Dive Brief:

• In a Friday release, the U.S. Department of Education announced that the ESSA negotiated rulemaking committee had received its proposals regarding Title I, Part A assessments, and the requirement that federal Title I-A funds supplement, not supplant, state and local resources under the new federal education law. 
• The proposals were created after the department considered input from the committee’s first three-day negotiated rulemaking session in March.
• Next, the committee will meet in April for another three-day session.

Dive Brief

Assessments and ensuring that Title I funds supplement and don't supplant existing state and local funding are a particular concern in the latest release. The department's proposals are aimed at addressing the need for inclusive and accessible assessments for students with disabilities and English learners, suggesting language to "explicitly allow states to use computer-adaptive assessments," using safeguards to "ensure only students with the most significant cognitive disabilities are assessed against alternate academic achievement standarda," statewide proficiency tests and standards for ELL, and no double-testing for eighth graders.

Finally, the department is also calling for "flexibility" for districts to administer a "nationally recognized high school assessment" as opposed to the statewide assessment, with any such test being offered to all students capable of producing similar results to the statewide exam. 

As for Title I funding, the department is focused on making sure Title I schools receive "at least as much in-state and local funding" as their district's typical non-Title I school while also helping them maintain autonomy over funding allocation. 

Previously, the difference between providing regulations for states and providing guidance for them regarding ELL was discussed. Under ESSA, states with a "significant" number of English learners must adequately provide for them, yet "significant" is also as-yet-undefined. Equity in teacher compensation, another sticky issue, has also not been parsed yet.

Recommended Reading

U.S. Department of Education: Department Releases Proposals for Consideration by ESSA Negotiated ...