Photo: Alessandra Hartkopf for Strategies for Children

U.S Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos has approved Massachusetts’ plan for ESSA – the Every Student Succeeds Act. And as we’ve blogged, while ESSA covers K-12, it includes opportunities “to support the birth-through-grade-three continuum.”

In a press release, DeVos says:

“I continue to be heartened by the ways in which states have embraced the flexibility afforded to them under ESSA.”

“I want to thank Acting Commissioner Jeff Wulfson, Governor Charlie Baker and all the stakeholders that contributed to Massachusetts’ plan. This plan also serves as a testament to the leadership of the late Commissioner Mitchell Chester, who remains greatly missed.”

Submitted by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (ESE), the ESSA plan covers a number of goals for improving K-12 education that involve early education.

For example, “to strengthen the quality and breadth of the instructional program students experience, as that is our major lever for ensuring success after high school for all students,” the state will focus on two areas where “performance has been stagnant:”

– early grades literacy, and

– middle grades mathematics

Another goal is to, “Increase the quality of instruction by more strongly aligning instruction to the high expectations of the Massachusetts curriculum frameworks,” by, in part, “Improving program and instructional quality in early learning.” To do this, K-12 officials will “continue to work collaboratively with our colleagues at the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care (EEC), as we know successful connections across state agencies are critical to achieving excellence within the K-12 system.”

Social-emotional learning efforts will be promoted starting in preschool and continuing through high school.

Massachusetts will provide “summer programming that addresses summer learning loss and supports pre-K to grade 12 transitions.”

“For low performing schools and districts that embrace the practices and conditions essential for success, ESE will provide priority consideration in the allocation of other discretionary grants (such as Expanded Learning Time) and will work with EEC to expand access to early education.”

Officials also plan to enhance annual school and district report cards by adding more information, including data “related to pre-kindergarten experience/readiness for kindergarten.”

And Massachusetts will use a screening tool to identify pre-K students who are English Language Learners.

“Massachusetts is proud of the achievements of our K-12 student population, but like most other states, we still have a lot of work ahead to close persistent achievement gaps,” Wulfson says in the press release. “Our ESSA state plan provides a framework for accountability and targeted assistance and builds on a system that has helped improve schools for Massachusetts students.”

By focusing on pre-K-12 education, the ESSA plan promises to help more students succeed.