Colorado's ESSA State Plan
In December of 2015, the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) was signed into law. The title of the reauthorized legislation, which replaces the No Child Left Behind Act, is the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The passage of ESSA provides a much anticipated opportunity to improve outcomes for all students and gives states more flexibility and decision-making power at the local level. This law also requires states to develop plans that address standards, assessments, school and district accountability and special help for struggling schools. You can read the Every Student Succeeds Act here.
As part of ESSA, each state had to conduct significant outreach to collect input for their plans. The Colorado Department of Education (CDE) engaged with thousands of Coloradans in the development of the plan through 2016 and the early part of 2017. This process provided Coloradans a chance to closely examine the state’s education system, adjust some priorities and gather feedback about what is working and what should be changed. Please visit our Hub and Spoke Committees pages and the ESSA Feedback page to read about the process and comments received throughout stakeholder engagement. CDE also releases an overview of Colorado’s ESSA state plan. This ESSA summary report is intended to provide a clear explanation of the issues addressed in Colorado’s plan.
CDE received approval and signatures from the State Board of Education, the Governor, Commissioner, and State Board Chair to submit Colorado's final ESSA State Plan in early May, and was considered as part of the U.S Department of Education's (USDE) early review window. CDE received feedback from the USDE as well as peer reviewer notes on August 11, 2017. CDE has until August 24th to submit a redlined version of Colorado’s ESSA plan that addresses the issues raised by the USDE in order for the USDE to meet the 120 day timeline for plan approval.
- ESSA State Plan (Word) (Revised May 9, 2017)
- USDE Interim Feedback letter on Colorado's ESSA State Plan (August 11, 2017)
- ESSA Summary Report (PDF)
- Stakeholder Feedback on Colorado's ESSA State Plan Draft
What's New in ESSA
ESSA State Plan Feedback from the U.S. Department of Education
- USDE Interim Feedback letter on Colorado's ESSA State Plan (August 11, 2017)
- Peer Review Notes for Title I and Title III (June 30, 2017)
- Peer Review Notes for McKinney-Vento Homeless Program (June 30, 2017)
Colorado's ESSA State Plan
- ESSA State Plan (Word) (Revised May 9, 2017)
- ESSA Summary Report (PDF) (April, 2017)
Updates on ESSA Implementation at CDE
ESSA E-Newsletter
- For updates on this work and to be notified of future opportunities for involvement, please subscribe to the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) E-Newsletter - "ESSA in Colorado"
- View previous editions of the ESSA E-Newsletter
ESSA in Colorado Blog
Educators, district leaders, policymakers and others who are passionate about increasing educational achievement for all students are invited to participate in a conversation about the implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act. To participate in this conversation, please visit the ESSA in Colorado blog.
Spoke Committee Webpages
Resources
ESSA Blog Topics
- Brief ESSA Overview
- CDE Introduces ESSA in Colorado E-Newsletter
- Education Technology and ESSA
- ESSA Discontinued Programs
- ESSA and Schoolwide Programs
- Live stream the ESSA Hub Committee Meetings
- Highly Qualified Teachers
ESSA News at CDE
- ESSA E-newsletter archive
- Update on ESSA State Plan Development (PDF) (August 19, 2016)
- View proposed regulations for ESSA and collected comments from CDE
- CDE submitted comments on ESSA accountability and state plan proposed rules (PDF) (August 1, 2016)
- Letter response sent to Secretary King on ESSA accountability and state plan proposed rules (PDF) (July 27, 2016)
- ESSA Committee Work and State Plan Development Memo - July 2016 (PDF)
- News Release - Interim Commissioner of Education Elliott Asp statement on Every Student Succeeds Act
- NCLB to ESSA Transition Update (PDF)
USDE Guidance and Regulatory Information
- ESSA Consolidated State Plan Guidance Page
- Accountability Under Title I, Part A of the ESEA: Frequently Asked Questions (PDF) (January 2017)
- ESSA Accountability for English Learners under the ESEA: Non-Regulatory Guidance (PDF) (January 2017)
- ESSA State and Local Report Cards Non-Regulatory Guidance (PDF) (January 2017)
- ESSA High School Graduation Rate Non-Regulatory Guidance (PDF) (January 2017)
- Final Regulations for Assessments Title I, Part A and Title I, Part B (PDF) (December, 2016)
- Fiscal Changes and Equitable Services Requirements (PDF) (November, 2016)
- Title IV, Part A Guidance from USDE (PDF) (October, 2016)
- Early Learning Guidance from USDE (PDF) (October, 2016)
- Title II Guidance from USDE (PDF) (September, 2016)
- Title III Guidance from USDE (PDF) (September, 2016)
- Evidence Guidance from USDE (PDF) (September, 2016)
- ESSA Frequently Asked Questions (PDF) (January, 2017)
- Read more on ESSA
You can e-mail your questions and comments to ESSAquestions@cde.state.co.us.
