On Thursday, the state Department of Education released updated school designations under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (read the press release here). This message includes the changes in designations for our schools, as well as a high-level overview of the law and relevant resources.
Please note that we are preparing a presentation for the Teaching and Learning Committee on November 28 on the New Hampshire Statewide Assessment System test.
Overview: The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) – enacted in 2015 to replace No Child Left Behind – is the main education law for public schools in the United States. The law’s main purpose is to ensure public schools provide a quality education for all students. The law holds schools accountable for student performance.
Each state must create a plan to implement the Act. The state of New Hampshire did not implement the accountability system under the law in 2020 or 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The system was re-implemented in 2022.
There are three types of designations under the Every Student Succeeds Act:
- Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI)
- Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI)
- Additional Targeted Support and Improvement (ATSI)
These designations are assigned based on a variety of indicators. Schools can have the designation removed, which is referred to as “exiting,” upon meeting certain criteria. In the cases of Targeted Support and Improvement and Additional Targeted Support and Improvement designations, specific subgroups of the student population are identified. You can find detailed information on designations in this document from the state Department of Education: ESSA School Identification.
What happens after a school is designated: The NH Department of Education notified the school district, and we have notified schools of designations. Next, the NH Department of Education will contact identified schools to go over next steps, including how schools can access the available resources to improve their status. Going forward, schools are required to work with school district leadership to establish a plan to improve academic achievement. The Department of Education will examine the school's progress on these plans.
Updated designations: The state Department of Education announced today that 10 Manchester School District schools have designations; two schools have exited designations, meaning they are no longer under that designation. Specific subgroups identified for improvement plans are included in parentheses after the school name.
Comprehensive Support and Improvement
Beech Street School
Henry Wilson School
Parker-Varney School
Targeted Support and Improvement
McLaughlin Middle School (Asian, Pacific Islander and Hawaiian; Two or more races)
Southside Middle School (Students with disabilities)
Middle School at Parkside (Students with disabilities; Two or more races)
West High School (Students with disabilities; Free and reduced lunch; White students)
Additional Targeted Support and Improvement
Memorial High School (Students with disabilities)
Middle School at Parkside (Students with disabilities; Two or more races)
Southside Middle School (Students with disabilities; Two or more races)
Highland-Goffe’s Falls Elementary School (English Learners; Students with disabilities)
Jewett Street School (English Learners; Students with disabilities)
Exited Comprehensive Support and Improvement
West High School
Exited Additional Targeted Support and Improvement
Central High School (Hispanic; Black or African American; Supplemental Educational Services)
Resource documents and links: The following are important resources on the Every Student Succeeds Act and the New Hampshire Department of Education implementation plan. School district data will be updated on the state’s iPlatform, likely by the start of 2024:
- ESSA School Identification Summary (PDF - NH Department of Education)
- Every Student Succeeds Act (website - US Department of Education)
- ESSA Consolidated State Plan (PDF - NH Department of Education)
- 2022 Changes to the State ESSA Plan (PDF - NH Department of Education)
- 2018 Presentation to Board of School Committee (PDF - Manchester School District)
- New Hampshire ESSA information (website - NH Department of Education)
- iReport – New Hampshire School and District Report Card (website - NH Department of Education)
Sincerely,
Jennifer Chmiel Gillis, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
Manchester School District