Georgia to submit State ESSA Plan in September

Statement from State School Superintendent Richard Woods:

"The U.S. Department of Education requires states to submit a plan for the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) on one of two submission dates: April 3, 2017 or September 18, 2017. GaDOE initially planned to submit on the early date (April 3), but after discussions with the chairs of our working committees, we’ve decided to wait until the second submission date (Sept. 18).

The consensus was that, since the new presidential administration is now taking office, we believe some of the regulations may change. Rather than submitting under the current regulations, we want to ensure we know what additional flexibility may be offered by the new administration.

It took a long time for No Child Left Behind to be reauthorized, and it may take just as long for ESSA to be reauthorized down the road. I want to ensure that the plan we submit gives Georgia as much flexibility as possible, since this is the plan we’ll likely operate from for many years."