ESSA & the Texas Education System

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In our week two discussion the focus on assessment we began last week was expanded to the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and how it applies to the Texas system of educational standards. The U.S. Department of Education (n.d.) describes ESSA as the following:

Passed with bipartisan support and signed by President Obama in December 2015, the ESSA requires states and districts to ensure that all students, including children with disabilities, English learners, and other historically underserved groups, graduate high school ready for college or a career.

With the information and resources provided, I was able to put together a working understanding of how ESSA will affect Texas education initiatives and standards currently and moving forward. Researching the TEA (Texas Education Agency) Strategic Plan established in 2017 highlighted the agencies goals in terms of four strategic priorities:

  •         Recruit, support, and retain teachers and principals  
  •         Build a foundation of reading and math
  •         Connect high school to career and college
  •         Improve low-performing schools

Along with “enablers” developed for increased transparency, compliance, and strengthened organizational foundations for campuses and districts; some added improvements detailed in the strategic plan with consideration for ESSA, plan “to provide more effective support, technical assistance, and grant programs to better assist and support school districts and charter schools.” (Texas Education Agency, 2019). In addition to these strategic goals, the Texas Education Agency (2019) also proposes the following:

Key initiatives supported through the new policy framework provided by ESSA and driven by the work of our strategic plan include a redesigned certification framework, aligned technical assistance and interventions for low-performing campuses, and a robust network of supports for our most vulnerable student populations.

The importance to my learning experience that this information has provided, not only highlights the intricacies of implementing the framework of operational standards for the state education system but shows that assessment of districts and students require focused and developed analysis of the data recorded. While the resources I have referenced have an abundance of information that is difficult to completely condense, it has helped me realize that the foundational basis of which the education system functions, is far more complex than what I envisioned. In the future I hope to learn more about how state-mandated assessments are developed and implemented along the spectrum of schools. I see this as essential, provided I ever decide to attempt employment as a teacher or other position related to the education field where that information would prove necessary and useful. Additionally, I will more than likely reference the TEA website (https://tea.texas.gov/)  for further information in the future.

One of the key takeaways throughout my time reading over the resources provided was tied to how varied the opinions are of educators in relation to their own individual assessments but also how testing weighs on the performance and potential success of their students. The following video has a group of New York City-based educators discussing those issues specifically and while they may not be teachers from Texas, it is alarming how similar their concerns are to what we have discussed. 

This proves that despite the location, the issues of academic assessment are not constrained to a single state or area but are part of a widespread need to continuously adapt and reflect upon the needs and success of teachers and students.

Reference List

PBS NewsHour. (2012, June 6). New York Teachers Discuss Accountability, Assessments [Video]. YouTube.

https://youtu.be/nyX89oBZTIM

Texas Education Agency. (2019, October 14). ESSA State Plan. https://tea.texas.gov/sites/default/files/ESSA%20State%20Plan%20Oct%2014%202019.pdf

U.S. Department of Education. (n.d.). ESSA Assessment Fact Sheet. https://www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/essa/essaassessmentfactsheet1207.pdf

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