Every Student Succeeds Act Explainer

Approved ESSA Plans: Explainer and Key Takeaways From Each State

April 21, 2017 | Updated: October 04, 2018 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos has approved ESSA plans from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. The law gives states significant new leeway to set student achievement goals and calls for looking beyond test scores in gauging school performance.

Jump to:

  1. What is a state plan?
  2. Map: Where do states’ plans stand?
  3. What are states planning for ESSA?

What is a state plan?

The Every Student Succeeds Act pushes states to move beyond test scores in gauging school performance and gives them all sorts of new flexibility when it comes to funding, turning around low-performing schools, and more. But states still have to submit an accountability roadmap—including long-term goals for student achievement—to the U.S. Department of Education for approval.

The Every Student Succeeds Act technically went into effect for the 2017-18 school year. But before a state can put its plan into effect, the U.S. Department of Education needs to sign off. This analysis reflects our best understanding of approved state ESSA plans.

Where do states’ plans stand?

Check the map below to see where your state’s ESSA plan stands.

What are states planning for ESSA?

Scroll down to see key details from your state’s plan, including long-term goals, academic indicators that will be used to rate schools, and more:

A version of this article appeared in the April 19, 2017 edition of Education Week as Key Takeaways: State ESSA Plans

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School & District Management Webinar
The Principal's Role in Collective Efficacy and Student Outcomes
Learn practical strategies that help principals translate their confidence into stronger collective teacher efficacy and student outcomes.
Content provided by Otus
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Education Funding Webinar
What Schools Need to Know About the Federal Education Freedom Tax Credit
What schools need to know about the federal Education Freedom Tax Credit: A practical guide from a licensed teacher and policy expert.
Content provided by LearningSpring
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School Climate & Safety Webinar
Building Your School Safety Roadmap: Key Priorities for the Upcoming Year
What should be on your school's safety roadmap this year? Join experts to discuss priorities, preparedness, and best practices.
Content provided by Evolv Technology & IdentiSys

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Every Student Succeeds Act Trump Admin. Issues Broadest Waiver Yet on School Accountability, Funding
A third state secured new flexibility on how it spends federal school funds and rates high schools.
6 min read
Secretary of Education Linda McMahon outside the White House, Wednesday, June 10, 2026, in Washington. Today, the U.S. Department of Education approved Indiana’s Returning Education to the States Waiver, empowering Indiana’s education leaders with greater discretion over their federal education dollars and more flexibility to prioritize college and career readiness in Indiana’s high school accountability system on June 16, 2026.
Secretary of Education Linda McMahon outside the White House on June 10, 2026, in Washington. McMahon was in Indiana on Tuesday to announce the state had secured the broadest waiver yet from federal school accountability and funding requirements. It's the third waiver the Trump administration has issued allowing a state relief from federal education requirements.
Julia Demaree Nikhinson /AP
Every Student Succeeds Act Trump Admin. OK's Another State's Ask for School Funding Leeway
The Ed. Dept. granted a second request to combine portions of four federal grants into one fund.
5 min read
Students attend a 5th grade math class at Lafargue Elementary School in Effie, Louisiana, on Friday, August 22. The state has implemented new professional development requirements for math teachers in grades 4-8 to help improve student achievement and address learning gaps.
Students attend a 5th grade math class in Effie, La., on Aug. 22, 2025. Louisiana has secured new flexibility from the U.S. Department of Education to spend a portion of its federal funds on statewide school improvement activities. It's the second such waiver from Every Student Succeeds Act rules the department has granted under the Trump administration.
Kathleen Flynn for Education Week
Every Student Succeeds Act These States Want to Move Away From a 'College for All' Approach to Testing
Two states have pitched changes to their high school assessments to emphasize workforce preparation.
7 min read
The Plumbing department, located in the school's well-equipped shop facility, alongside other trades including masonry and carpentry.
The plumbing department in a New Jersey technology high school. As the Trump administration invites states to request waivers from federal school accountability requirements, two have proposed changes that would emphasize career-oriented tests as opposed to more traditional academic knowledge tests.
Oliver Farshi for Education Week
Every Student Succeeds Act These Factors Make a School More Likely to Be Labeled Failing
Schools that educate large numbers of students of color and low-income children are most at risk.
4 min read
Classroom supplies are seen in a classroom in Bowie, Md., on Aug. 15, 2025. Equity sticks are a system the teacher uses to call on students by randomly assigned number.
A new report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office examines the factors that make it more or less likely a school will be labeled underperforming.
Kevin Mohatt for Education Week