Accountability Waiver
After 12 years, the District of Columbia will transition to new statewide assessments in English language arts (ELA) and math in the 2026-27 school year. The Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) will not have a reliable measure of student growth until OSSE collects two consecutive years of data. Therefore, pursuant to 20 U.S.C. §7861 ("Waivers of statutory and regulatory requirements"), OSSE will request a one-year waiver of certain Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) requirements from the US Department of Education (USED) to calculate accountability scores and make school designations until the 2027-28 school year. Without growth metrics, OSSE simply cannot calculate these scores. Specifically, OSSE is requesting a waiver from the following statutory requirements in ESSA:
- Statewide requirements in Section 1111(c)(4)(C) to meaningfully differentiate, on an annual basis, all public schools;
- Statewide requirements in Section 1111(c)(4)(D) and Section 1111(d)(2)(C) to identify schools for comprehensive, targeted, and additional targeted support and improvement; and
- Statewide requirements in Section 1111(h)(1)(C)(i)(IV) to include the system for meaningful differentiation for all public schools on the annual state report card.
OSSE’s overarching goal is to maintain the integrity of its accountability system as a valid and consistent measure of student performance and school quality.
During this one-year waiver period, OSSE will require a one-year extension and the submission of a one-year addendum to previously-approved school improvement plans to schools currently identified for comprehensive, targeted, or additional support and improvement, unless they have demonstrated improvements in academic achievement in both ELA and math, as measured by the statewide assessment. OSSE will also continue to report all other accountability metrics on the DC School Report Card, including student performance on the new statewide assessment. Schools and families will still receive information about their students’ results. In fall 2028, accountability scores will be calculated and school designations will be made, consistent with our current system.
The full waiver request will be posted in the DC Register on March 13, 2026 and can also be found below:
Public Comment
Consistent with 20 U.S.C. §7861 ("Waivers of statutory and regulatory requirements"), OSSE is making this waiver request public for notice and comment. Following public comment and potential revisions based on comments received, OSSE plans to submit this request to USED for their consideration and approval in April 2026.
Comments may be submitted until Tuesday, March 31, 2026 by emailing them to [email protected] with the subject line “ESSA Waiver Public Comment” or by mail or hand delivery to the Office of the State Superintendent of Education, Attn: Alexander Jue re: ESSA Waiver Public Comment, 1050 First St. NE, Third Floor, Washington, DC 20002.
OSSE will consolidate and publish on this website all public comments.
Questions
Questions should be directed to OSSE at [email protected], which is monitored by OSSE’s Divsion of Data, Assessment and Reporting (DAR).