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of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

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    The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)

    Pennsylvania's Consolidated State Plan

    On December 10, 2015, President Barack Obama signed the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965. Developed and passed with strong, bipartisan support, ESSA replaced No Child Left Behind (NCLB) as the nation's main education law.

    1965: The Elementary and Secondary Act (ESEA) to 2002: The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) to 2015: The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)

    ESSA advances ESEA’s promise of ensuring that all students – from pre-kindergarten to postsecondary, including low-income students, students of color, students with disabilities, English Learners, and other historically marginalized students – have access to a world-class education that prepares them for college, career, and life.

    For Pennsylvania, ESSA presents two important opportunities – the chance to move away from the prescriptive policies and unintended consequences of NCLB, and toward state-level efforts that enjoy broad, bipartisan support, including more equitable and predictable funding for public schools and valid measures of school performance that look beyond standardized test scores.

    Pennsylvania’s ESSA State Plan aligns well with the education vision and strategies of Governor Tom Wolf and Education Secretary Pedro A. Rivera:

    • Historic investments in education funding;
    • Diverse measures of school success;
    • High quality early childhood education;
    • Investment in great teachers and leaders;
    • STEM innovation and capacity;
    • Expansion of career ready pathways; and
    • Community schools

    School Improvement and Accountability

    The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provides each state with enhanced flexibility to designate and serve schools in need of support. 

    School Improvement and Accountability webpage.

    Pennsylvania's Consolidated State Plan

    Pennsylvania's amended Consolidated State Plan was approved by the United States Department of Education on January 20, 2023.

      Approved Consolidated State Plan - English (PDF)
      Approved Consolidated State Plan - Spanish (PDF)

      The PA Evidence Resource Center

      Using, generating, and sharing evidence about effective strategies to support students gives local education agencies, schools, and policy makers an important tool to improve a variety of student outcomes.  PDE and Chester County Intermediate Unit are working together to support educators' efforts to ensure all students are engaged, healthy, safe, and prepared for college, career, and community by providing timely access to information about evidence-based strategies focused on a variety of outcome areas.  The Evidence Resource Center is a web-based tool that is searchable by topic and includes important contextual information to help educators select strategies that are best for their local needs and context: what is known about what works, for whom, in which settings (including school type).

      The ERC includes:

      • Strategies, interventions, and activities with corresponding evidence and suggested ESSA tiers for relevant outcomes;
      • Opportunities to save, share, and review strategies of interest and relevant implementation experiences of PA educators;
      • Opportunities to nominate topics, strategies, or studies that are of interest to PA stakeholders for review by the ERC; and
      • Professional learning materials including definitions, videos, and links to resources from leading authors and organizations.

      Explore the Evidence Reso​urce Center