Analyzing State ESSA Plans for English Learner Accountability: A Framework for Community Stakeholders

The federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) requires states to develop and submit a state education accountability plan to the U.S. Department of Education. ESSA, which was enacted in 2015 and is still being implemented, mandates that states provide greater information to the public regarding English proficiency progress and academic achievement for English Learners (ELs) in K-12 education.

The new law also encourages states to engage with a variety of community stakeholders during the development of these accountability plans to ensure community needs are reflected. This issue brief offers community members a useful framework to evaluate state plans to determine if they meet required EL accountability elements.

The brief points readers to sections in state plans where EL accountability components have been identified. The questions posed in each section of the framework provide guidance on what these key elements might look like and where they can be found in state plans for further analysis. The information collected using this framework may be used to monitor implementation and adherence to state plans and to evaluate the efficacy of policies chosen by the state.