New Hampshire State Plan American Rescue Plan Act Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund
Summary
This is the New Hampshire State Plan for the American Rescue Plan Act Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund, published June 7, 2021, as submitted to the Department of Education. The cover lists Angela Adams as SEA contact and Frank Edelblut, Commissioner of Education, with the date June 7, 2021. The introduction says that in September of 2020, over 40% of New Hampshire schools opened with 5-days of in-person instruction and another 55% offered between 2-4 days through hybrid models. In the progress and promising practices section, the SEA names a nimble, flexible, and adaptable response that gave local education leaders broad discretion as its first top strategy.
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Cite this document
“New Hampshire State Plan American Rescue Plan Act Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund.”
Original at www.ed.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/department-of-education-pdf-www-ed-gov-13da4ae793/
, SHA-256 8a71387e5e538daea40a4f8f8139d59b4b1a9de60be49be0d0ec1646b93bad68.Full text
New Hampshire State Plan
American Rescue Plan Act
Elementary and Secondary School Emergency
Relief Fund
Published June 7, 2021
as Submitted to the U.S. Department of
Education
1
Grantee and Contact Information
ARP ESSER PR Award Number (e.g., S425U2100XX):
SEA Contact: Angela Adams
Telephone: 603-271-3144
Email address: Angela.M.Adams@doe.nh.gov
By signing this document, I agree to each of the assurances listed in Appendix C and
further assure that:
To the best of my knowledge and belief, all information and data included in this plan
are true and correct.
Chief State School Officer or Authorized Representative
(Printed Name)
Frank Edelblut, Commissioner of Education
Signature of Authorized SEA Representative Date:
June 7, 2021
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Introduction:
The New Hampshire Department of Education welcomes the opportunity to both develop and
present its plan for the use of the American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School
Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) funds. We are grateful for the many stakeholders from a wide
array of backgrounds who took valuable time to weigh in with support and advice about how we
can best help our families, students, and educators.
The extraordinary level of financial support that states have received to respond to and recover
from COVID-19 creates a real opportunity to make a meaningful difference in the lives of
students across New Hampshire. As well, this extraordinary funding also creates what some have
described as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to allow the education system across the country to
address and, hopefully, correct systemic disparity that has persisted in education for decades. We
know that certain students have been disproportionately impacted by this pandemic and we are
not willing to let any student fall behind.
New Hampshire has a deep and proud history of local control in education and this approach has
served the state well. Local control has put important decision-making close to the needs on the
ground. It has allowed New Hampshire education systems to be more resilient and responsive.
This is part of the reason why, in September of 2020, over 40% of New Hampshire schools were
able to open with 5-days of in-person instruction while another 55% of schools were offering
between 2-4 days of in-person instruction for students through hybrid models. Only a handful of
schools were unable to open for in-person instruction.
While this success is primarily attributable to hard-working local school leaders and educators, it
also reflects the resources and guidance that were made available to schools. These resources
were made possible through a whole-of-government response to the pandemic. In New
Hampshire, state agencies work together toward a common goal, and throughout the pandemic,
the Office of the Governor, the Department of Education (referred to the SEA henceforth), the
Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the Department of Safety’s Division of
Homeland Security and Emergency Management did just that. Beginning with cross-agency
conference calls each morning for over a year to collaboratively develop guidance and web-
resources, multiple agencies worked to support the needs of local school leaders, so they could
safely operate their schools.
At the time of submission of this plan, every student in New Hampshire has access to full-
time in-person instruction. Barring some unforeseeable development, this will remain true
when school resumes in September 2021. From now through the fall and beyond, our goal is to
position our SEA, schools, and educators to effectively meet students where they are on their
individual learning pathways.
As was the intent of the federal legislation authorizing these funds, we view recovery as a multi-
year process in which we will gradually shift our efforts from immediate relief to long term
reform. We have carefully and deliberately considered what can be done right away, and what is
better left to be implemented during the upcoming school year and beyond. We commit to
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continuously engaging stakeholders and to being as transparent as possible by posting all
relevant materials online. Throughout this document and consistent with our theory of change for
education in New Hampshire, we demonstrate our unwavering commitment to individualized
learning for students and empowering local school system leaders so they can in turn provide the
most support for students’ greatest needs, to engage meaningfully with parents and the public,
and to address learning loss through the use of proven, evidence-based practices.
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A. Describing the State’s Current Status and Needs
The Department recognizes the extraordinary efforts made by States, LEAs, and educators to
support students during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this section, SEAs will describe the
progress they have made, the priorities and student needs guiding their ARP ESSER funding
decisions, and their current and projected operating status.
1. Progress and Promising Practices: Provide your assessment of the top 2-3 strategies that
have been most effective in supporting the needs of students in your State during the
COVID-19 pandemic, especially for students most impacted by the COVID-19
pandemic. Please include, if applicable, how your State will submit and encourage its
LEAs to submit lessons learned and best practices to the SEA’s Safer Schools and
Campuses Best Practices Clearinghouse so that they can be shared with other States and
LEAs.
SEA Response
The SEA views the top three strategies that have allowed the state to have an effective response
to COVID-19 as:
1. Nimble, flexible, and adaptable response that provided local education leaders broad
discretion to address local circumstances: Starting with the unprecedented shift to remote
instruction in March 2020, school leaders, educators, families, students and state leaders have
been flexible and responsive to changing circumstances on the ground. New Hampshire
never “closed” school nor gave up on teaching and learning. Instead, it expeditiously
transitioned to remote instruction and then to safe in-person instruction.
This is not to say that the New Hampshire response was without challenge. However, when
those challenging circumstances were presented, every educator prioritized meeting students’
needs and took carefully planned actions that allowed for the continuity of instruction and
minimized overall disruption. We could not be prouder of the strong and collaborative
approach exemplified throughout the pandemic.
Another example of flexibility is in the area of instructional models. Some schools began the
school year with a plan to support students remotely or with hybrid models, but quickly
discovered that the models they had designed were limited in their effectiveness and required
change. By being nimble, districts could pivot when necessary, which ultimately allowed
most districts to effectively serve all students. Where districts were unable to change nor
adapt quickly, families and students were not as well-supported.
2. Clear and transparent communication with stakeholders: A variety of new
communications channels were established as a result of the pandemic. These new channels
began even before the pandemic fully manifested, when the SEA had its first support call
with LEAs in early February 2020. These evolved into 3x-per week support calls among all
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school leaders (LEAs, non-public and private providers) as well as weekly updates by state
public health officials specific to the instructional environment. In addition, individual LEA
group specific calls, including public district, public charter, and nonpublic schools, were
held by the SEA to address needs specific to their school type. Several new web sites were
deployed, including some specifically for COVID-19 educational resources for schools,
students, and parents.
At times during the pandemic, there was pressure to mandate statewide policies. Throughout
the pandemic, the SEA and the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services
(DHHS) preferred to issue guidance that enabled each community to craft a response that
would meet the needs of their individual communities and avoided the use of “one-size-fits-
all” mandates. This reflected the fact that conditions varied significantly from one
community to another, from urban centers to rural communities.
Going forward, some of these additional communication channels will remain in place in
support of SEA/LEA communications, although on a less intensive schedule.
3. Supportive, research-based guidance and resources:
Through its newly established channels of communication, both the SEA and DHHS
published a number of resources throughout the pandemic to communicate guidance and
policies to LEAs. These ranged from very narrowly crafted guidance to address very specific
information to broad resources for the schools to communicate with their communities about
the process that would take place when a COVID-19 event occurred in the instructional
setting. As an example, the SEA developed, in coordination with DHHS, very specific
research-based guidance about how to provide in-person services to students with disabilities
in a safe manner.
Specific technical resources were set up for LEAs as well as families, including an on-line
knowledge center through which individuals were able to post questions and receive answers.
This knowledge center was searchable so that anyone could review previous questions in to
find answers. The Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM) was
fully operationalized including use of its Joint Information Center (JIC) and 211 hotline to
assist all New Hampshire residents in accessing necessary resources.
The SEA also plans to publish lessons learned and best practices, especially related to its
ReKINDling Curiosity: Every Kid Goes to Camp program and its Recovering Bright Futures
program to the Safer Schools and Campuses Best Practices Clearinghouse once these
programs are implemented during the summer and fall 2021. The SEA will also share
information about the Safer Schools and Campuses Best Practices Clearinghouse and
encourage LEA submission of lessons learned and best practices in the areas of safely
reopening, student support, and educator support on a webinar disseminating New
Hampshire’s ARP ESSER State Plan and on monthly calls with all district superintendents.
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2. Overall Priorities: Provide your assessment of the top 2-3 issues currently facing students
and schools across your State as a result of or in response to the COVID-19 pandemic
including, to the extent possible, data illustrating why these are the most critical and/or
most widespread issues facing schools and students.
SEA Response
The SEA views the top three issues currently facing students and schools as:
1. Individualized Instruction to Recover Any Learning Loss.
As a result of the pandemic and indications from assessment data (see discussion below for
assessment during the pandemic), the SEA anticipates that the student performance curve
across the state will look different this year. Our belief is that the middle will have flattened
and the ends of the performance curve will have grown, with more students at the top end of
the curve and more students at the bottom end, with a larger standard deviation. In other
words, some students are performing better than they were pre-pandemic and some students
are performing worse than they were performing pre-pandemic.
Some students thrived in pandemic learning, either through strong home supports or the
exercise of greater individual agency that allowed them to flourish. Alternatively, more
students had difficulty accessing their education, either because of lack of appropriate
resources or an instructional model that was not conducive to their learning style, among
other reasons. Given these dynamics, it will be important for all students to be engaged
based on where they are on their learning curve, whether accelerated or having fallen behind,
in a way that challenges them, is not stigmatizing, and allows them to be successful.
Individualized instruction will also be a challenge facing our schools. Educators returning to
the classroom will need new tools and instructional approaches that enable them to be
effective with a broader range of students and a system flexible enough to allow teachers
room to help students succeed. This issue will provide fertile ground for investment of relief
funds.
2. Educator Fatigue
Many of our educators in New Hampshire were compelled by the pandemic to work in
instructional models for which they had not been trained. Before the pandemic, educator
preparation and professional development focused on in-person, in-classroom instruction.
While most of our educators performed admirably in the new instructional model, it added to
stress and anxiety levels for educators across the state. This may affect their perspective and
performance upon return to the classroom that can be supported with additional skill
preparation and support. We will utilize our critical shortage survey results that will be
collected in October 2021 to evaluate if higher than normal levels of retirement and attrition
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exist. This will inform strategies to support our teacher workforce and, if necessary, to
recruit new, motivated teachers.
3. Family Engagement
The third area of focus for the SEA will be around family engagement. Even before the
pandemic, family engagement played an important role in student success. During the
pandemic, one of the bright spots was increased family engagement in student learning. One
example of this is a family survey that was conducted in May and June of 2020. More than
56,000 parents and educators responded, which far exceeded any previous record of
response. They provided invaluable input into the design of instruction. This survey will be
given again in June 2021. Although family engagement itself is a not a problem, the heighted
levels of engagement of families is an opportunity that we want to capitalize on and
continue, to the benefit of students.
3. Identifying Needs of Underserved Students: Describe your State’s 2-3 highest priority
academic, social, emotional, and/or mental health needs for the remainder of the 2020-
2021 school year (if applicable) and for the 2021-2022 school year related to the impact
of the COVID-19 pandemic on each of the following student groups:
a. Students from low-income families,
b. Students from each racial or ethnic group (e.g., identifying
disparities and focusing on underserved student groups by race or
ethnicity),
c. Gender (e.g., identifying disparities and focusing on underserved
student groups by gender),
d. English learners,
e. Children with disabilities (including infants, toddlers, children, and
youth with disabilities eligible under the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (“IDEA”)),
f. Students experiencing homelessness,
g. Children and youth in foster care,
h. Migratory students, and
i. Other groups disproportionately impacted by the pandemic that have
j. been identified by the SEA (e.g., youth involved in the criminal
justice system, students who have missed the most in-person
instruction during the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 school years,
students who did not consistently participate in remote instruction
when offered during school building closures, and LGBTQ+
students).
To the extent possible, this description should include data on indicators such
as estimates of the academic impact of lost instructional time, chronic
absenteeism, student engagement, and social-emotional well-being.
