states included modifications in their accountability systems, and nine other states included additional information or clarification about alternative settings. With regard to accountability measures, the majority of states reviewed included extended-year graduation rates, only three states included completer rates, and approximately half of states included a measure of growth for high schools. The majority of states set an N-size of 10 or 20 for accountability purposes, as the minimum number of students necessary to create a subgroup. Each of these elements, accountability system, measures, and N-size, have implications for alternative settings which states should be aware of as they implement their new accountability systems. The publication explores the different sections of the plan in which states discuss alternative education and states future plans to address accountability for alternative settings to demonstrate how this issue intersects with a variety of other education issue areas. The publication concludes with three areas of consideration for states: how ESSA can be used as a lever to ensure high-quality alternative settings, what continuous improvement and support can look like for these settings, and the importance of appropriate measures and data when holding alternative settings accountable.
Descriptors: Elementary Secondary Education, Federal Legislation, Educational Legislation, Nontraditional Education, Accountability, Statewide Planning, Educational Quality, Educational Improvement, Extended School Year, Graduation Rate, High School Equivalency Programs, Academic Achievement, School Size, Measurement, At Risk Students, Enrichment Activities, Homeless People, Total Quality Management
American Youth Policy Forum. 1836 Jefferson Place NW, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 202-775-9731; Fax: 202-775-9733; e-mail: aypf@aypf.org; Web site: http://www.aypf.org/
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education; Adult Education; High Schools; High School Equivalency Programs; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: American Youth Policy Forum
Identifiers - Laws, Policies, & Programs: Every Student Succeeds Act 2015
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A