New study calls for stronger monitoring of struggling schools under ESSA

A new report from EdTrust highlights shortcomings in state accountability systems under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which aimed to improve support for low-performing schools. The report reveals that while states have adapted their accountability frameworks, they often fail to equitably address performance disparities among student groups, particularly students of color and those with disabilities. Only 11 states include performance data for individual student groups in their ratings, and no states have established rigorous exit criteria for schools identified as needing improvement. The report calls for more robust monitoring and support for struggling schools to enhance educational equity and outcomes. Additionally, it stresses the need for states to use better measures of academic growth and set lower thresholds for including specific student populations in accountability assessments to ensure fair evaluations.