SEA Response
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Given the pandemic’s disproportionate effects on students from low-income families,
ESL students, students with disabilities, and racial and ethnic minority students, we
recognize the need to help those students who are most at risk of falling behind. In
addition, even before the pandemic, we recognized disparities in performance and across
other indicators between student subgroups. Our strategy for providing support to
students in the wake of the pandemic is consistent with our broader theory of change for
education in New Hampshire: providing individualized support to all students by
empowering local school leaders with the resources and tools they need, and holding
ourselves accountable to the progress of students. This is consistent with the approach
described in our ESSA state plan that focused on underperforming student subgroups by
introducing a specific indicator to our statewide accountability to ensure schools
successfully supported those students with the greatest need.
Looking ahead, we foresee comparable needs across the array of student subgroups listed
below. Please note that many students belong to more than one subgroup listed, which
further amalgamates need. Because the level of need is comparable, and because the
groups are not exclusive, and given our theory that local leaders are best equipped to
solve local educational problems, we do not intend to require specific interventions be
matched to specific gender, racial, ethnic, or family income subgroups. Rather, the SEA
expects to invest in holistic interventions and programs that are accessible for all students
(with a priority given to high-needs students, like those described in the groups below) to
ensure no one is left behind. Our assessment of the top needs for children in the state is
individualized instruction, access to technology, and out-of-school learning opportunities,
such as summer enrichment camps.
These priorities were further developed through stakeholder consultation and individual
LEA responses to a data collection based on the U.S. Department of Education’s State
Plan template received on or before June 1, 2021.
In this special data collection to inform the State Plan, LEA narratives reported increased
absenteeism and learning loss during remote learning and hybrid learning periods
compared to pre-pandemic in-person learning, but did not provide information specific to
student groups. Specifically, LEAs reported the greatest increase in learning loss was in
mathematics for students across all student demographics. As described in Section A(4)
of this plan, the SEA will collect data on the impact of lost instructional time by student
group, as well as student engagement and social-emotional well-being data through the
603 Bright Futures Survey, a new statewide school climate survey. The SEA will also
collect chronic absenteeism rates in its EOY data collection.
Table A1.
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Student group Highest priority needs
Students from low-income families
● Intensive, high-dose tutoring, especially in
math and ELA, provided by effective teachers
receiving supplemental stipends;
● Reinitiate and expand wraparound supports to
ensure students can access learning; and
● Individualized instruction and more dynamic
instructional models that build individual
agency.
Students from each racial or ethnic ● As noted by many LEAs and a focus of the
background used by the State for SEA is to focus effort and resources where
reporting purposes – please add a there is performance disparity, particularly
row for each racial or ethnic group among low-income, ESL and disability
(e.g., identifying disparities and subgroups, which also disproportionately
focusing on underserved student represent racial and ethnic minority
populations. New Hampshire uses this
groups by race/ethnicity)
approach consistent with federal civil rights
law.
Students by gender – please add a ● As noted by many LEAs and a focus of the
row for each gender (e.g., SEA is to focus effort and resources where
identifying disparities and focusing there is performance disparity, particularly
on underserved student groups by among low-income, ESL and disability
gender) subgroups, which also disproportionately
represent racial and ethnic minority
populations. New Hampshire uses this
approach consistent with federal civil rights
law.
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English learners ● Increased access to academic supports
throughout the recovery period, including
expanded in-school and after-school
programming;
● Professional development to support all NH
educators working with EL students to ensure
ELs can access grade-level academic content
to accelerate content and language learning;
and
● Development of a comprehensive language
assistance plan to bridge barriers between
home and school and to support sustained
culturally responsive two-way communication
that will build a foundation for meaningful
collaboration with EL families.
Children with disabilities ● Continued recovery services following the
compensatory education services supported
by the SEA in spring 2021, including those
supporting students whose special education
referrals experienced pandemic-related
delays;
● Professional development to personalize
instruction, including expansion of SEA’s
UDL training, to meet the unique needs of
students with disabilities, especially those
arising from the pandemic and creation of
competency based courses to better prepare
paraprofessionals; and
● Promotion of parent/caregiver engagement
and parent/caregiver training.
Students experiencing ● Outreach and identification;
homelessness ● Reengagement including through providing
nontraditional transportation supports
especially in rural communities; and
● Credit accrual and recovery.
Children and youth in foster care ● Technical assistance to LEAs and schools on
federal and state requirements for serving
children and youth in foster care and best
practices, including those responsive to the
pandemic;
● Given changes and potential changes in
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personnel, updated LEA and school-based
foster care point of contacts, which will be
newly published on the SEA website and
encouraged to be published on relevant LEA
and school websites; and
● Expand engagement with DHHS in
coordinating support of children and youth in
foster care, including through
institutionalizing data sharing.
Migratory students ● Identification and recruitment of migratory
students statewide given that recruiters could
not contact potential families in person during
the pandemic;
● Technology, especially to support
supplemental learning during the summer and
continued access to online learning platforms
year-round; and
● A transition back to home-based services and
supports, given the inability of migrant staff
to provide in-person instruction and support
during the pandemic.
Other groups of students identified Students in rural communities, existing mostly in
by the State (e.g., youth involved Northern New Hampshire or “North country:”
in the criminal justice system, ● Higher quality remote instruction, especially
students who have missed the most through teacher professional development
in-person instruction during the provided by the University System of New
2019-2020 and 2020-2021 school Hampshire, Granite State College;
years, students who did not ● Technology, especially to support
consistently participate in remote supplemental learning during the summer and
instruction when offered during during the school year; and
school building closures, ● Removed barriers to accessing career
LGBTQ+ students) development opportunities through inter-
district transportation supports.
4. Understanding the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Describe how the SEA
will support its LEAs in identifying the extent of the impact of the COVID-19
pandemic on student learning and student well-being, including identifying the
groups of students most impacted by the pandemic. Where possible, please
identify the data sources the SEA will suggest its LEAs use in thoughtfully
diagnosing areas of need, including data on the academic, social, emotional, and
mental health impacts of lost instructional time.
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SEA Response
The SEA is prepared to support LEAs in identifying the extent of the impact of the
pandemic on students’ learning and well-being, including identification of subgroups of
students most impacted, in several ways. As part of the process in which LEAs will
develop their own ARP plans, LEAs will be required to engage in stakeholder feedback
with all required stakeholder groups, which will uncover authentic need from a diverse
array of sources as described by the people experiencing it. We will also provide LEAs
with access to formative/benchmarking assessments, data from the most recent statewide
assessments, and ongoing communications/technical assistance channels to help foster
communities of practice among LEA leaders.
Perhaps differently than some states, New Hampshire has available rich data regarding
student performance that it intends to share with LEAs. New Hampshire anticipates full
administration in spring 2021 of the summative assessments for English Language Arts,
Mathematics and Science for grades 3-8 and grade 11. In addition, the ELP assessment,
ACCESS 2.0, was fully administered in 2020 and 2021, allowing New Hampshire to
derive academic impact data for English language learners. New Hampshire also
administered an interim summative assessment in ELA and math in fall 2020.
New Hampshire will use 2021 and historical assessment data to research the following
questions:
● To what extent are 2021 assessment participation rates different from historical
patterns?
● How different is the observed 2021 achievement status of New Hampshire
students from their historical status, in
o English language arts?
o Mathematics?
o English language proficiency?
● How different is the observed 2021 achievement growth of New Hampshire
students from their expected growth, in
o English language arts?
o Mathematics?
o English language proficiency?
● What is the anticipated academic recovery time for each based on the experienced
COVID-19 disruptions?
Participation rates will be evaluated, summarized and considered throughout the analysis
and reporting of academic impact. Specifically, the testing population will be compared
with historical testing populations for the purpose of understanding the extent to which
status and growth comparisons between pre- and post-pandemic are appropriate, or
require that populations be sampled, or results adjusted, to produce accurate information
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about impact based on these measures. Participation and non-participation in state tests
will be investigated based upon numerous factors including student demographic
characteristics, mode-of education during the pandemic (to the extent that the data can be
collected), student achievement characteristics, and school characteristics.
Status. English language arts and mathematics performance levels, and English language
proficiency levels will be compared from year-to-year (based on representative samples
as appropriate to New Hampshire’s final test participation rates and population
characteristics). A difference in differences approach will be used to understand whether
any differences in achievement status between 2019 and 2021 are substantially larger
than those noted pre-pandemic.
Growth. For the purpose of identifying the academic impact of the pandemic on student
growth, New Hampshire proposes to establish pre- pandemic Student Growth Percentiles
(SGPs, Betebenner, 2009) baseline growth norms that can be used to evaluate student
growth in the state from 2019 to 2021. By definition, pre-pandemic growth for students
will show a median SGP of 50 for each grade and content area. Deviations below 50 for
growth in 2021 will, therefore, be interpretable as a negative academic impact for
students statewide, within schools, and for student subgroups.
Recovery. Based upon these findings, determinations will be made regarding the
expected recovery time for students to “return” to their “pre-COVID” performance
levels. Findings will be disaggregated by racial/ethnic status, special education status,
English learner identification, poverty level, community type, school type, mode of
instruction, and attendance rate. By determining the “recovery time” based on student or
community statuses, the SEA will be able to identify those most impacted by the
pandemic and in need of the most intervention.
Reporting. The SEA aims to publish a report of its findings in the late fall of 2021, after
assessment results have been compiled and validated. The SEA also intends to provide
the findings in a digestible format to schools and provide guidance on how to utilize the
findings to determine short-term needs to be addressed and to establish a long-term
strategy to build upon the immediate response. In order to make assessment data more
accessible to families, the SEA will work through a vendor to provide families with
individualized graphical animations of student performance results.
With this information, it will be possible to:
● Inform policy decisions related to the recovery of student learning, including
targeting interventions toward those schools and students who have been most
disrupted by remote instruction and other pandemic instructional models or other
factors that may have impacted a student’s academic progress;
● Inform district and school level planning for recovery interventions;
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● Respond to questions from the press and the public;
● Effectively engage and inform parents of the status of student learning, and
● Serve as a strong basis for monitoring recovery.
The SEA also created a new school climate survey, which was piloted in three LEAs in
November 2020 supported by technical assistance from the Office of Social and
Emotional Wellness. Across these three pilot LEAs, there were 529 educator respondents
and 1,034 families. The pilot survey included indicators around school safety, family
engagement, and resources, among other school climate domains. In both stakeholder
groups, school safety questions produced highly favorable responses, and home education
partnerships emerged as an area for improvement. The participating LEAs used pilot
survey results as one of the many datasets used to inform their implementation of New
Hampshire’s Multi-Tiered System of Supports for Behavioral Health and Wellness
(MTSS-B) as well as district-wide strategic planning in general.
The statewide 603 Bright Futures Survey was announced June 1, 2021 and disseminated
to parents, educators and community members. It expanded the school climate pilot
survey to include survey questions on perspectives on the response by New Hampshire
schools to the COVID-19 pandemic this past year and how the experience should
influence instructional as plans are made for fall learning. It also includes perspectives on
how school districts facilitated parent involvement in the special education process,
informing IDEA Indicator 8. Surveys may be found here:
● Families in K-12, Preschool, and Private Schools: bit.ly/nhdoefamily
● Staff in Public and Private Schools: bit.ly/nhdoestaff
● Community Members: bit.ly/nhdoecommunity
The 603 Bright Futures Survey will close June 30, 2021. Survey results will be published
on the SEA’s website and LEAs will have access to their unique data to inform statewide
and LEA-specific conversations on the social, emotional, and mental health impacts of
the pandemic and how to best support student well-being in the 2021-2022 school year
and beyond.
5. School Operating Status: It is essential to have data on how students are learning in
order to support the goals of access and equity, especially for student groups that
have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Describe the
current status of data collection on operational status and mode of instruction of all
schools in your State. This description must include:
i. A description of to what extent, and how frequently, the State collects
now and will collect in the future data for all schools in your State on:
a. Mode of instruction: The number of schools in your State that are
offering fully remote or online-only instruction; both remote/online
and in-person instruction (hybrid model); and/or full-time in-person
instruction;
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b. Enrollment: Student enrollment for all students and disaggregated
for each of the student groups described in A.3.iviii for each mode of
instruction; and
c. Attendance: Student attendance for all students and disaggregated
for each of the student groups described in A.3.iviii for each mode of
instruction.
