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.
After receiving approval to submit from the State Board of Education and signatures from the Governor, Commissioner, and State Board Chair, Colorado's final ESSA State Plan was submitted on May 1, and will be considered as part of the U.S Department of Education's early review window. CDE is also proud to release 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.
- ESSA State Plan (Word) (Revised May 9, 2017)
- ESSA Summary Report (PDF)
- Feedback on Colorado's ESSA State Plan Draft
- Hub and Spoke Committees
What's New in ESSA
Colorado's ESSA State Plan
- ESSA State Plan (Word) (Revised May 9, 2017)
- ESSA Summary Report (PDF) (April, 2017)
ESSA Hub Committee Report
Recent Guidance from the U.S. Department of Education
- Key Policy Letter Signed by Education Secretary DeVos Regarding Updated Consolidated State Plans (March 13, 2017)
- Revised Consolidated State Plan Template (DOC) (March, 2017)
- USDE State Plan Fact Sheet (DOC) (March, 2017)
ESSA Listening Tour Report
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.
