ESEA Policy Letters to States
These policy letters provide guidance and insight on a variety of topics of interest to State Educational Agencies (SEAs), school districts, federal program directors, and others in implementing Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
Accountability
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- Decision letters on state accountability plans
- Approved state accountability plans
- Letter to State Education Agencies regarding annual measurable objectives (AMOs) and other accountability provisions during the transition to new State assessments in 2014-2015 (Feb. 27, 2015)
- Letter to Chief State School Officers regarding the Community Eligibility Option and Title I, Part A requirements (July 6, 2012) PDF | (696 KB)
- Letters to Chief State School Officers Regarding an Update on Several NCLB Cornerstones (January 8, 2009)
- Assessment Fact Sheet (2009) PDF (74K)
- Letter to Chief State School Officers regarding performance indexes. (December 2, 2008) MS WORD(40K) |PDF (1.3M)
- Letter to Chief State School Officers on Amendment Requests for School Year 2008-2009 (December 5, 2008) MS WORD (41K) | PDF (1.3M)
- Letter to Chief State School Officers on Amendment Requests for School Year 2007-2008 (November 19, 2007) MS WORD (40K) | PDF (1.2M)
- Letter to Chief State School Officers on Department Priorities and Future Actions (September 19, 2006) MS WORD (40K) | PDF (1.2M)
- This letter and attachments remind Chiefs of the amendment process and provides guidance on identifying districts in need of improvement and on addressing accountability implications that result from transitioning to grade 3-8 annual testing versus grade span testing.
- Process to amend state accountability plans
- Letter from Assistant Secretary to Chief State School Officers MS WORD (32K) (January 27, 2005)
- Letter to Chief State School Officers regarding inclusion of students with disabilities in state accountability systems
Adequate Yearly Progress in Title I Targeted Assistance Schools
Adjustments to Title I Allocations
Alternative Methods for Distributing Title I Funds
- Local educational agencies (LEAs) with fewer than 20,000 total residents
Assessment
- Maine: Letter Regarding Non-reporting of reading/language arts and mathematics assessment results for 2020-21 school year (January 28, 2022)
- New Mexico: Letter Regarding Non-reporting of science assessment results for 2020-21 school year (January 28, 2022)
- New Hampshire PACE Pilot
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- Letter to New Hampshire extending the waiver allowing implementation of the New Hampshire PACE Pilot [PDF, 56KB] (October 27, 2017)
- Request from New Hampshire to extend the waiver allowing implementation of the New Hampshire PACE Pilot [PDF, 57KB] (September 7, 2017)
- New Hampshire Performance Assessment of Competency Education (PACE) Technical Manual, 2016-17 [PDF, 22MB]
- Formative Evaluation of New Hampshire’s Performance Assessment of Competency Education (PACE), Final Report [PDF, 20MB] (2017)
- Principled Assessment Design for the Performance Assessment of Competency Education (PACE), [PDF, 256KB] August 2, 2017
- Letter to New Hampshire extending the waiver allowing implementation of the New Hampshire PACE Pilot (October 6, 2016)
- Request from New Hampshire to extend the waiver allowing implementation of the New Hampshire PACE Pilot (August 5, 2016)
- Letter to New Hampshire approving the waiver allowing implementation of the New Hampshire PACE Pilot (March 5, 2015)
- Request from New Hampshire for a waiver allowing implementation of the New Hampshire PACE Pilot (March 5, 2014)
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- Letter to Chief State School Officer on assessment requirements under Title I of NCLB (December 22, 2015)
- Letter to Louisiana on assessment requirements under Title I of NCLB (December 21, 2015)
- Letter to Massachusetts on assessment requirements under Title I of NCLB (December 21, 2015)
- Letter to Alaska on assessment and participation requirements under the ESEA (February 3, 2015)
- Decision Letters on State Final Assessment Systems Under Title I of ESEA as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001
- Decision Letters on State Final Assessment Systems Under Section 1111(e)(2) of Title I of ESEA as amended by the Improving America’s Schools Act of 1994
- Standards and Assessment Peer Review Information (includes guidance, peer view program overview, and letters to Chief State School Officers).
