ESSA Background

Section 8302 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), requires states to develop state plans. Previously, BIE submitted a consolidated state plan pursuant to the No Child Left Behind Act. The BIE NCLB consolidated state plan was subsequently referenced in three inter-agency agreements between the Department of the Interior, BIE and the Department of Education.

Following the passage of ESSA, the BIE and the Department of Education met on December 8, 2016, to discuss whether BIE would draft and implement a new state plan pursuant to ESSA. During that meeting, Department of Education officials stated that an ESSA state plan is optional for the BIE. Following the meeting, BIE leadership determined that the BIE would develop an ESSA state plan. However, that plan will not undergo the peer review process required of states. The purpose of BIE's state plan is to serve as a roadmap and internal guide to school improvement for BIE-funded schools.

ESEA Consolidated State Plans

On March 13, 2017, the Department of Education released a revised template for the consolidated State plan under section 8302 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act. The purpose of the consolidated State plan is to provide parents with quality, transparent information about how the ESEA, as amended by the ESSA, will be implemented in their State.

Even though a State Educational Agency submits only the required information in its consolidated State plan, a SEA must still meet all ESEA requirements for each included program. For any program not included in a consolidated State plan, the SEA must submit individual program State plans that meet the statutory and regulatory requirements of each respective program.

Bureau of Indian Education Agency Plan

The Bureau of Indian Education’s Agency Plan serves as a roadmap for school improvement and support to lowest performing schools and provides Tribes, parents, and other stakeholders with quality transparent information about how the Elementary and Secondary Education Act will be implemented in BIE-funded schools, particularly the standards, assessments, and accountability system.

BIE's Executive Summary, approved Agency Plan, SAAS and waiver process:

Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI)

Comprehensive Support and Improvement Title I Schools* are schools that fall into one of the following two categories:

  1. The Lowest 5-Percent of Academically Achieving Schools

    CSI identified schools are those that are ranked according to three-year test averages in English Language Arts and Mathematics and are among the lowest performing schools that re​present 5% of all schools eligible for identification. A school may exit CSI status if the school no longer meets the lowest 5% entrance criteria AND demonstrates an improvement in the overall state assessment score greater than or equal to 3% of the gap between the baseline state assessment score (the three-year average that led to the school’s identification) and 100. This 3% improvement must be demonstrated from the highest of the three state assessment scores used in the three-year average to the current state assessment score.

    School Year 2019 - 2020 Comprehensive Support and Intervention Schools - Lowest Five (5) Percent (134.56 KB)

  2. Low Graduation Rate High Schools

    Low graduation rate high schools are those that are ranked according to three-year and four-year adjusted cohort graduation rates averaged and are less than or equal to 67%. A high school may exit Low Graduation Rate status by attaining a four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate greater than 67%.

    School Year 2019 - 2020 Comprehensive Support and Intervention Schools - Low Graduation Rate (159.3 KB)

* All BIE-funded schools operate Title I schoolwide programs.