State Education Department Seeks Stakeholder Input on Every Student Succeeds Act Waiver for 2021-22 School Year

The New York State Education Department (NYSED) is seeking stakeholder input on a potential waiver request to the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) related to making school and district accountability determinations based on results from the 2021-22 school year under Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), Commissioner Betty A. Rosa announced today. The Department is accepting responses to the survey through Friday, November 19.

“Our accountability system is one of the most critical tools that we use to measure educational equity in New York,” said Chancellor Lester W. Young, Jr. “This survey is an opportunity to gather input from communities across the state and develop a plan that best meets the needs of every student in our state, and I encourage our educators, administrators, students, families and other stakeholders to take advantage of that opportunity.”

“As part of our ongoing efforts to determine the most appropriate timeline and manner for re-starting the ESSA accountability system, the Department is seeking input from stakeholders across the state regarding a possible waiver request,” said Commissioner Rosa. “From day one of developing our ESSA plan, we have considered community engagement to be critical to building a system that increases student achievement and ensures all students in New York have access to a high-quality education. I look forward to reviewing the input from our stakeholders as we consider our next steps in this process.”

The survey is posted on NYSED’s ESSA webpage, with information on how the survey can be translated into languages other than English. The survey results will be a valuable resource in the possible development of a waiver. Should the Department move forward with a waiver request, that document will be made available for public comment and be presented to the Board of Regents prior to submission to USDE.

In February 2021, NYSED submitted a waiver request to USDE on behalf of all Local Education Agencies (LEAs) in New York State seeking flexibility from federal accountability requirements in the 2020-21 school year in light of the unique circumstances caused by the ongoing pandemic. The approved waiver request temporarily eliminated the requirement to make accountability determinations for schools in 2021 based on 2020-21 school year data.

Additional information on the State’s ESSA plan is available on the Department’s Every Student Succeeds Act website.