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Alternate Assessments of Alternate Academic Achievement Standards Participation Rate Letters
- Arizona (July 17, 2020)
- California (June 4, 2019)
- California (February 4, 2020)
- Colorado (June 4, 2019)
- Colorado (February 4, 2020)
- Colorado (May 18, 2020)
- Connecticut (June 4, 2019)
- Connecticut (February 4, 2020)
- Delaware (July 17, 2020)
- District of Columbia (July 17, 2020)
- Florida (June 4, 2019)
- Hawaii (June 4, 2019)
- Hawaii (February 4, 2020)
- Hawaii (May 18, 2020)
- Illinois (June 4, 2019)
- Illinois (July 17, 2020)
- Kansas (June 4, 2019)
- Maryland (June 25, 2019)
- Maryland (July 17, 2020)
- Minnesota (June 4, 2019)
- Minnesota (February 4, 2020)
- New Jersey (June 4, 2019)
- New Jersey (February 4, 2020)
- New Mexico (July 17, 2020)
- New York (June 4, 2019)
- New York (February 4, 2020)
- Oregon (June 4, 2019)
- Oregon (February 4, 2020)
- Pennsylvania (June 4, 2019)
- Pennsylvania (February 4, 2020)
- Rhode Island (July 17, 2020)
- Virginia (June 4, 2019)
- Virginia (July 17, 2020)
Calculating Participation Rates for AYP Determinations
- Letter to Chief State School Officers regarding flexibility in calculating participation rates for States when making this year’s adequate yearly progress (AYP) determinations.
Choice
- Letter to State Chiefs regarding individual student agreements and computers used in SES programs
- Letter to Chief State School Officers on calculating costs for transportation under the public school choice provision
- Letter to Chief State School Officers on district-affiliated entities becoming SES providers
- Supplemental Educational Services (SES) Policy: LEA conditions on providers
- Supplemental Educational Services (SES) Policy: SEA conditions on providers; loss of LEA eligibility to provide SES; improving outreach and information, etc.
Differentiated Accountability
- Press Releases, Letters, Peer Review Guidance and other information
- Differentiated Accountability Pilot States
Flexibility and Waivers
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- ED-Flex
- Local Flex
- State Flex
- Transferability
- Waivers Granted Under No Child Left Behind
- See also: Flexibility and Waivers Website
Growth Models
- Press Releases, Guidance, Letters, Fact Sheets and State Applications related to the NCLB Growth Model Pilot Program.
Highly Qualified Teachers
- Letter to Chief State School Officers Regarding States’ Progress in Meeting the HQT Goal (July 23, 2007)
- Highly Qualified Teachers and Improving Teacher Quality State Grants Monitoring Reports
- Letters to Chief State School Officers regarding States’ good-faith efforts in meeting the HQT goal. (May 12, 2006)
- Letter to Chief State School Officers regarding States’ progress in meeting the HQT goal MS WORD (88K) (March 21, 2006)
- Additional guidance
- Improving Teacher Quality State Grants web site
Identification of Districts for Improvement
Identification of Schools for School Improvement
- New Hampshire
- Memo to Title I Directors on clarification of the delay provision in identifying schools for school improvement
National Technical Advisory Council
- Press Releases, Charter, Bios, Federal Register Notices, and Meeting Agendas and Summaries related to the National Technical Advisory Council (NTAC).
Paraprofessionals
- Memo to Chief State School Officers on key paraprofessional requirements MS WORD (26K)
- Treatment of artists as paraprofessionals (1)
- Treatment of artists as paraprofessionals (2)
School Improvement
- School Improvement Funding Application announcement PDF (592K) (October 2, 2007)
- School Improvement State Allocation Chart PDF (3092K) (September 4, 2007)
- Application on School Improvement Funding PDF (191K) (Fiscal Year 2007)
- School Improvement Fund web site
Supplemental Educational Services
- March 10, 2014, The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of OIG issued a Management Information Report titled “Fraud in Title I-Funded Tutoring Programs. Dear Colleague Letter (16KB) , Report (20KB)
- SES Flexibility Agreements 2008-2009
- SES Flexibility Agreements 2007-2008
- SES Flexibility Agreements 2006
- SES Flexibility Agreements 2005
