Washington, DC - The DC State Board of Education (SBOE) announces today the opening of the application period for its new Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Advisory Task Force. In March of this year, the State Board voted to approve the new state accountability plan drafted by the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE). Work on the plan is not completed, however. The plan approved by the SBOE included provisions for the inclusion of additional measures on items like high school academic growth, school climate, and well-rounded education once those measures were fully explored and piloted. Under the leadership of Ward 4 representative Dr. Lannette Woodruff, the ESSA Advisory Task Force will help advise the SBOE over the next two years. The SBOE is committed to continuing to involve broad community input in the decision making related to the Every Student Succeeds Act.
To ensure a balance of perspectives, the State Board will choose Task Force members who represent a broad constituency and will contribute meaningfully to education policy recommendations related to the 2017 DC ESSA Plan. Task Force members will include parents, community leaders, education agency leaders, students, teachers, school leaders, and nonprofit personnel who work in relevant fields. The selection committee will strive to ensure membership is proportionately representative to the backgrounds of the students here in the District. In keeping with the SBOE’s commitment to transparency, all applications for the Task Force will be open to public review.
“We are excited to continue the momentum on implementing DC’s ESSA plan,” said Dr. Woodruff. “This Task Force will bring together key education stakeholders and District leaders to the table to help create a citywide school report card, analyze the possibility of including a science assessment within the plan, develop an access and opportunity measure, pilot a school climate study, and develop a high school growth measure.”
To apply to serve on the Task Force, click here. The application period is now open, concluding at midnight on Monday, July 17, 2017. The SBOE will share clear selection criteria, and explain how members were selected. Task Force meetings will begin next month and continue on a monthly basis for the duration of the members’ two-year appointment. For updated information regarding ESSA, please visit sboe.dc.gov/essa.
The State Board of Education provides policy leadership, support, advocacy, and oversight of public education to ensure that every student is valued and learns the skills and knowledge necessary to become informed, competent, and contributing global citizens. More information about the SBOE can be found at sboe.dc.gov.