SEA Response
Currently, more than 99% of all New Hampshire students have the option of 5-days per
week of in-person instruction.
On April 2, 2021, consistent with the belief that all students should have access to full-
time, in-person instruction, Governor Christopher Sununu issued Emergency Order #89.1
This Emergency Order required, among other things, that “all New Hampshire schools
must provide in person instruction 5 days per week for all students who elect such an
option” no later than April 19, 2021. The Emergency Order provided a waiver process for
schools that would not be able to meet this requirement. Six schools were granted
waivers to allow for a delayed opening. On May 3, 2021, all but two New Hampshire
schools had complied with the order and two schools were granted extended waivers for
the remainder of the school year. Both of these schools offer unique programming to
students with high-risk health conditions.
While all New Hampshire students have the opportunity for full-time in-person
instruction, except noted above, the SEA has modified its annual End of Year (EOY)
data collection to collect instructional mode and attendance information by student,
including sub-group and by mode of instruction throughout 2020/2021. This level of
data, to the extent LEAs are able to accurately provide it to the SEA, will provide
detailed student level information that can be correlated between student performance
and instructional modes throughout the year.
New Hampshire does not have a statewide student information system. As such, the
annual EOY data collection is the most expeditious method to compile the information.
The SEA commits to posting the data on its website once validated so the public may
view it. The SEA would also flag that not all school districts have student information
systems that will support this data collection, so some estimating may be required. In
order to ensure accuracy, the SEA commits to a thorough review of all data and
1
Prior to Emergency Order #89, Governor Sununu issued Emergency Order #85 on March 8, 2021. This Emergency
Order required, among other things, that "New Hampshire schools must provide in person instruction for at least
two days per week for any student who wishes to elect such an option, unless a school elects to transition to full
time distance learning for all students or a segment of students."
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additional follow-ups with LEAs as necessary in order to meet its goal to publish clear
and reliable information for the public to view online.
ii. The data described in A.5.i.a. and b. using the template in Appendix A
(and to the extent available, the data described in A.5.i.c.) for the most recent
time period available. Please note that this data can be submitted separately
within 14 calendar days after a State submits this plan. The SEA must also make
this data publicly available on its website as soon as possible but no later than
June 21, 2021, and regularly provide updated available information on its
website. The SEA will periodically review data listed in A.5.i on SEA websites.
SEA Response
The SEA has completed the information in Appendix A, to the extent it has such data
available. This includes information for Elementary, Middle School and High School.
The SEA does not currently have such information for sub-groups. The SEA has
modified its annual End of Year (EOY) data collection to collect this enrollment
information by sub-group and by mode of instruction for 2020/2021. New Hampshire
does not have a statewide student information system. As such, the EOY data collection
is the most expeditious method to compile the information. The SEA would also flag that
not all school districts have student information systems that will support this data
collection, so some estimating may be required. In order to ensure accuracy, the SEA
commits to a thorough review of all data and additional follow-ups with LEAs as
necessary in order to meet its goal to publish clear and reliable information for the public
to view online.
iii. To the extent available, a description of the planned operational status and
mode of instruction for the State and its LEAs for Summer 2021 and for the 2021-
2022 school year.
SEA Response
Consistent with Governor Sununu’s Emergency Order #89, New Hampshire schools are
currently open for full-time, in-person instruction. The Emergency Order provides a
waiver process for schools unable to meet this requirement; two schools serving
medically fragile students received such a waiver. Aside from those limited exceptions
and barring some unforeseeable circumstance, the expectation is that all New Hampshire
schools will be open for full-time, in-person instruction during the fall of 2021.
During the summer of 2021, the expectation is that all New Hampshire schools will offer
full-time, in-person instruction comparable to programming offered during summers past;
some school districts intend to offer additional programming to address learning loss.
The SEA utilized $3.0 million of GEER I State funds to provide access to New
17
Hampshire youth recreation camps to support student social, emotional, and mental
health through the ReKINDling Curiosity program. As a wrap-around service to this
offering the SEA also contracted with the New Hampshire Community Behavioral
Health Association and Community Mental Health Centers to provide training and
support to New Hampshire camps in support of students attending camp. The SEA will
use its 1% ARP ESSER State set-aside to provide summer enrichment activities,
including by potentially extending this transformational program to summer 2022 and
beyond.
B. Safely Reopening Schools and Sustaining their Safe Operations
The Department recognizes that safely reopening schools and sustaining their safe operations
to maximize in-person instruction is essential for student learning and student well-being,
and especially for being able to address the educational inequities that have been worsened
by the COVID-19 pandemic. In this section, SEAs will describe how they will support their
LEAs in this vital area.
1. Support for LEAs: Describe how the SEA will support its LEAs in safely returning
to in-person instruction and sustaining the safe operation of schools.
This description must include:
i. How the SEA will support its LEAs implementing, to the greatest
extent practicable, prevention and mitigation policies in line with
the most up-to-date guidance from the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (“CDC”) for the reopening and operation of school
facilities to effectively maintain the health and safety of students,
educators, and other staff;
Complete the table below, adding rows as necessary, or provide a
narrative description.
SEA Response
The SEA released its first version of New Hampshire Grades K-12 Back-to-School
Guidance in early July 2020. This comprehensive resource, which has been continually
updated throughout the 2020-2021 school year (most recent update as of March 2021),
provides New Hampshire LEAs with comprehensive guidance about the safe operation of
school. This resource was developed by the SEA in collaboration with DHHS and reflects
CDC as well as state public health guidelines, as applied to the unique circumstances of
the pandemic in New Hampshire. These high-quality resources are complemented by
easy-to-understand FAQs, checklists, and posters that are available in multiple languages.
In addition to this critical resource, both the SEA and State and local public health
officials have continued to provide on-going updates and resources to LEAs throughout
the pandemic. This included, early in the pandemic, meetings with school leaders and the
SEA three-times weekly to communicate vital information. Beginning in the fall 2020,
these meetings were tapered to first twice per week and then weekly. Finally, these
meetings were tapered to twice per month and a weekly call was introduced directly with
18
DHHS to respond to specific health related questions school leaders, and in particular
school nurses, might have relative to COVID-19 response.
In no small part, these efforts have resulted in the New Hampshire schools being open for
full-time, in-person instruction as of April 2021.
All of this historical support and continued support is documented both on school
resource pages on the DHHS website as well as on the SEA website. These high levels of
support will continue through 2021 and 2022.
Table B1.
Mitigation strategy SEA response
Universal and correct State public health officials continue to provide direct
wearing of masks guidance on the importance and appropriate application of
mask guidance. This is continually updated, as reflected in
this most recent update.
Physical distancing COVID-19 mitigation strategies, including physical
(e.g., including use of distancing, are specifically addressed in New Hampshire
cohorts/podding) Grades K-12 Back-to-School Guidance and updated
communications from the SEA and state public health as
described above. In addition, a number of communication
resources were developed for use by LEAs in communicating
these important practices.
Handwashing and COVID-19 mitigation strategies, including hand sanitation
respiratory etiquette and respiratory etiquette, are specifically addressed in New
Hampshire Grades K-12 Back-to-School Guidance and
updated communications from the SEA and state public
health as described above. In addition, a number of
communication resources were developed for use by LEAs in
communicating these important practices.
Cleaning and COVID-19 mitigation strategies, including cleaning and
maintaining healthy facilities, are specifically addressed in New Hampshire
facilities, including Grades K-12 Back-to-School Guidance and updated
improving ventilation communications from the SEA and state public health as
described above.
Contact tracing in In coordination with state public health, a school liaison
combination with office was established at public health to assist schools to
isolation and respond to specific questions not included in guidance
quarantine, in documents and to work alongside schools in contact tracing,
collaboration with the where appropriate, depending on community infection rates.
State, local, territorial, In addition, a School Toolkit was developed to provide
or Tribal health SEAs guidance for contact tracing. These supports will continue in
the 2021-2022 school year.
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Diagnostic and COVID-19 mitigation strategies, including diagnostic and
screening testing screening, are specifically addressed in New Hampshire
Grades K-12 Back-to-School Guidance and updated
communications from the SEA and state public health as
described above. In addition, specific guidance was provided
to LEAs relative to diagnostic and screening testing were
developed for use by LEAs in communicating these
important practices. Lastly, in April 2021 and in partnership
with state public health officials, the Safer At School
Screening Program (SASS) was made available to schools.
This program extended testing benefits to schools across
New Hampshire through the end of the 2021 school year. 97
schools participated in the program, or about 20% of all
public schools in the state. This program will continue to be
offered to schools for the 2021-2022 school year
Efforts to provide New Hampshire had one of the nation’s most successful
vaccinations to vaccine roll-out programs in the country. New Hampshire
educators, other staff, educators were prioritized for vaccines just behind
and students, if eligible emergency and medical personnel and the most vulnerable
populations. Vaccine administration was coordinated through
Community Health Centers, including options for on-site
clinics at school locations. In New Hampshire, there are
today available vaccine opportunities for those eligible and
seeking a vaccination.
Appropriate Starting in Mach 2020, significant effort and attention was
accommodations for placed on making sure that students with disabilities were
children with making progress toward educational and other IEP goals.
disabilities with respect This included specific state Emergency Order #48 Special
to the health and safety Education Requirements to Support Education. Further,
policies working with state public health, specific guidance was
developed early in the pandemic for the safe delivery of in-
person special education services, including services to some
of our most medically needy students. In addition, CARES
Act and state level IDEA funds were specifically allocated to
support third-party providers of services to students with
disabilities and to provide school districts with funds to
support needed compensatory education services.
ii. Any Statewide plans, policies, estimated timelines, and specific
milestones related to reopening and operation of school facilities,
including any mechanisms the SEA will use to track, monitor, or
enforce their implementation;
20
SEA Response
Consistent with Governor Sununu’s Emergency Order #89, New Hampshire schools are
currently open for full-time, in-person instruction. The Emergency Order provides a
waiver process for schools unable to meet this requirement; two schools serving
medically fragile students received such a waiver. The expectation is that all New
Hampshire schools will be open for full-time, in-person instruction during the fall of
2021.
To monitor LEA implementation and to meet federal ARP ESSER statutory and
regulatory requirements, the SEA released a template for the LEA Plan on the Safe
Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Services, otherwise known as the
“school district reopening plan,” on May 25, 2021, the day following the SEA’s
allocation of two-thirds of ARP ESSER LEA funds. The plan template, which is
consistent with ARPA and ARP ESSER IFR requirements, and other ARP ESSER
documents can be found here. In addition to LEAs complying with the statutory
requirements for public posting and comments within 30 days of receipt of ARP ESSER
funds, the SEA will publish all LEA Plans on the Safe Return to In-Person Instruction
and Continuity of Services on its ARP ESSER webpage.
Moving forward, the SEA will resume monitoring and enforcing the New Hampshire
Minimum Standards for Public School Approval, which governs the day-to-day operating
status of schools in the state and imposes basic requirements (such as the minimum
number of instructional hours required in a school year) as it has traditionally done.
iii. To what extent the SEA and its LEAs consult with Federal, State,
and local health officials. This description should include, if
available, whether the SEA and its LEAs have received support for
screening testing from their State or local health SEA based
on funding awarded by the CDC; and
SEA Response
The SEA has facilitated collaboration between state public health officials, state leaders,
and school leaders, both from LEAs and Non-public schools, from the beginning of the
pandemic. The SEA and state public health websites include extensive information and
resources developed in close coordination.
In April 2021, in partnership with state public health officials, the Safer At School
Screening Program (SASS) was made available to schools. This program extended
testing benefits to schools across New Hampshire through the end of the 2021 school
year. 97 schools participated in the program, or about 20% of all public schools in the
state. This program will continue to be offered to schools for the 2021-2022 school year.
21
iv. Any guidance, professional learning, and technical assistance
opportunities the SEA will make available to its LEAs.
SEA Response
Since the beginning of the pandemic, the SEA has provided LEAs guidance and
technical assistance on a dedicated website, through community discussions, over
social media and many other modes of communication.
