myschoolmyvoice.nea.org ESSA ISSUE CARDS: YOUR VOICE...

ESSA ISSUE CARDS: YOUR VOICE MATTERS

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m y s c h o o l m y v o i c e . n e a . o r g

myschoolmyvoice.nea.org

These ESSA Issue Cards are intended for use by members to engage others in conversation or use when speaking in a public forum such as a school board meeting, PTA meeting, local union meeting, etc.

There are eight ESSA issues upon which these cards focus: 1. Educator Voice2. School Improvement3. School Climate4. Professional Development5. Equity6. Testing7. Teacher Evaluation8. Stakeholder Engagement

The ESSA Issue Cards contain bullet point information that is intended to help educators communicate important aspects of ESSA and how this information impacts their classrooms and students. In addition to the bullet points, there are links to in-depth information on the issue addressed.

The cards are customizable to help users reflect on the specific ways that the information impacts their district/school/classroom/students. The cards also contain suggested ways to share this information through social media to help engage educators and other stakeholders to ensure that each and every student has an opportunity for success.

Get Informed. Be Engaged. Take Action.

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Thank you for stepping up and committing to help ensure educator voices are at the table in local ESSA implementation. Please let us know how your voice will be heard!

NAME ____________________________________________________________________________________________________

DISTRICT __________________________________________________________________________________________________

EMAIL _____________________________________________________________________________________________________

STATE _____________________________________________________________________________________________________

I PLEDGE TO:

Talk to colleagues Talk to parents Talk to my school board

Talk to this community group: ______________________________________ Other: ___________________________

You can also email us at [email protected] to let us know what you plan to do.

THANK YOU!

MY input as an educator* will determine what success looks like for our students under the new education law -The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). I am here as an educational professional, someone who works with students every day, I know their names and I know what they need to be successful. This is MY school and MY voice matters.

TOPIC Backgrounder: ESSA 101, Paraeducator Voice, and Claiming Our Voice

Learn more, visit: http://myschoolmyvoice.nea.org/essa-101/; http://myschoolmyvoice.nea.org/educators/paraeducator-voice-opportunity/; http://myschoolmyvoice.nea.org/educators/claiming-voice-local-level-bargaining-advocacy-opportunities-essa/

• The new education law requires input from all educators. Classroom teachers, paraeducators, specialized instructional support

personnel, higher education professionals and administrators are valued for their expertise and contributions to student growth. All educators have a seat at the table to make decisions about schools, teaching and learning, and student growth.

• The new education law gives educators the power to use their voice to determine what success looks like for each and every student. This opportunity will only be realized if educators speak up on behalf of students, lead implementation, make their voices heard, and work with stakeholders in their communities to advocate on behalf of students.

• Educators must get involved in how the new education law is carried out. Educators, parents and other stakeholders have a right to meaningful input on school improvement, professional learning, and how to best serve students in their school.

• Educators like me will be working to strengthen partnerships and build a broad base of support among partners who share our commitment to student success. I am here to claim my seat at the table. This is MY school and MY voice matters.

In my school/district this is important because…__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Consider sharing this information with your administration, other educators, students, parents and other community members. Do you have an opportunity to share at a staff, local union, PTA or school board meeting?

As trusted professionals, all educators* are uniquely prepared to drive discussions and decisions that lead to student success.*Teachers, Paraprofessionals, Specialized Instructional Support Personnel (SISP), Education Support Professionals (ESP), Higher Education Professionals

On Matters of Educator Voice &


How to use this resource:• Use the information on this card and the linked information to learn more and then take an opportunity to speak

about why this topic is an important component of ensuring student success. • For additional information on this and other issues about the new education law, visit www.myschoolmyvoice.nea.org

under the RESOURCES tab. • Personalize your message by adding information about your school/district.

Who should deliver this message?

• The opportunities within the new education law will only become real if educators* make their voices heard, and work with stakeholders in their communities to advocate on behalf of students.

You have the opportunity to determine what success looks like for our students under the new education law, share with your community what you’re doing and ask them what they’re doing too… (see samples below):

Follow The Conversation on social media - #ESSAJust 3 minutes– I spoke up 4 MY students. We CAN begin 2 achieve equitable education 4 all. Got 3 minutes? www.myschoolmyvoice.nea.org #ESSAI am taking every opportunity I can to share what my students need and what’s matter most, to make sure we get ESSA right for MY STUDENTS. Learn what you can do at www.myschoolmyvoice.nea.orgAssessing what our school and students need – the ESSA Opportunity Dashboard can help to figure it out. www.myschoolmyvoice.nea.org

ESSA presents an opportunity to ensure success for each and every student.This opportunity will only be realized if educators speak up on behalf of students.

