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This update on the Every Student Succeeds Act and the education plans now being refined by state legislatures is produced in partnership with ESSA Essentials, a new series from the Collaborative for Student Success. It鈥檚 an offshoot of its 聽newsletter, which you can ! (See our recent ESSA updates from previous weeks right here)

1. Oklahoma releases draft ESSA plan, prioritizes chronic absenteeism

The Oklahoma Department of Education its draft ESSA plan for public review and comment. (You can review the .)

The state announced that it will prioritize chronic absenteeism as a key indicator: 鈥淭he OSDE will use chronic absenteeism for the school quality/student success indicator. Research shows that chronic absence affects academic delays as early as kindergarten and the likelihood of high school graduation.鈥�

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister stated, 鈥淗earing from so many Oklahomans who care deeply about their public schools has brought valuable insight into what our focus should and will be to lift the outcomes of all schoolchildren and give them the skills they need to compete on a national level.鈥� Stakeholders have until June 30 to submit feedback to the department.

2. South Dakota unveils ESSA plans, spotlights college and career readiness

The South Dakota Department of Education also its draft ESSA plan, giving the public 30 days to provide feedback on the plan.

Per the , the state will 鈥渆xpand its accountability indicator related to college and career readiness. This means schools would receive recognition for providing opportunities for students (e.g., dual credit courses, Advanced Placement courses and exams, and career and technical education courses), in addition to measuring performance on the ACT or Smarter Balanced test.鈥�

According to Secretary of Education Melody Schopp, 鈥淪outh Dakota was in a solid position when ESSA passed,鈥� and 鈥渇or nearly five years, we have been focused on preparing students to leave the K-12 system college-, career-, and life-ready.鈥�

3. States begin to host teacher training session on ESSA implementation

As states begin to host training sessions on ESSA implementation, Education Week with New Mexico and Louisiana on their efforts. According to outgoing New Mexico Education Secretary Hanna Skandera, 鈥渄espite the criticism from union officials, the state鈥檚 plan is a product of all New Mexicans and will continue to push schools serving its most vulnerable students鈥�; she added that 鈥渨e want to equip and empower educators more, and we鈥檙e rolling out 20 new teacher initiatives.鈥�

Louisiana鈥檚 assistant superintendent of academic content, Rebecca Kockler, explained that the state will 鈥渢ap into its network of 6,500 teacher leaders 鈥� around two to four teachers from each of the state鈥檚 schools 鈥� to help roll out its training.鈥澛�

4. DeVos鈥檚 senate testimony: Giving states flexibility on their plans

Secretary DeVos before the Senate Appropriations Committee鈥檚 education subcommittee earlier this week to discuss additional education funding and ESSA. DeVos commented that she 鈥渕ight not agree with every approach that every state takes, but [she was] not going to invent new regulations,鈥� when asked if she would reject any state plans. Topics also included Title IX funding and school choice. (Read 麻豆精品鈥檚 recap of her Senate appearance.)