For LEA staff, the SEA has offered on-going professional development opportunities in
two principal areas. The first is relative to the mental and behavioral health of both
students and educators alike. In doing so, the SEA built an important library of training
in this area through its Bureau of Student Wellness. The Bureau of Student Wellness
will continue to provide pandemic-responsive professional development for student
mental and behavioral health, including by further growing its library of resources on
its YouTube channel and portal in response to the field’s needs.
While the SEA expects schools to offer in-person instruction in the fall of 2021, we
also recognize that our educators need to have tools available to them in the event that
they need, once again, to pivot to a remote instructional model. Toward that end,
through an RFP process, the SEA has contracted with the University System of New
Hampshire, Granite State College to offer all New Hampshire educators training in
designing an online course, instructing an online course and using the state learning
management system to conduct that instruction. To encourage educator participation in
this program, the SEA will pay participation stipends.
2. Safe Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Services Plans: Describe
how the SEA will ensure that its LEAs that receive ARP ESSER funds meet the
requirements in section 2001(i) of the ARP Act and the requirements relating to
the ARP ESSER funds published in the Federal Register and available at
https://oese.ed.gov/offices/american-rescue-plan/american-rescue-
planelementary-and-secondary-school-emergency-relief/ (ARP ESSER
requirements) to either: (a) within 30 days of receipt of the funds, develop and
make publicly available on the LEA’s website a plan for the safe return to in-
person instruction and continuity of services, or (b) have developed and made
publicly available on the LEA’s website such a plan that meets statutory
requirements before the enactment of the ARP Act, including:
i. How the SEA will ensure that each LEA plan includes, or will be
modified to include, the extent to which it has adopted policies and a
description of any such policies on each of the strategies listed in table B1;
ii. How the SEA will ensure that each LEA plan describes how it will ensure
continuity of services including but not limited to services to address the
students’ academic needs, and students’ and staff social, emotional, mental
22
health, and other needs, which may include student health and food services;
iii. How the SEA will ensure that the LEA periodically reviews, no less
frequently than every six months for the duration of the ARP ESSER grant
period (i.e., through September 30, 2023),2 and revises as appropriate, its plan,
and how the SEA will ensure that the LEA seeks public input, and takes such
input into account on (1) whether revisions are necessary and, if so, (2) the
revisions to the plan; and
iv. Describe, to the extent the SEA collects it, information about LEA
implementation, to the greatest extent practicable, of each element of the most
up-to-date CDC guidance listed in table B1 and its LEAs’ needs for support
and technical assistance to implement strategies consistent, to the greatest
extent practicable, with relevant CDC guidance.
SEA Response
At the time of passage of ARP ESSER, the SEA held informational sessions with LEAs
to familiarize them with the provisions of the new law. In these informational sessions,
specific reference was made to Section 2001(i) Safe Return to In-Person Instruction. One
of the areas emphasized was the reopening plan requirement that LEA’s “shall seek
public comment on the plan and take such comments into account in the development of
the plan.” In addition, the SEA used the maximum allowable number of days in order to
make LEA grant fund allocations. This, in turn, provided the LEA’s with the maximum
allowable time to fulfill this requirement.
To ensure LEAs meet such federal ARP ESSER statutory and regulatory requirements,
the SEA released a template for the LEA Plan on the Safe Return to In-Person Instruction
and Continuity of Services, otherwise known as the “school district reopening plan,” on
May 25, 2021, the day following the SEA’s allocation of two-thirds of ARP ESSER LEA
funds. The plan template, which is consistent with ARPA and ARP ESSER IFR
requirements, and other ARP ESSER documents can be found here. On May 26, 2021,
the SEA conducted a webinar with all school district superintendents walking through the
template, which outlines the relevant statutory and regulatory requirements, and
explaining relevant deadlines including that the plan must be submitted and posted within
30 days of receipt of funds. The template includes:
i. The extent to which the LEA adopted each CDC health and safety strategy in
table B1 in SY 2020-2021 and the extent to which the LEA will adopt each
strategy in SY 2021-2022. Such components of the school district reopening plan
will be evaluated for completeness.
2
ARP ESSER funds are subject to the Tydings amendment in section 421(b) of the General Education Provisions
Act, 20 U.S.C. 1225(b), and are therefore available to SEAs and LEAs for obligation through September 30, 2024.
Review and revisions of these plans, if necessary, are not required during the Tydings period.
23
ii. Descriptions in both SY 2020-2021 and SY 2021-2022 of how the LEA
provided/will provide continuity of services in addressing student academic
needs; continuity of services in addressing student social, emotional, mental, and
other health needs, which may include student health and food services; and
continuity of services in addressing staff social, emotional, mental, and other
health needs. Such components of the school district reopening plan will be
evaluated for completeness.
iii. Affirmation and description of how the LEA will meet the federal regulatory
requirement to review and, as appropriate, revise its school district reopening plan
at least every six months through September 30, 2023; how the LEA will meet the
federal statutory requirement to seek public input and take such input into account
in determining whether to revise the plan and, if revisions are determined
necessary, on the revisions it makes to its plan; how the LEA will also meet the
federal regulatory requirement to address CDC safety recommendations and, if
the CDC has updated its safety recommendations at the time the LEA is revising
its plan, each of the updated CDC safety recommendations. Such components of
the school district reopening plan will be evaluated for completeness. The SEA
will require affirmation of review and, if applicable, resubmission of the school
district reopening plan every six months through September 30, 2023.
iv. Descriptions of LEA adoption of each CDC health and safety strategy in table B1
in SY 2020-2021 and SY 2021-2022. Such components of the school district
reopening plan will be evaluated for completeness. The SEA will make potential
CDC guidance updates available to district superintendents, as it did so with
previous iterations of CDC guidance. The SEA will also continue to connect
LEAs with state and local health officials to appropriately meet their needs for
relevant support and technical assistance regarding localized safety measures
based on the guidance provided by the CDC, NH Public Health, and local public
health officials.
In addition to the new SEA processes described above, the New Hampshire Department
of Health and Human Services (DHHS) built a state COVID-19 dashboard. This
dashboard collects and reports a number of data elements relative to COVID-19. There is
a specific school section in which DHHS has the ability to collect information on
instructional models across the state. In addition, however, the dashboard was also built
to collect information relative to school level policies across a number of important areas
including: General Policies (e.g., masks, extra-curricular activities, and sports), Hygiene,
Distancing (classrooms, lunch and recess), Transportation and Guest Access to schools.
All of these tools may be deployed to understand how LEAs may be implementing the
current CDC and state public health guidance. To the extent it is practicable, the SEA will
support DHHS and its LEAs to fully populate these dashboards with current information
for view by parents and the public.
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C. Planning for the Use and Coordination of ARP ESSER Funds
The Department recognizes that seeking input from diverse stakeholders is essential to
developing plans for the use of ARP ESSER funds that are responsive to the needs of
students, families, and educators. In this section, SEAs will describe their plans for
consultation and for coordinating the use of ARP ESSER funds with other resources to meet
the needs of students.
1. SEA Consultation: Consistent with the ARP ESSER requirements, describe how
the SEA engaged in meaningful consultation with stakeholders, and incorporated
input into its plan, including, but not limited to:
i students;
ii. families;
iii. Tribes (if applicable);
iv. civil rights organizations (including disability rights organizations);
v. school and district administrators (including special education
administrators);
vi. superintendents;
vii. charter school leaders (if applicable);
viii. teachers, principals, school leaders, other educators, school staff,
and their unions; and
ix. stakeholders representing the interests of children with disabilities,
English learners, children experiencing homelessness, children and youth in
foster care, migratory students, children who are incarcerated, and other
underserved students.
The description must include how the SEA provided the public the opportunity
to provide input in the development of the plan, a summary of the input
(including any letters of support), and how the SEA took such input into account.
SEA Response
The SEA values robust input from stakeholders on such an important topic and engaged
with stakeholders from around the state, including students, families, civil rights experts,
school and district leaders, teacher, and stakeholders representing the interests of children
with disabilities, English learners, children experiencing homelessness, children and
youth in foster care, migratory students, children who are incarcerated, and other
underserved students.
In the Spring of 2020, the SEA convened a broad stakeholder group called the School
Transition, Redesign and Reopening Taskforce (STRRT). STRRT and its related
workgroup members included over 60 individuals representing a wide range of
stakeholders. STRRT stakeholder input was a critical component of the state reopening
guidance developed by the SEA and the Department of Health and Human Services.
As such, STRRT was reactivated to quickly gain input for the State Plan for the
ARP/ESSER.
25
Members of STRRT by stakeholder group included the following:
i. Students The Student Voice work group was composed of four
students, three from secondary education and one from a
middle school. All participated with parental permission.
ii. Families The family representatives provided feedback for each of
these workgroups and family perspectives.
iii. Tribes N/A
iv. Civil rights organizations The Taskforce included representatives who work with
(including disability rights students with disabilities as well as the New Hampshire
organizations) Association of Special Education. In addition, the SEA
made specific outreach for feedback from the New
Hampshire Commissioner for Human Rights and Disability
Rights Center of New Hampshire.
v. School and district Five of the six work groups of the Taskforce (Instruction,
administrators (including special Student Wellness, School Operations, Technology, and
education administrators) Associations) included school board members, school
administrators, special education administrators, school
principals, on each of the workgroups.
vi. Superintendents Five of the six work groups of the Taskforce (Instruction,
Student Wellness, School Operations, Technology, and
Associations) included a school superintendent on each of
the workgroups with executive director of the New
Hampshire School Administrators Association acting as
chair of the Associations work group
vii. Charter school leaders (if Five of the six work groups of the Taskforce (Instruction,
applicable) Student Wellness, School Operations, Technology, and
Associations) included representatives from charter schools,
as well as the executive director of the New Hampshire
Alliance for Public Charter Schools.
viii. Teachers, principals, school Five of the six work groups of the Taskforce (Instruction,
leaders, other educators, school Student Wellness, School Operations, Technology, and
staff, and their unions Associations) included representatives from teachers and
other school staff.
26
ix. Stakeholders representing the In addition to their representation on the other workgroups,
interests of children with representatives from each of these organizations participated
disabilities, English learners, in and provided feedback as a stand-alone workgroup:
children experiencing • NH Athletic Directors Association (NHADA)
homelessness, children and youth • NH School Boards Association (NHSBA)
in foster care, migratory students, • NH Parent Teachers Association (NHPTA)
children who are incarcerated, and • NH School Principals Association (NHSPA)
other underserved students • NH School Administrators Association (NHSAA)
• NH American Federation of Teachers (NH-AFT)
• NH Association of School Psychologists
• NH School Counselors Association (NHSCA)
• NH Association of Special Education Administrators
(NHASEA)
• NH Interscholastic Athletic Association (NHIAA)
• NH Music Educators Association (NHMEA)
• NH School Library Media Association (NHSLMA)
• NH School Nurses Association
• NH Extended Learning Opportunities (NHELON)
• NH Afterschool Network (NHAN)
• NH American Choral Directors Association
(NHACDA)
• NH Chief Technology Officers Organization
(NHCTO)
• NH Alliance for Public Charter Schools (NHAPCA)
• National Education Association of NH (NEA-NH)
• NH Parent Information Center (PIC)
• NH Career & Technical Education (NHCTE)
• State Board of Education
• NH Private Special Education Association
• NH Association of School Business Officials
(NHASBO)
• NH School Transportation Association (NHSTA)
• School District Governance Association of NH
(SDGANH)
• Athletic Directors Association (NHADA)
• NH School Boards Association (NHSBA)
STRRT was organized into six workgroups, including Instruction, Student Wellness,
School Operations, Technology, Student Voice and Associations. Among each of these
groups, there were representatives from various stakeholder constituent groups, as
illustrated here:
27
Instruction Workgroup
Parent
Special Education, Oyster River School District
Principal, Spaulding Youth Center
Parent
Teacher, Vilas Middle School
Superintendent (SAU #76)
Princiapal, Manchester School of Technology
Parent
Teacher, Granite State High School
Home Education Advisory Council (HEAC)
Diocese of Manchester
Superintendent, Mill Falls Charter School
Teacher, Pembroke Hills Elementary School
Principal, Adult Diploma Program (SAU #84)
Assistant Superintendent, Merrimack Valley School District
Superintendent, Virtual Learning Academy Charter School (VLACS)
English Language Learners, NH DOE
Student Wellness Workgroup
Counselor, Franklin School District
NH Pediatric Society (NH AAP)
Counselor, Bakersville School
NH Children's Behavioral Health Collaborative
Seacoast Community Mental Health Center
Teacher, Timberlane Regional High School
School Nurse, Merrimack School District
Parent
Parent
NH Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS)
Special Education Teacher, Bedford School District
28
Associations Workgroup
NH Athletic Directors Assoc. (NHADA)
NH School Boards Assoc. (NHSBA)
NH Parent Teachers Association (NHPTA)
NH School Principals Assoc. (NHSPA)
NH School Administrators Assoc. (NHSAA)
NH American Federation of Teachers (NH-AFT)
NH Assoc. of School Psychologists
NH School Counselors Assoc. (NHSCA)
NH Assoc. of Special Ed Admin (NHASEA)
NH Interscholastic Athletic Assoc. (NHIAA)
NH Music Educators Assoc. (NHMEA)
NH School Library Media Association (NHSLMA)
NH School Nurses Assoc.
