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of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

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    ESSA

    ​​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.

    The process of identifying schools for support—termed "Annual Meaningful Differentiation" by the federal statute—results in three federally-prescribed designations:

    1. Comprehensive Support & Improvement (CSI) schools (Excel): Schools facing the most significant challenges in academic achievement, student growth, and other areas; and
    2. Additional Targeted Support & Improvement (ATSI) schools (Excel): Schools in which performance by one or more student groups is at or below the level of the CSI schools.
    3. Targeted Support & Improvement schools (Excel): Schools in which performance by one or more student groups is at or below state-established standards.

    Whatever the designation, ESSA provides states new flexibility to address conditions, strategies, and investments to ensure equitable opportunities for all students, and strike the appropriate balance between holding schools accountable for improving and providing extra tools and resources. In an important shift from No Child Left Behind policies, Pennsylvania's approach to ESSA implementation emphasizes collaboration between state and local stakeholders to identify and address root causes for existing problems, to implement appropriate and evidence-based corrective actions, and to carefully monitor the pace of improvement.