BOE approves plan to implement Every Student Succeeds Act

HILO — The state Board of Education on Tuesday approved a plan to implement the Every Student Succeeds Act, the new federal education law replacing No Child Left Behind.

The Hawaii Consolidated State Plan calls for better support of schools with “the most struggling students” determined by test scores, graduation rates, English language proficiency and chronic absenteeism, according to materials provided during Tuesday’s board meeting. It also sets higher expectations for English Language Learners to achieve proficiency and calls for schools with a “significant proportion of economically disadvantaged students” to receive additional federal funds, among other things.

The plan next goes to Gov. David Ige who has 30 days to sign it. It must be submitted to the federal Department of Education for review by Sept. 18. Law requires ESSA to be fully implemented for the 2017-18 school year.

ESSA proponents say the new law gives states more flexibility when creating standards and calls on states to better help disadvantaged students and underperforming schools.

Hawaii education leaders spent more than a year drafting the plan, which serves as the state’s application for federal funds. The board heard nearly three dozen presentations related to ESSA and received hundreds of testimonies, according to meeting materials.

The ESSA plan also aims to align with the state’s newly updated Strategic Plan — a multiyear document outlining goals to help more students succeed — as well as with the governor’s Blueprint for Public Education, a big-picture look at Hawaii’s education system.

The consolidated state plan could undergo future revisions. It will remain in effect through 2020, the same year Congress authorized ESSA to end.