NH Extended Learning Opportunities (NHELON)
NH Afterschool Network (NHAN)
NH American Choral Directors Assoc. (NHACDA)
NH Chief Technology Officers Organization (NHCTO)
NH Alliance for Public Charter Schools (NHAPCA)
National Education Assoc. of NH (NEA-NH)
NH Parent Information Center (PIC)
NH Career & Technical Education (NHCTE)
State Board of Education
NH Private Special Education Association
NH Assoc. of School Business Officials (NHASBO)
NH School Transportation Assoc. (NHSTA)
School District Governance Assoc. of NH (SDGANH)
29
STRRT followed an expedited process to solicit meaningful feedback for the
ARP/ESSER plan. This process, which was facilitated by the Region 1 Comprehensive
Center (AIR), included the following process:
• The SEA communicated the stakeholder engagement process to all
STRRT designees and workgroup members.
• The SEA prepared a set of communication templates for STRRT
designees to engage workgroup members.
• The SEA engaged the state Comprehensive Center, led by AIR, to
facilitate stakeholder feedback.
• STRRT designees coordinated the gathering of feedback from workgroup
members.
• The Comprehensive Center compiled all workgroup feedback into
standard presentation templates.
• A public meeting was scheduled (and advertised on the SEAs website) on
May 17, 2021. This public meeting, which was also attended by local
press, was facilitated by the Comprehensive Center. In the public meeting,
STRRT designees presented their feedback to the full STRRT, followed
by an open discussion period.
• An open invitation was made to allow listening public members to submit
additional feedback, if they wanted.
In addition to the very public stakeholder process described above, the SEA made
specific outreach to two additional groups, the New Hampshire Commission on Human
Rights and the Disability Rights Center of New Hampshire, to ensure complete feedback
was received from civil rights organizations.
A complete list of feedback received is included as Exhibit A to this plan and has
been posted on the SEA website. The feedback that was received was considered and,
as much as possible, incorporated into the strategies and actions described in this plan.
2. Coordinating Funds: Describe to what extent the SEA has and will coordinate
Federal COVID-19 pandemic funding and other Federal funding. This description
must include:
i. How the SEA and its LEAs 1) are using or have used prior to the
submission of this plan and 2) plan to use following submission of
this plan, Federal COVID-19 funding under the Coronavirus Aid,
Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act and the CRRSA Act
to support a safe return to and safely maximize in-person
instruction, sustain these operations safely, and address the
disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on individual
30
student groups (including students from low-income families,
children with disabilities, English learners, racial or ethnic
minorities, students experiencing homelessness, children and youth
in foster care, and migratory students);
ii. To what extent ESSER I and ESSER II funds have been awarded to
LEAs and, if funds have not yet been made available to LEAs, when
they will be. In addition, please provide any available information
on the total dollar amounts of ESSER I and ESSER II funds that
have been obligated but not expended by the SEA and its LEAs,
including whether the SEA is able to track LEA obligations.
iii. In supporting LEAs as they plan for the safe return to and
continuity of in-person instruction and for meeting the academic,
social, emotional, and mental health needs of students resulting from
the COVID-19 pandemic, the extent to which the SEA is also using
other Federal funding sources including but not limited to under the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (“ESEA”),
IDEA, Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (“WIOA”),
funding for child nutrition services, and McKinney-Vento Homeless
Assistance Act, and the funds to support the needs of students
experiencing homelessness provided by section 2001(b)(1) of the
ARP Act.
SEA Response
Table C1.
100% of ESSER I and ESSER II funds, as well as ARP/ESSER funds have been made
available to LEAs.
As of June 4, 2021, LEAs have accessed and spend ESSER I and ESSER II funds as
follows.
LEA Used of Funds
The tables below outline how LEAs have allocated and drawn down funds from the
ESSER I and ESSER II grants.
LEA ESSER I (as of Jun 4, 2021)
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LEA ESSER II (as of June 4, 2021)
SEA Use of Funds
The table below outlines how the SEA has preliminarily obligated and the unallocated
federal grant funds.
To support a safe return to and safely maximize in-person instruction, sustain these
operations safely, and address the disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on
individual student groups, the SEA provided the following supports to:
• Students from low-income families: The SEA has targeted its CARES and CRRSA-
funded programming to student groups on which the pandemic had a disproportionate
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impact. For example, the ReKINDling Curiosity: Every Kid Goes to Camp program
and the YES! program described serve means-tested students and students with
disabilities; program supports reflect student need. Beginning in SY 2021-2022, the
SEA also plans to utilize Title I funds to provide students in Title I and Title I eligible
high schools with access to online college credit-bearing courses. These courses are
embedded in the school day and are offered in partnership with Equity Lab.
• Children with disabilities: Using IDEA state funds, the SEA reimbursed school
districts over $1.7 million for compensatory education funds to support providing
students with disabilities who may not have received all the services needed during
the pandemic with appropriate compensatory education services. Early in the
pandemic, the SEA also provided school districts over $1 million in IDEA state funds
based on a per-pupil award to support the purchase of electronics and other materials
needed to support students with disabilities in receiving their services remotely.
Finally, using federal funds the Governor’s Office for Emergency Relief and
Recovery designated the SEA to administer, the SEA provided nearly $3 million to
approved private providers of special education to offset lost revenue and pandemic-
related expenses. Thus, the SEA helped ensure these vital entities providing support
services to students with some of the most severe disabilities within New Hampshire
would be available to support students during and after the pandemic.
• English learners: English learners (ELs) in New Hampshire are an immensely
diverse group of students with varying experiences and a range of educational needs.
For many ELs, the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the difficulties ELs face.
The quick pivot to remote learning resulted in an uneven response across the state.
Recognizing that ELs disproportionately may have difficulty accessing disrupted
instruction, the SEA provided $1.0 million of funding to nonprofits supporting these
families, including immigrant support organizations, and a local university to provide
direct support to make sure that these students were able to access their instruction
during the pandemic.
• Racial or ethnic minorities: The SEA provided and will continue to provide
additional support to under-performing student subgroups, including low income
students, ESL students and students with disabilities, which groups disproportionately
include racial and ethnic minorities. The SEA does not provide support exclusively
based on race consistent with federal civil rights law.
• Students experiencing homelessness: To ensure students experiencing homelessness
have access to and appropriate supports from their district public school of choice, the
New Hampshire McKinney Vento team provided timely responses to increased and
novel requests for technical assistance regarding LEA responsibilities to serve
students experiencing homelessness. This technical assistance was provided through
phone meetings and the dissemination of guidance through information driven
responses to individual needs. Additionally, the SEA supported the development of
pandemic responsive content to be presented at the state and regional liaison
conferences at which critical learning and networking takes place. The SEA also
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supported LEA use to the federal Title I-A grant and ESSER funds to remove barriers
to education, which include providing technology and hot spots for internet access to
students during remote learning.
• Children and youth in foster care: Through the ESEA Programs Office, the SEA
has supported those children and youth in foster care by providing districts with
technical assistance around best interest decisions for the students’ academic success.
This includes assuring that all students entering foster care will be able to remain at
their school of origin, if in the best interest of the student. The SEA works with the
LEAs to make sure that there is a foster care plan in place to this end, addressing how
transportation will be provided, naming a foster care point of contact for the LEA,
and requiring immediate enrollment and transfer of records, should the student need
to change schools. Remaining in the school of choice or lessening the impact of a
necessary change are vital to ensuring that students entering foster care will continue
to have academic success. Additionally, the SEA has and will continue to work
collaboratively with the NH DHHS to ensure educational stability for students in
foster care including additional support for transportation, immediate enrollment, and
record transfers, as well as additional educational support services.
• Migratory students: During the pandemic, the New Hampshire Migrant Education
Program team which is supported by federal basic and consortium migrant education
grants, ensured that all students received educational materials by mail and drop-off.
Referrals to appropriate educational and social services were made after a discussion
with parents/caregivers regarding needed academic, nutritional, and social/emotional
supports during the pandemic. All families were sent personal protective equipment
kits (PPE), which included a flier in their native language explaining the importance
of social distancing and the safety guidelines set forth by the State. To protect both
our students and our staff, one-on-one tutoring, home visits, and recruiting took place
virtually. Online tutorials were offered to interested students, and SEA staff contacted
families to ensure they had access to both internet and computers in order to
participate in remote learning offered by the school district and the SEA.
The SEA has evaluated other Federal funding sources in an effort to support LEAs in
their COVID-19 response. These include:
• Starting in March 2020, significant effort and attention was placed on making sure
that students with disabilities were making progress toward educational and other IEP
goals. This included state Emergency Order #48 Special Education Requirements to
Support Education. This Emergency Order, among other things, required,
o “1. Each school district is required to hold Individualized Education Plan
("IEP") team meetings, as set forth in RSA 186-C:7 and Ed 1107, to consider
Extended-School Year ("ESY") services for every child with an IEP,
regardless of whether they have been provided ESY in the past, no later than
June 30th, 2020. If, at the time of the IEP team meeting, the remote instruction
emergency orders have been neither removed nor extended through the
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summer, the IEP program team shall consider options for both traditional in-
person ESY programs and for remote ESY programs.
o Each school district must ensure that they hold IEP team meetings for every
student identified for special education services no later than 30 calendar days
after the first day of the school district's 2020-2021 school year. At the
meeting, the IEP team will consider what Compensatory Education Services,
if any, are required to be provided to make up for services not provided during
period of remote instruction and support, student regression, or student's
failure to make expected progress as indicated in the student's IEP.”
As a result of these Emergency Order activities, LEAs compiled a list of identified
compensatory education services that were needed. In support of providing these
compensatory services, the SEA used $1.7 million of state level IDEA funds.
• Upon return to instruction in September 2020, it became apparent that certain English
learner populations might need additional support in accessing their instruction. The
SEA, working with the governor’s office, implemented contracts using $1.0 million
of CARES Act funds with community organizations and a local college to provide
direct support services to this population. This program was so effective in supporting
the English learner population, that the SEA has continued the work in the Spring of
2021 with an additional $1.0 million of GEER funds.
• Recognizing the serious strain on LEA finances as a result of COVID-19 response,
the SEA worked with the governor’s office to develop and implement a $45 million
Supplemental Funding program for LEAs, including $500 per pupil and $10 million
of emergency grant funds.
• Recognizing also that Special Education service providers were also significantly
disrupted by COVID-19, a special $3.0 million grant program was offered to these
essential third party providers to help them in providing essential support services to
students with disabilities.
• Recognizing the disruption to student enrichment and before and after school
programming, the SEA offered a $1.5 million grant program to student enrichment
programming using CARES Act funds. In addition, the SEA offered Title IVB
programs, many of whom expanded programming to support remote learners while
parents were working, supplemental grants to support extended programming.
• Through the USDA, the SEA received $47 million of additional funding to support
extended meal support to families, many significantly impacted by the pandemic.
These funds were distributed through both LEA and qualifying community meal
programs.
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D. Maximizing State-Level Funds to Support Students
The Department recognizes that States have an extraordinary opportunity to address the
disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on underserved students through the
ARP Act’s required State set-asides to address the academic impact of lost instructional time,
provide summer learning and enrichment programs, and provide comprehensive afterschool
programs. In this section, SEAs will describe their evidence-based strategies for these
resources.
