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Every Student Succeeds Act

Betsy DeVos Approves Michigan’s ESSA Plan

By Andrew Ujifusa — November 28, 2017 1 min read
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Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos has approved Michigan’s plan for the Every Student Succeeds Act, the U.S. Department of Education announced Tuesday.

“While the plan meets the statutory requirements, Michigan must not view this as a ceiling, but rather as a baseline upon which to build, strengthen and expand,” DeVos said in a statement.

DeVos’ approval of her home state’s plan was a long time coming. Michigan submitted its plan in the spring, but the education department told the state that the initial proposal was missing major pieces. The plan’s peer reviewers had issues with it, including a lack of clear expectations for low-performing schools’ academic gains. And Michigan’s proposal also got heavy criticism from groups like the Education Trust, a civil rights advocacy group.

With Michigan’s plan now approved, Colorado remains the only state from the first round of submissions still awaiting the federal green light. Thirty-four states submitted in the second round, the deadline for which closed in September except for a few states impacted by hurricanes.