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Every Student Succeeds Act

A Look at Some States That Have Turned in Their ESSA Plans

By Alyson Klein & Daarel Burnette II — April 04, 2017 1 min read
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Monday was the first official deadline for states to submit their Every Student Succeeds Act plans to U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos for approval. And, as of April 14, ten states and the District of Columbia had turned in their plans to the feds, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

Those on the list: Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maine, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Tennessee, and Vermont. (We’ve linked to their plans, or a summary of them, when possible.)

An additional five states—Colorado, Louisiana, Michigan, North Dakota, and Oregon—have finished their plans, or are very close. But they are giving their governor and, in some cases, other state leaders, time to review them before submitting them, according to the states.

The Trump administration has allowed states to submit their plans by May 3 if they need additional time for governors to take a look. Governors don’t have veto power over ESSA plans, but the law requires state chiefs to give their governors 30 days to review the plans.

Arizona is reformatting its plan to fit the new template unveiled by the Trump administration. But the state isn’t planning to make any policy tweaks. It will submit its plan by May 3.

Three states that told the U.S. Department of Education late last year that they were shooting for ESSA’s early-bird deadline—Missouri, Montana and Ohio—have decided to take more time and submit in time for the second window, in September.

We will update this post as more plans are summitted, or as we hear back from states. In the meantime, check out this list of what to look for in state plans. And check out this post on what states have been wrestling with as they put together their ESSA visions.