1. Academic Impact of Lost Instructional Time: Describe how the SEA will use the
funds it reserves under section 2001(f)(1) of the ARP Act (totaling not less than 5
percent of the State’s total allocation of ARP ESSER funds) on evidence-based
interventions to address the academic impact of lost instructional time by
supporting the implementation of evidence-based interventions, such as summer
learning or summer enrichment, extended day, comprehensive afterschool
programs, or extended school year programs, and ensure that such interventions
respond to students’ academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs. The
description must include:
i. A description of the evidence-based interventions (e.g., providing
intensive or high-dosage tutoring, accelerating learning) the SEA
has selected, and the extent to which the SEA will evaluate the
impact of those interventions on an ongoing basis to understand if
they are working;
ii. How the evidence-based interventions will specifically address the
disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on certain groups of students,
including each of the student groups listed in question A.3.i.-viii.
When possible, please indicate which data sources the SEA will use
to determine the impact of lost instructional time; and
iii. The extent to which the SEA will use funds it reserves to identify
and engage 1) students who have missed the most in-person
instruction during the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 school years; and
2) students who did not consistently participate in remote instruction
when offered during school building closures.
SEA Response
In its selection of evidence-based interventions to address learning loss, the SEA intends
to consult the federal What Works Clearinghouse (WWC), engage with subject matter
experts, and seek technical assistance from the Comprehensive Centers in order to
identify the most effective evidence-based interventions that best fit New Hampshire’s
unique context. Whenever possible, and where it makes most sense, the SEA intends to
select programs that align to ESSA’s highest tiers of evidence. However, the SEA also
recognizes that the unprecedented nature of the pandemic event and the typical lag in
publishing results from randomized control trial (RCT) studies means that for many of
our students’ current situations during the pandemic, there may not be evidence of the
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highest quality available to support our intervention choices. In those instances, the SEA
commits to selecting interventions with moderate or promising evidence, or those
programs that demonstrate a rationale based on research that the intervention is likely to
improve student outcomes. To the extent it’s practical and feasible, the SEA intends to
evaluate and make public the impact of its academic interventions.
Through the SEA stakeholder engagement process, important feedback was obtained that
helped shape the SEA’s response to student learning loss. That feedback is included at
Exhibit A and has been posted on the SEA website.
The SEA will prioritize its spending based on stakeholder feedback and the identified
issues and priorities outlined in Section A.2., above. These include:
● Individualized Instruction to Recover Any Learning Loss.
As a result of the pandemic and indications from assessment data (see discussion
below for assessment during the pandemic), the SEA anticipates that the student
performance curve across the state will look different this year. The expectation is
that the middle will have flattened and the ends of the performance curve will
have grown, with more students at the top end of the curve and more students at
the bottom end, with a larger standard deviation. In other words, some students
are performing better than they were pre-pandemic and some students are
performing worse than they were performing pre-pandemic.
Some students thrived in pandemic learning, either through strong home supports
or the exercise of greater individual agency that allowed them to flourish.
Alternatively, more students had difficulty accessing their education, either
because of lack of appropriate resources or an instructional model that was not
conducive to their learning style, among other reasons. Given these dynamics, it
will be important for all students to be engaged based on where they are on their
learning curve, whether accelerated or having fallen behind, in a way that
challenges them, is not stigmatizing, and allows them to be successful.
Individualized instruction will also be a challenge facing our schools. Educators
returning to the classroom will need tools and instructional approaches that enable
them to be effective with a broader range of students and a system flexible
enough to allow teachers room to help students succeed. This issue will provide
fertile ground for investment of relief funds.
● Educator Fatigue
Many of our educators in New Hampshire worked in instructional models for
which they were not trained. Before the pandemic, educator preparation focused
on in-person, in-classroom instruction. While most of our educators performed
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admirably in the new instructional model, it added to stress and anxiety levels for
educators across the state. This may affect their perspective and performance
upon return to the classroom that can be supported with additional skill
preparation and support. We will utilize our critical shortage survey results that
will be collected in October 2021 to evaluate if higher than normal levels of
retirement and attrition exist. This will inform strategies to attend to our teacher
workforce, if necessary, and to recruit new and highly motivated teachers.
● Family Engagement
The third area of focus for the SEA will be around family engagement. Even
before the pandemic, family engagement played an important role in student
success. During the pandemic, one of the bright spots was increased family
engagement in student learning. One example of this is a family survey that was
conducted in May and June of 2020. More than 56,000 parents and educators
responded, which far exceeded previous record of response. They provided
invaluable input into the design of instruction. This survey will be given again in
June 2021. Although family engagement itself is a not a problem, the heighted
levels of engagement of families is an opportunity that we want to capitalize on
and continue, to the benefit of students.
● Additional Stakeholder Feedback
A significant theme in our stakeholder feedback was the importance of stabilizing
student social and emotional health. Stakeholders identified that, in order to make
academic progress, students will need to be socially and emotionally supported. In
expanding the offerings provided in partnership with Community Behavioral
Health Association described in Section D 2) through ARP ESSER funds,
stakeholder feedback identified needs including:
• School based mental and behavioral health supports, including Counselors,
social workers, OTs, LDACs, SAPs, community care teams, coaches,
mentors, interventionists; and
• Further expansion of the SEA’s work on MTSS-B, Universal Design for
Learning (UDL).
Additionally, with respect to instruction, representatives from the disability
community continue to advocate for continued expansion of inclusionary
practices. This is an area that New Hampshire has significantly invested in over
the past 4 years, particularly with respect to its UDL program. Additional training
and instructional opportunities will further embed inclusionary practices.
The SEA also recognizes its important role in supporting LEAs and statewide activities
that LEAs, on their own, would not be in a position to support. The SEA anticipates
finalizing plans for the use of its reserved funds in these priority areas with specific
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spending plans developed to complement the deployment of LEA funds within the next
several months.
Specific programmatic plans for Learning Recovery/Academic Impact of Lost
Instructional Time include:
The SEA is offering school districts access to a learning recovery program, Recovering
Bright Futures, which supports learning pods, an individualized instructional model. This
model, supported by $6 million in ESSER II state funds, allows school districts and
communities to offer small-group, multi-age, trauma-sensitive instruction to students who
may need additional support. The program may serve up to 1,200 students. Since this is a
pandemic-related education innovation, the SEA is currently working to design an
external, quasi-experimental study (tier 2) or correlational study (tier 3) utilizing ESSER
state level funds.
Additionally, stakeholders also shared the importance of innovative learning spaces,
including outdoor learning spaces and alternative spaces for school district learning pods,
when providing feedback on ARP ESSER. The SEA anticipates finalizing plans for the
use of its reserved funds to support these priorities within the next several months.
The SEA also recognizes the benefit of additional support to struggling students. During
2020-2021, the SEA launched a series of support structures to aid students struggling
academically. One example of such support was the launch, along with Khan Academy,
of schoolhouse.world. Since the New Hampshire SEA first launched this innovative
platform, SEAs from Arkansas, Mississippi, Alaska, Nevada, Rhode Island, North
Dakota, Idaho, and Ohio have also partnered with schoolhouse.world.
This platform provides secondary students with high-quality tutoring. While at the initial
launch, this was focused principally on math instruction, additional subjects are being
developed and rolled out so that students will have a complete set of online tutoring
supports to help meet their needs. The SEA also partnered with Modern States to offer
online college classes at no cost to New Hampshire schools or families. The expectation
is that these new and continuing activities will be supported through federal funds.
Another area of additional support a $2 million investment by the SEA in its Yes!
Program. This program provides students with supplemental support services including
intensive tutoring and supplemental special education therapies and services. Up to 1,940
qualifying students – students with disabilities and economically disadvantaged students
– are able to access up to $1,000 to obtain tutoring and special education therapies and
services. Qualified education providers for this program include New Hampshire certified
educators and qualified service providers including licensed therapists. The SEA
anticipates continuing its support of student groups disproportionately impacted by
39
COVID-19 through intensive, high-dose tutoring and supplemental educational courses
and services. The expectation is that these new and continuing activities will be supported
through federal funds.
To ensure these interventions address the needs of those students disproportionately
impacted by COVID-19, the SEA has targeted both the Recovering Bright Futures and
YES! Program to such students through eligibility limitations and preferences. Please
find additional information about supports targeted at specific student groups in Section
C(2).
Additionally, to support learning recovery among students experiencing homelessness,
the SEA plans to subgrant the newly released first round of ARP Homeless funds, ARP
Homeless I, to LEAs competitively. This competition will emphasize identification and
outreach, reengagement, credit recovery and attainment, transportation, and removing
other unique barriers the pandemic has created for students who are experiencing
homelessness. In the 2019-2020 school year, 3,500 students were identified as
homeless. This number is expected to drop once 2020-2021 school year data becomes
available. Many liaisons have reported the reasons for this include students moving due
to loss of housing, remote learning challenges, and people who are newly homeless due
to the pandemic being unaware of McKinney Vento services.
Finally, New Hampshire is working with LEAs to identify disengaged students,
including those who have missed the most in-person instruction during the 2019-2020
and 2020-2021 school years and students who did not consistently participate in remote
instruction during school building closures. The SEA does not plan to collect such data,
although it will require LEAs to describe efforts to reengage students as part of the LEA
reopening plans. Consistent with the New Hampshire theory of change, we anticipate
LEAs and schools are best positioned to identify disengaged students and serve them
effectively, with support from the SEA. Moreover, New Hampshire’s focus on
competency-based education—measuring mastery rather than seat time—makes
education leaders most likely to focus on learning loss.
While the SEA anticipates that the state will continue to offer in-person instruction in the
fall of 2021, the SEA aims to improve the quality of online instruction to protect against
potential student disengagement. The SEA has, through an RFP process, leveraged $2
million of ESSER II state funds to contract with the University System of New
Hampshire, Granite State College to offer all New Hampshire educators training in
designing an online course, instructing an online course and using the state learning
management system to conduct that instruction. To encourage educator participation in
this program, the SEA will pay participation stipends.
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New Hampshire is well-positioned to gain an understanding of where students are
academically. During the spring of 2020, prior to the onset of the pandemic, New
Hampshire had over 3,000 students that had already completed the statewide assessment,
NHSAS. During the fall 2020, New Hampshire implemented the NHSAS, using the SAT
(for students who did not complete that assessment in the spring 2020) and interim-
NHSAS for 4th – 8th grade students. During the spring 2021, all students were given the
opportunity to take the state accountability assessment (SAT/NHSAS). Further, the New
Hampshire Comprehensive Center, AIR, has been engaged to help in the evaluation of
these assessment results, giving the SEA important information on student academic
performance. Because this information is at the student level and, with the SEA EOY
data collection described above with student level data relative to instructional mode,
concrete analysis can be completed with student performance data and instructional
mode. This granular level of data will allow targeted interventions to students needing
additional supports in specific student groups. With this information available in October
or November 2021, it will be possible to target interventions toward those schools and
students who have been most disrupted by pandemic instructional models, including
remote instruction or other factors that may have impacted a student’s academic
progress.
2. Evidence-Based Summer Learning and Enrichment Programs: Describe how the
SEA will use the funds it reserves under section 2001(f)(2) of the ARP Act
(totaling not less than 1 percent of the State’s total allocation of ARP ESSER
funds) for evidence-based summer learning and enrichment programs, including
those that begin in Summer 2021, and ensure such programs respond to students’
academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs. The description must
include:
i. A description of the evidence-based programs that address the
academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs of students
(e.g., providing intensive or high-dosage tutoring, accelerating
learning) the SEA has selected, and the extent to which the SEA will
evaluate the impact of those programs;
ii. How the evidence-based programs will specifically address the
disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on certain groups of students,
including each of the student groups listed in question A.3. i.--viii.
When possible, please indicate which data sources the SEA will use
to identify students most in need of summer learning and enrichment
programs; and
iii. The extent to which the SEA will use funds it reserves to identify
and engage 1) students who have missed the most in-person
instruction during the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 school years; and
2) students who did not consistently participate in remote instruction
when offered during school building closures.