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TOPIC Backgrounder: State-Designed Accountability SystemsLearn more, visit: http://www.nea.org/assets/docs/ESSA%20Fact%20Sheet%20-%20State%20Accountability%20Systems%20121415.pdf

• The new education law ends the one-size-fits-all approach to school improvement. Decision making for school improvement is returned to the people who know schools the best – educators, families, and community groups in the schools.

• Under the new education law school improvement plans will be based on local needs assessments and resource equity audits. This means the plans can truly address the most pressing concerns within a school.

• Educators must drive discussions with parent organizations, civil rights organizations, disability rights groups, and other community leaders to make sure policies that affect our students are made by those who are best equipped to ensure student success.

• Educators like me will be working to strengthen partnerships and build a broad base of support among partners who share our commitment to student success to ensure that School improvement plans are designed to advance student success in my community. This is my school and my voice matters.

In my school/district this is important because…______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



Educator Voice in matters of School Improvement

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Follow The Conversation on social media - #ESSAJust 3 minutes– I spoke up 4 MY students. We CAN begin 2 achieve equitable education 4 all. Got 3 minutes? www.myschoolmyvoice.nea.org #ESSAI am taking every opportunity I can to share what my students need and what’s matter most, to make sure we get ESSA right for MY STUDENTS. Learn what you can do at www.myschoolmyvoice.nea.org Assessing what our school and students need – the ESSA Opportunity Dashboard can help to figure it out. www.myschoolmyvoice.nea.org



TOPIC Backgrounder: Student + School Safety / Bullying Prevention and School DisciplineLearn more, visit: http://myschoolmyvoice.nea.org/parents-and-community/student-school-safety-bullying-prevention/;

http://myschoolmyvoice.nea.org/indicators/school-discipline/ • The new education law provides provides access to funding to improve both academic achievement and student safety. As trusted

professionals, educators like me, are uniquely equipped to get involved in how the new law is carried out and make sure that every child has an opportunity to succeed in a safe environment.

• Educators like me recognize that our voice in development and implementation of these plans will help ensure that we raise student awareness about what constitutes bullying and empower students to report bullying. We need to provide clear expectations to our students with regard to safety and bullying.

• The new education law requires state and local education agencies to examine the overuse of disciplinary practices that remove students from the classroom. Educators must provide guidance on how to end the school-to-prison pipeline and lift up-rather than knock down the most vulnerable students in our community.

• Educators must drive discussions on appropriate supports/programs to reduce exclusionary discipline practices. School-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports as well as expanded access to coordinated resources for school-based counseling and mental health programs can help reduce the use of these unfair practices.

• Educators like me will be working to strengthen partnerships and build a broad base of support among partners who share our commitment to student success. We will take our seat at the table as plans for school safety and ending the school-to-prison pipeline are developed and implemented. These are my students and my voice matters.

In my school/district this is important because…____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



Educator Voice in matters of School Climate

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TOPIC Backgrounder: Winning Professional Development Through the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)

Learn more, visit: http://getessaright.org/for-educators/winning-professional-development-every-student-succeeds-act-essa/

• The new education law provides an opportunity for educators to make their voices heard through involvement, development, and implementation of professional development plans at the local education agency level –this is good for educators and students. Taking advantage of these opportunities can ensure that all education professionals who enter our schools are ready to reach, teach, and inspire their students.

• The new education law expands access to professional development to all school staff in all subjects. This expansion means that schools can place emphasis on providing all students with a well-rounded education and is no longer limited to the “tested” content areas.

• Professional development must be an integral part of school improvement plans to ensure that educators are prepared to support a well-rounded education. . The new law lets educators make their voices heard through involvement in the development of programs for low performing schools and students, as well as school-wide programs.

• Educators like me will be working to strengthen and build a broad base of support among educators, parents and community members who share our commitment to student success to ensure that professional development activities are both appropriate and useful for educators in my community. This is my school and my voice matters.




Educator Voice in matters of Professional Development

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TOPIC Backgrounder: Opportunity IndicatorsLearn more, visit: http://myschoolmyvoice.nea.org/indicators/opportunity-dashboard-indicator/ and http://myschoolmyvoice.nea.org

• Educators are best equipped to measure what matters to kids; it is important that our accountability systems no longer rely solely on test scores. Test scores do not take into account inequities in school resources and we cannot expect that under-resourced schools will have the same outputs as well-resourced schools.

• All students, regardless of their ZIP code, deserve the support, tools, resources, and time to learn. Educator involvement is critical in assessing available resources and closing opportunity gaps where they exist.

