The Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) announced its solicitation for public comments regarding amendments to DC’s ESEA Flexibility Extension Request. DC’s original ESEA Flexibility (Waiver) Request was approved by the U.S. Department of Education (ED) in July 2012 and components of the original plan included an improved accountability system based on diversified annual objectives to provide multiple measurements of student growth; maintain transparency around achievement gaps; and provided flexibility in the use of federal funds to allow schools to tailor their programs and interventions to enhance student outcomes and school effectiveness.

The upcoming extension request incorporates plans to improve implementation according to the approved waiver as well as amendments to the original waiver. If the District’s ESEA Flexibility Waiver extension request is approved, the request will extend the Waiver through the 2014-15 school year.

Items to be addressed in the initial request to ED include:

• Amendment of the ESEA Flexibility request to accurately reflect OSSE’s monitoring process (including the implementation of interventions in priority and focus schools).
• Submission of an updated timeline and plan ensuring all priority schools’ intervention strategies are aligned with evidence-based school turnaround principles by the beginning of the 2014-2015 school year.
• Amendment of the ESEA Flexibility request to accurately reflect OSSE’s process for ensuring that all focus schools implement interventions that address identified needs no later than the end of the first semester of the first year subsequent to being identified.
• Amendment of OSSE’s request to accurately reflect the interventions and supports it is providing to all Title I schools that fail to meet the same Annual Measurable Objectives (AMOs) for two consecutive years, including those in DCPS.
• Submission of a plan ensuring that OSSE’s State and local report cards are consistent with the Department’s report card guidance and evidence that it has updated its template for 2013-2014 State and local report cards.

Prior to submission, OSSE will host a webinar to discuss the extension request and specific amendments.

To provide comments on OSSE’s ESEA Waiver extension request, please submit written comments to Iris Bond-Gill at [email protected] by Friday, May 9, 2014.  Comments received will be forwarded to ED with the requested amendments.

For more information on the extension process and to view the request, please visit the DC ESEA Flexibility Waiver Extension Request page.