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SEA Response
After making a significant investment in evidence-based (tier 1, 2 and 3) summer
enrichment activities for summer 2021 supported by more than $3.0 million in federal
GEER I funds and given the timing of the SEA’s receipt of ARP ESSER funds, the SEA
is planning to use its ARP ESSER summer learning and enrichment set aside to fund
evidence-based programs and supports during out-of-school time beginning in the
upcoming school year. This may include expanding its ReKINDling Curiosity program,
which aims to serve between 4,485 and 8,330 students. The program provides low-
income students and students with disabilities the opportunity to attend a licensed New
Hampshire camp, and was designed to lift student spirits, to help students reengage with
peers through meaningful enrichment, and to mitigate mental and behavioral health
issues. Currently, partners include the New Hampshire Boys and Girls Club and the New
Hampshire YMCA.
As part of this program, the SEA also contracted with the New Hampshire Community
Behavioral Health Association (CBHA), the Association for the state Community Mental
Health Centers. Through this $500,000 contract, all New Hampshire camp counselors
(ages 14 and up) will have available specific training to help identify and respond to
mental and behavioral health issues of students attending camps. In addition, the CBHA
will support on-site counseling services for those students needing such support as well
as referral activities for students needing more intensive support. The principal purpose of
this program is to help students reengage so that they will be ready and equipped to learn
when they return to school in the fall of 2021.
In its selection of evidence-based summer learning and enrichment programs during the
upcoming school year, the SEA intends to consult the federal What Works Clearinghouse
(WWC), engage with subject matter experts, and seek technical assistance from the
Comprehensive Centers in order to identify the most effective and best fit evidence-based
programs for our context. Whenever possible and where it makes sense, the SEA intends
to select programs from among the highest tier of evidence. However, the SEA also
recognizes that the unprecedented nature of the pandemic event and the typical lag in
availability of results from randomized control trial (RCT) studies means that for many of
our student’s current situations, there may not be evidence of the highest quality available
to support our program choices. In those instances, the SEA commits to selecting
programs with moderate or promising evidence, or those programs that demonstrate a
rationale based on research that the program is likely to improve student outcomes. To
the extent it’s practical and feasible within the financial constraints of the contract, the
SEA intends to evaluate and make public the impact of its summer enrichment programs.
To ensure these interventions address the needs of those students disproportionately
impacted by COVID-19, the SEA targeted ReKINDling Curiosity to such students
through eligibility limitations and preferences. Please find additional information about
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supports targeted at specific student groups in Section C(2). The SEA intends to use its
ESSER/ARP funding to provide new and additional enrichment opportunities aimed at
vulnerable student populations starting in the upcoming school year. The selection of
programs will be informed by stakeholder feedback collected during recent outreach.
In order to identify the students most in need, New Hampshire will consult data from the
spring 2021 administration of the summative assessments for English Language Arts,
Mathematics and Science for grades 3-8 and grade 11. In addition, the ELP assessment,
ACCESS 2.0, was fully administered in 2020 and 2021, allowing NH to derive academic
impact data for English language learners. NH also administered an interim summative
assessment in ELA and math in fall 2020. With this information available in October or
November 2021, it will be possible for the SEA to target evidence-based interventions
toward those schools and students whose learning was most affected by the pandemic.
3. Evidence-Based Comprehensive Afterschool Programs: Describe how the SEA
will use the funds it reserves under section 2001(f)(3) of the ARP Act (totaling
not less than 1 percent of the State’s total allocation of ARP ESSER funds) for
evidence-based comprehensive afterschool programs (including, for example,
before-school programming), and ensure such programs respond to students’
academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs. The description must
include:
i. A description of the evidence-based programs (e.g., including
partnerships with community-based organizations) the SEA has
selected, and the extent to which the SEA will evaluate the impact
of those programs;
ii. How the evidence-based programs will specifically address the
disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on certain groups of students,
including each of the student groups listed in question A.3.i.-viii.
When possible, please indicate which data sources the SEA will use
to identify students most in need of comprehensive afterschool
programming; and
iii. The extent to which the SEA will use funds it reserves to identify
and engage 1) students who have missed the most in-person
instruction during the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 school years; and
2) students who did not consistently participate in remote
instruction when offered during school building closures.
SEA Response
The SEA has supported evidence-based afterschool programs through a number of
partnerships with community-based organizations. Most notably, the SEA is utilizing
$500,000 in GEER I and $300,000 in GEER II to partner with the New Hampshire
United Way to provide afterschool enrichment opportunities and other wraparound
services to English learners and low-income students. The SEA anticipates leveraging
these and other community-based organization partnerships to support student groups
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disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 in the use of ARP ESSER state funds. In
particular, the SEA will partner with an adult education center to provide similar such
services statewide—instruction including in digital literacy, technology and internet, new
parent information modules/sessions, and new joint family literacy activities—utilizing
ARP ESSER state funds.
The SEA also invested over $235,000 in ESSER I state funds in educational robotics
afterschool and summer enrichment programs. For example, supported by $57,000 in
ESSER I state funds, the SEA, VEX Robotics, SPARK Academy (a public charter high
school) and the Manchester Community College campus will host more than 60
educationally disadvantaged eighth grade students from the Manchester School District
(New Hampshire’s largest school district) for a six-week, hands-on program using VEX
robotics technology during the summer of 2021. By teaching students robotics, they will
learn principles of computer programing, math, science, and engineering. This program
complements the Manchester LEA’s Gear Up program by providing activities that align
with the academic classes that the students will be taking within the district while
allowing students to learn in an interdisciplinary setting where they can apply the core
content area learning to real-life problems.
The SEA also partnered with evidence-based (tier 3) FIRST NH Robotics leveraging over
$175,000 in ESSER I state funds to provide mentor-based programs offering a
progressive series of team robotics challenges for students aged 6-18. The goal of this
program is to continue to support student learning in STEM concepts and skills through
application in real-life problems posed during hands-on experiments while participating
on school teams in the robotic challenges. Through the Spring Back Plan, NH FIRST is
also building interest in STEM with the distribution of hands-on experiments for students
and their families and through demonstrations around New Hampshire and to summer
camps programs within the state. The SEA intends to continue to partner with high-
quality afterschool enrichment providers to expand such opportunities, especially in
STEM.
Additionally, utilizing $100,000 of GEER I, the SEA partnered with the vendor of its
career assessment platform, AWATO, to develop extended and work based learning
opportunities especially targeting student groups disproportionately impacted by the
pandemic.
Finally, to support continued course access opportunities for students and demand-driven
professional development for teachers, the SEA invested over $6 million in GEER I and
ESSER I state funds to create a new state-level learning management system in
collaboration with the University System of New Hampshire. This system made available
to all New Hampshire schools, educators, and families a technology platform for the
effective deployment of remote and online instruction, including best practices around
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synchronous instruction. The SEA will continue to expand the learning management
system’s utility, as it allows evidence-based and high-quality instructional materials,
courses, and professional development can be immediately deployed throughout the state.
4. Emergency Needs: If the SEA plans to reserve funds for emergency needs under
section 2001(f)(4) of the ARP Act to address issues responding to the COVID-19
pandemic, describe the anticipated use of those funds, including the extent to
which these funds will build SEA and LEA capacity to ensure students’ and
staff’s health and safety; to meet students’ academic, social, emotional, and
mental health needs; and to use ARP ESSER funds to implement evidence-based
interventions.
SEA Response
The SEA does intend to reserve funds for administrative costs and potentially emergency
needs under section 2001(f)(4). Such administrative costs include the staff of a newly
established Office of COVID-19 Education Programs, which will build SEA and LEA
capacity to ensure students’ and staff’s health and safety, meet students’ academic, social,
emotional, and mental health needs, and to use ARP ESSER funds to implement
evidence-based interventions. The SEA intends to hire a senior administrator to oversee
the office and two additional senior staff. This reserve for administrative costs will also
include a Memorandum of Understanding with the New Hampshire Department of
Administrative Services’ Bureau of Public Works needed to meet federal requirements
related to the use of ESSER funds on construction projects.
Regarding potential emergency needs, because most New Hampshire schools have been
open during the 2020-2021 school year and given the SEA provided $45 million of
Supplemental Funding to schools for 2020-2021, there are fewer emergency needs at the
present time. The SEA commits to partnering with LEAs and stakeholders to identify
areas of need when utilizing the remaining funds.
Lastly, to support the effective fiscal management of emergency funds, the SEA invested
nearly $170,000 in providing LEAs access to Georgetown University’s McCourt School
of Public Policy's Certificate in Education Finance, which equips participants with
practical skills in strategic fiscal management, policy analysis, and leadership. The
Edunomics Lab will design and conduct a two-day education finance training for up to
500 New Hampshire education leaders. Learning will take place through a combination
of interactive classroom instruction, self-reflection, and hands-on practice. Participants
will be guided through an examination of the financial and related resource allocation
issues that are integral parts of public education policy in the United States; gain
familiarity with budgets, spending-related policies, and data sources for financial
information; and wrestle with challenges of productivity and tradeoffs. Participants will
45
build fluency in how management decisions, wide-ranging policies, and resource
allocation intersect to impact student success across multiple contexts, including their
own. Upon completion of the first the two day course, selected participates will be
eligible to participate in advanced training to achieve a Certificate in Education Finance
(CEF), paid for by the SEA.
E. Supporting LEAs in Planning for and Meeting Students’ Needs
The Department recognizes that the safe return to in-person instruction must be accompanied
by a focus on meeting students’ academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs, and by
addressing the opportunity gaps that existed before – and were exacerbated by – the
pandemic. In this section, SEAs will describe how they will support their LEAs in
developing high-quality plans for LEAs’ use of ARP ESSER funds to achieve these
objectives.
1. LEA Plans for the Use of ARP ESSER Funds: Describe what the SEA will
require its LEAs to include in LEA plans consistent with the ARP ESSER
requirements for the use of ARP ESSER funds, how the SEA will require such
plans to be made available to the public, and the deadline by which the LEA must
submit its ARP ESSER plan (which must be a reasonable timeline and should be
within no later than 90 days after receiving its ARP ESSER allocation). The LEA
plans must include, at a minimum:
i. The extent to which and how the funds will be used to implement
prevention and mitigation strategies that are, to the greatest extent practicable,
in line with the most recent CDC guidance, in order to continuously and
safely operate schools for in-person learning;
ii. How the LEA will use the funds it reserves under section 2001(e)(1) of
the ARP Act (totaling not less than 20 percent of the LEA’s total allocation of
ARP ESSER funds) to address the academic impact of lost instructional time
through the implementation of evidence-based interventions, such as summer
learning or summer enrichment, extended day, comprehensive afterschool
programs, or extended school year programs;
iii. How the LEA will spend its remaining ARP ESSER funds consistent with
section 2001(e)(2) of the ARP Act; and
iv. How the LEA will ensure that the interventions it implements, including
but not limited to the interventions under section 2001(e)(1) of the ARP Act to
address the academic impact of lost instructional time, will respond to the
academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs of all students, and
particularly those students disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19
pandemic, including students from low-income families, students of color,
English learners, children with disabilities, students experiencing
homelessness, children and youth in foster care, and migratory students.
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SEA Response
To ensure LEAs meet such federal ARP ESSER statutory and regulatory requirements,
the SEA will release a template for the LEA ARP ESSER Plan, often called the “school
district use of funds plan” on June 24, 2021, which is 30 days after LEAs received funds.
The timing of this release allows LEAs to focus on completion of the LEA Plan on the
Safe Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Services plan (which is due when
this new template will be released) while still providing the template to LEAs 60 days
before such plans are due to the SEA on August 13, 2021. The plan template, which will
be consistent ARP ESSER IFR requirements, and other ARP ESSER documents will be
posted here. Following publication of the LEA ARP ESSER Plan template, the SEA will
conduct a webinar with all school district superintendents walking through the template,
including outlining the relevant regulatory requirements and explaining relevant
deadlines including that the plan must be submitted and made publicly available on its
website within 90 days of receipt of funds. The template will include:
i. The extent to which (a description and total funds designated) the LEA plans
to use funds to implement prevention and mitigation strategies aligned with
each of the CDC health and safety strategies in table B1 in SY 2021-2022.
