ESSA: Every Student Succeeds Act

Frequently Asked Questions:

1. We haven't seen any new CSI (Comprehensive Support and Improvement) or ATSI (Additional Targeted Support and Improvement) identifications in the past couple of years. Why is that?
   • Schools will only be identified for CSI and ATSI every three years. The 2025-26 school year is an identification year for CSI and ATSI.
2. How are Former ELLs included in the calculations?
   • First, it's important to know who qualifies as a Former ELL. For data and accountability purposes, a Former ELL is defined as a student who is not an ELL in the reporting year, but was identified as an ELL in one or more of the previous four reporting years. Note that this is different than the 2-year time period used for providing instructional supports and testing accommodations to Former ELLs.
   • For ESSA Accountability inclusion, Former ELLs are included in the ELL subgroup in the reporting year if the number of Former ELLs is less than 50% of the sum of current reporting year ELLs and Former ELLs.
     • Former ELLs are generally not included in the English Language Proficiency (ELP) indicator calculations, as this indicator specifically measures the progress and attainment of students currently identified as ELLs/Multilingual Learners (MLLs).
3. What will happen to schools who were previously identified for Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI)?
   • If a school is identified for TSI, it is not eligible to exit until the second school year after initial identification, or any SY thereafter. Therefore, if a school was identified for TSI in the 2024-25 SY (based on 2023-24 results), then there are two possibilities for the school in the 2025-26 year identification cycle:
     • They remain identified for TSI and continue working towards improvement.
     • They identify for the more supportive Additional Targeted Support and Improvement (ATSI) model.
   • If a school was identified for TSI prior to last year (e.g., in the 2023-24 SY), then this year they may be eligible to:
     • exit the TSI support model to the Local Support and Improvement (LSI) model, or
     • move up to the more supportive ATSI model if they meet the identification criteria.
4. In a SIRS Accountability report, why might my subgroup show a count of 3 students but not have any of the accountability calculations columns populated?
   • No accountability indices or levels will be calculated for a subgroup with a low n-size. With our shift to the Reimagine Phase of the NYS ESSA Plan, the n-size is 20 student records.

Reimagine Phase Accountability System Resources

https://www.nysed.gov/accountability/school-and-district-accountability-resources-and-data 

• Fact Sheets
• Webinars and Slides
• Technical Assistance Documents
  • Q and A
  • Guides
  • Cut Points
  • MIPs and LTGs
• SIRS Reports and Links

NYSED Office of Accountability website

https://www.nysed.gov/accountability

• Access core elements of the office:
  • School & District Accountability
  • Continuous Improvement
  • ESSA Plan and Titled Programs