Alternative Education in ESSA State Plans: A Review of 38 States

Alternative Education in ESSA State Plans: A Review of 38 States

AYPF conducted a review of 38 ESSA state plans to better understand how states are approaching federal accountability for alternative settings. The review focused on five key areas:

  • Inclusion of alternative settings in accountability systems and potential modifications to those systems
  • Measures used in accountability systems
  • N-size and school size
  • Where alternative education is mentioned in state plans
  • Descriptions of future plans or inquiry related to alternative education

Click here or on the image to the right to view the full publication.

The review demonstrated that the majority of states used the same accountability system for traditional and alternative settings for federal accountability purposes. The publication also explores the different sections of the plan in which states discuss alternative education and future plans to address accountability for alternative settings to demonstrate how this issue intersects with a variety of other education issue areas.

The publication concludes with three areas of consideration for states:

  • How ESSA can be used as a lever to ensure high-quality alternative settings
  • What continuous improvement and support can look like for these settings
  • The importance of appropriate measures and data when holding alternative settings accountable

Key findings are included in the accompanying infographic – click here or the image below to view the full graphic.