Lindsey Hudson

TLED 315

Professor Greene

Task 6 ESSA Essay

04/01/2020

Every Student Succeeds Act in schools

Old Dominion University

Lindsey Hudson
 The Every Student Succeeds Act is a main law in education. This law helps to keep

schools accountable for their students’ achievements. The ESSA wants to ensure that all public

school students’ have the upmost best quality of education there is to offer. Under this law each

state gets to decide on their own their schools’ education plans while of course still using the

framework given to them by the government. This law also values parents’ opinions and allows

then to give their input on their child’s education. The ESSA also gives schools funding. Many

times, they will give grants and such for different literacy programs and other areas they feel the

students will gain the most success. Under this law every state must give its students annual test

to take. These tests will vary from grade and the student’s individual learning level. The state

will also be made to make accommodations on the test for students that have IEPs or 504 plans

in place and list those accommodations within those plans.

Schools can have innovations under the ESSA law. This allows students that may have

learning challenges or thinking challenges learn in a different way than before that may help

them. Many schools choose to used Universal Design for Learning. This method is helpful

especially to our special education students but is not only limited to them anyone can use this

method to learn things in many different new ways. ESSA has helped schools in many ways

become successful. This law allows schools to be able to offer students higher academic

standards, helps see a change in low performing schools succeeding in academics, and so many

more.

As a future teacher I can see how this would help not only the students, but the teachers

as well. While still being held accountable for annual testing the tests will not be the sole focus

to the students. These tests are still valued, but the standardized tests the students are made to

take and are so serious should not make teachers miserable because they feel like they can not
make learning fun and exciting for students. It is sad many teachers feels this way, but they need

to realize they can have fun and excite and engage students in learning in many different ways

that all learners are able to learn from, while still learning the required materials of course. I

believe this law has been a huge success to many and will continue to be for a long time.

Works cited

Lee, A. M. I. (2019, October 18). Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA): What You Need

to Know. Retrieved from https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/your-childs-

rights/basics-about-childs-rights/every-student-succeeds-act-essa-what-you-need-to-know

WriterKatie, K. Y. M., Yahnke, K., & Katie. (n.d.). Every Student Succeeds Act: The

Key to Successful Schools. Retrieved from https://i-sight.com/resources/every-student-succeeds-

act-essa-the-key-to-successful-schools/