• The new education law has the potential to ensure students are supported appropriately through a new accountability system, which will help focus resources on student needs. This starts with an Opportunity Dashboard as its centerpiece – families, educators, and community leaders should all be involved in identifying schools that are not fulfilling their promise to all students.

• Understanding which opportunity indicators we should include is an important decision. It is important that we, as educators, are included in these conversations and asked for input. Our students have different needs and educators are best equipped to identify those different needs.

• We should not rely on a single opportunity indicator to determine where differences in resources exist. NEA’s Opportunity Dashboard helps us all make sure politicians and administrators are providing the resources and services all our students need, regardless of their ZIP code.

• Educators like me will be working to strengthen partnerships and build a broad base of support among partners who share our commitment to student success and take our seat at the table as opportunity indicators and their metrics are selected. This is my school and my voice matters.




Educator Voice in matters of Equity &


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TOPIC Backgrounder: Less Testing = More Learning

Learn more, visit: http://myschoolmyvoice.nea.org/testing/ and http://myschoolmyvoice.nea.org/testing/less-testing-learning/

• Students need access to a well-rounded education that includes critical thinking and problem-solving skills in all subject areas – reading, math, history, and science, as well as arts, PE, and music. All of these require time. The new education law allows for caps on the amount of time students spend testing which can help us provides students with more time to learn.

• We need to capitalize on the opportunities within the new education law to reduce the time spent testing. This can be accomplished by auditing our assessments and eliminating unnecessary, duplicative and low quality assessments.

• We need to make our voices heard to seek out other opportunities such as the use of nationally recognized tests (like ACT, SAT, or Advanced Placement tests) to reduce the time high school students spend testing.

• Educators like me need more time to focus on educating students. A reduction in the number of standardized tests and separating tests from high-stakes accountability systems can help educators focus on my student’s needs.

• All students, regardless of their ZIP code, deserve the support, tools, resources, and time to learn.• Educators like me will be working to strengthen partnerships and build a broad base of support among partners who share our

commitment to student success and take our seat at the table as plans for accountability systems are developed and implemented. This is my school and my voice matters.




Educator Voice in matters of Testing &


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TOPIC Backgrounder: Teacher Evaluations

Learn more, visit: http://myschoolmyvoice.nea.org/educators/teacher-evaluations/

• The use of a wide range of factors in teacher evaluation reduces dependence on a high-stakes test score allowing for inclusion of other measures of student success.

• Students need access to a well-rounded education. Focusing evaluation only on “tested” subjects shifts attention away from other content areas such as physical education, arts and music.

• All students, regardless of their ZIP code, deserve the support, tools, resources, and time to learn. Educator voice matters in developing good teacher evaluation systems. This is my school and my voice matters.

In my school/district this is important because…__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



Educator Voice in matters of Teacher Evaluation

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TOPIC Backgrounder: Families and Communities; ESSA 101; and Claiming Our VoiceLearn more, visit: http://getessaright.org/essa-101/need-know-essa/;

http://getessaright.org/for-educators/claiming-voice-local-level-bargaining-advocacy-opportunities-essa/;http://www.nea.org/assets/docs/ESSA%20One%20Pager%20-%20Family%20and%20Communities.pdf

• As educators we must reach out to parent organizations, civil rights organizations, disability rights groups, and other community leaders to make

sure policies that affect our students are made by people who know them by name. • We must use our voice as educators to help all stakeholders get involved in how the new education law is carried out. The new

education law provides an opportunity for all stakeholders to become more involved and take ownership of their schools.• Educators should drive conversations with community partners to multiply opportunities for student success.• Engagement by educators, parents and other stakeholders at the local level provides an insight into the specific needs of the local

student population. This increases the odds that funding will go to the areas of most need.• Educators like me will be working to strengthen partnerships and build a broad base of support among partners who share our

commitment to student success. I am here to claim my seat at the table. This is my school and my voice matters. In my school/district this is important because…__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


As trusted professionals, all educators* are uniquely prepared to drive discussions and decisions that lead to student success.

*Teachers, Paraprofessionals, Specialized Instructional Support Personnel (SISP), Education Support Professionals (ESP), Higher Education Professionals

Educator Voice in matters of Stakeholder Engagement

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We’d love to know how things are going. What successes or challenges have you had thus far with implementing ESSA in your area?

_________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________

NAME ___________________________________________________________________________________

DISTRICT ________________________________________________________________________________

EMAIL ___________________________________________________________________________________

STATE ___________________________________________________________________________________

You can also email us at [email protected] to let us know what you plan to do or which additional resources you need.

THANK YOU!

Get Informed. Be Engaged. Take Action.

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Date post:	14-Jul-2020
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