Such components of the school district use of funds plan will be evaluated for
completeness.
ii. Total funds reserved (totaling not less than 20 percent of the LEA’s total
allocation of ARP ESSER funds) and descriptions (including level of
evidence in the interventions chosen) for SY 2021-2022 of how the LEA
plans to use funds reserved to address the academic impact of lost
instructional time through the implementation of evidence-based learning loss
interventions, as required under section 2001(e)(1) of ARPA. Such evidence-
based learning loss interventions may include summer learning or summer
enrichment, extended day, comprehensive afterschool programs, or extended
school year programs. Such components of the school district use of funds
plan will be evaluated for compliance with statutory requirements and
completeness.
iii. Descriptions (categorized by the statutory language in section 2001(e)(2)(A-
R) of ARPA and including level of evidence in the interventions chosen if
applicable) for SY 2021-2022 of how the LEA plans to its remaining ARP
ESSER funds. Such components of the school district use of funds plan will
be evaluated for compliance with statutory requirements and completeness.
iv. Descriptions of how the interventions it implements will respond to the
academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs of all students and those
particularly those students disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19
pandemic, including specifically students from low-income families, students
of color, English learners, children with disabilities, students experiencing
homelessness, children and youth in foster care, and migratory students. Such
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components of the school district use of funds plan will be evaluated for
completeness.
2. LEA Consultation: Describe how the SEA will, in planning for the use of ARP
ESSER funds, ensure that, consistent with the ARP ESSER requirements], its
LEAs engage in meaningful consultation with stakeholders, including, but not
limited to:
i. Students;
ii. Families;
iii. School and district administrators (including special education
administrators); and
iv. Teachers, principals, school leaders, other educators, school staff, and
their unions.
The LEA must also engage in meaningful consultation with each of the following
to the extent present in or served by the LEA:
v. Tribes;
vi. Civil rights organizations (including disability rights organizations); and
vii. Stakeholders representing the interests of children with disabilities,
English learners, children experiencing homelessness, children and youth in
foster care, migratory students, children who are incarcerated, and other
underserved students.
The description must also include how the SEA will ensure that LEAs provide the
public the opportunity to provide input in the development of the LEA’s plan for
the use of ARP ESSER funds and take such input into account.
SEA Response
As described immediately above, the SEA released a template for the LEA ARP ESSER
Plan, often called the “school district use of funds plan” on June 24, 2021. The template
will also will include:
• Affirmation (yes, no, or not applicable) and description (extent of the consultation
and when it occurred relative to finalization of the plan) of how the LEA met the
federal regulatory requirement to engage in meaningful consultation with
stakeholders, including, but not limited to:
o students;
o families;
o teachers, principals, school leaders, other educators, school staff, and their
unions;
o school and district administrators (including special education
administrators);
o Tribes and Tribal organizations, if applicable;
o civil rights organizations (including disability rights organizations); and
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o stakeholders representing the interests of children with disabilities,
English learners, children experiencing homelessness, children and youth
in foster care, migratory students, children who are incarcerated, and other
underserved students.
Such components of the school district use of funds plan will be evaluated for
completeness.
• Affirmation (yes or no) and description (input trends, when it occurred relative to
finalization of the plan, and how it was utilized) of public input in the
development of the school district use of funds plan. Such components of the
school district use of funds plan will be evaluated for completeness.
In addition to the new SEA processes described above, as part of the SEA’s Grant
Management System (GMS), LEAs provide a plan for the use of funds. Such plans form
the basis for the activities of the LEA and are dynamic in that districts report completed
plan activities and have the ability to modify plans throughout the grant period. This
provides the SEA with real-time engagement with the plan completion and serves as a
type of programmatic monitoring throughout the grant period. In addition to this
monitoring, the SEA also has a fiscal monitoring program to ensure that LEAs are
expending and reporting funds usage according to the plan and allowable uses. Though
the use of the SEA GMS, the SEA will continue to monitor grant activity against plan
throughout the grant period.
3. Describe how the SEA will support and monitor its LEAs in using ARP ESSER
funds. The description must include:
i. How the SEA will support and monitor its LEAs’ implementation of
evidence-based interventions that respond to students’ academic, social,
emotional, and mental health needs, such as through summer learning or
summer enrichment, extended day, comprehensive afterschool programs, or
extended school year programs – including the extent to which the SEA will
collect evidence of the effectiveness of interventions employed;
SEA Response
Through technical assistance and training, the SEA will support the LEAs in the
development of plans for the deployment of LEA ARP/ESSER funds. Topics that the
SEA will cover with LEAs include how to target support for the students most affected
by COVID-19, reengage students following the pandemic, address learning loss, collect
and use stakeholder feedback, and use evidence-based programs. The SEA will use its
regular communications channels with LEAs, including a monthly Commissioner call
and a monthly senior staff call with all school district superintendents, to provide
assistance as well as special sessions to specifically address ARP/ESSER questions and
topics. The SEA will also continue to facilitate communities of practice, which provides
49
opportunities for LEAs to discuss relevant topics with each other. Lastly, the SEA will
provide an LEA template for LEAs to develop their own plans, including describing the
use of evidence-based programs, and the SEA will review each LEA plan for
completeness.
Once planned, the SEA can continue to support LEAs in the management of those funds
through the GMS processes. In the GMS process, LEAs provide a plan for the use of
funds. Such plans form the basis for the activities of the LEA and are dynamic in that
districts report completed plan activities and have the ability to modify plans throughout
the grant period. This provides the SEA with real-time engagement with the plan
completion and serves as a type of programmatic monitoring throughout the grant period.
In addition to this monitoring, the SEA also has a fiscal monitoring program to ensure
that LEAs are expending and reporting funds usage according to the plan and allowable
uses, including meeting the requirement that a portion of funds are used to support
evidence-based programs. Through the use of the SEA GMS, the SEA will continue to
monitor grant activity against the plan throughout the grant period. In the event an LEA
fails to spend in accordance with its plan or to use the correct percentage of funds on
evidence-based programs, the SEA will use its normal monitoring and enforcement
mechanisms to ensure compliance, which can include sanctions or recovery of funds.
ii. How the SEA will support and monitor its LEAs in specifically
addressing the disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on certain
groups of students, including each of the student groups listed in question
A.3.i.-viii; and
SEA Response
Through technical assistance and training, the SEA will support the LEAs in the
development of plans for the deployment of LEA ARP/ESSER funds. Topics that the
SEA will cover with LEAs include how to target support for the students most affected
by COVID-19. The SEA will provide an LEA template for LEAs to develop their own
plans, including a requirement for information about how each LEA will address the
students most affected by COVID-19.
The GMS monitoring process described above ensures that the plan is implemented as
written, including support for the students most affected by COVID-19. In the event an
LEA fails to spend in accordance with its plan, the SEA will use its normal monitoring
and enforcement mechanisms to ensure compliance, which can include sanctions or
recovery of funds.
iii. How the SEA will support and monitor its LEAs in using ARP ESSER
funds to identify, reengage, and support students most likely to have
experienced the impact of lost instructional time on student learning, such as:
50
a. Students who have missed the most in-person instruction during
the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 school years;
b. Students who did not consistently participate in remote
instruction when offered during school building closures; and
c. Students most at-risk of dropping out of school.
SEA Response
Through technical assistance and training, the SEA will support the LEAs in the
development of plans for the deployment of LEA ARP/ESSER funds. Topics that the
SEA will cover with LEAs include how to reengage students after COVID-19 and
address learning loss. The SEA will provide an LEA template for LEAs to develop their
own plans. including a requirement for information about how each LEA will reengage
students and address learning loss.
The GMS monitoring process described above ensures that the plan is implemented as
written, including reengaging students after COVID-19 and addressing learning loss. In
the event an LEA fails to spend in accordance with its plan, the SEA will use its normal
monitoring and enforcement mechanisms to ensure compliance, which can include
sanctions or recovery of funds.
New Hampshire has available rich data regarding student performance that it intends to
share with LEAs. New Hampshire anticipates full administration in spring 2021 of the
summative assessments for English Language Arts, Mathematics and Science for grades
3-8 and grade 11. In addition, the ELP assessment, ACCESS 2.0, was fully administered
in 2020 and 2021, allowing NH to derive academic impact data for English language
learners. NH also administered an interim summative assessment in ELA and math in
fall 2020.
With this information, it will be possible to target interventions toward those schools and
students whose learning was interrupted by the pandemic.
4. Describe the extent to which the SEA will support its LEAs in implementing
additional strategies for taking educational equity into account in expending ARP
ESSER funds, including but not limited :
i. Allocating funding both to schools and for districtwide activities based on
student need, and
SEA Response
Consistent with the SEA’s belief in local control of education, the SEA will continue to
empower LEAs to utilize their ARP ESSER and other allocations to best serve the needs
of their students, families, and teachers. In sharing best practices with LEAs through
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webinars and individual technical assistance, the SEA will encourage LEAs to allocate
funds to schools on a per-pupil basis weighted by individual student need, including but
not limited to low-income students, students with disabilities, English learners, students
experiencing homelessness, children and youth in foster care, and migratory students.
Such LEA implementation strategies both empower school leaders with some autonomy
in administering these unprecedented resources and ensure transparency in administering
funds based on student need. Through these mechanisms, the SEA also encourages
expenditures on districtwide activities that prioritize students with the greatest needs.
ii. Implementing an equitable and inclusive return to in-person instruction.
An inclusive return to in-person instruction includes, but is not limited to,
establishing policies and practices that avoid the over-use of exclusionary
discipline measures (including in- and out of-school suspensions) and creating
a positive and supportive learning environment for all students.
SEA Response
Currently all schools in New Hampshire are open for full-time, in-person instruction,
helping to ensure every student has access to an appropriate education.
With or without the pandemic, the SEA as well as LEAs are keenly focused on avoiding
exclusionary practices. LEAs report annually to the State Board of Education on
suspension, restraint, bullying and other practices that might have an unintended effect of
excluding certain students disproportionately. This information is tracked on the SEA
website and made public, as illustrated in this screen capture below.
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In addition to general trend information, the SEA also tracks this data across subgroups,
both for the state and at the LEA level providing further transparency to potentially
exclusionary practices.
53
The same supports that are used to avoid such outcomes outside of the pandemic remain
in force to ensure that all students equally access their education.
F. Supporting the Educator Workforce
The Department recognizes the toll that the COVID-19 pandemic has taken on the Nation’s
educators as well as students. In this section, SEAs will describe strategies for supporting and
stabilizing the educator workforce and for making staffing decisions that will support
students’ academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs.
1. Supporting and Stabilizing the Educator Workforce:
i. Describe the extent to which the State is facing shortages of educators,
education administration personnel, and other school personnel involved in
safely reopening schools, and the extent to which they vary by region/type of
school district and/or groups of educators (e.g., special educators and related
services personnel and paraprofessionals; bilingual or English as a second
language educators; science, technology, engineering, and math (“STEM”)
educators; career and technical education (“CTE”) educators; early childhood
educators). Cite specific data on shortages and needs where available.
54
Complete the table below, changing or adding additional rows as
needed, or provide a narrative description.
SEA Response
New Hampshire has the lowest unemployment rate in the nation. Even before the
pandemic, the state had consistently low unemployment, making recruiting, including
recruitment in education, both difficult and a priority for the SEA and LEAs.
Annually, the SEA surveys LEAs to assess recruitment activities. This feedback helps
formulate policy decisions to aid LEAs in educator recruitment. For example, aside from
teachers with an elementary educator certification, the state annually publishes a critical
shortage list that includes all other teacher positions.
During the pandemic, working with the Department of Employment Security, a new
recruitment portal was established for educators and school leaders were trained in its
use. As a result of these and other efforts, positions identified as difficult to fill are, in
most cases, filled with high quality individuals.
Looking forward, the SEA is exploring opportunities to target IDEA State Personnel
Development Grant and Title II School Administrator and Principal funds to support the
teacher pipeline, including through coaching and mentorship, with an emphasis on
special education.
Table F1.
Area Data on shortages and needs
Special educators and related service Over 50% of open positions were deemed ‘difficult
personnel and paraprofessionals to fill’ by the LEAs
Bilingual educators Over 90% of open positions were deemed ‘difficult
to fill’ by the LEAs
English as a second language educators SEA do not survey for this
STEM educators Over 40% of open positions in STEM were deemed
‘difficult to fill’ by the LEAs
CTE educators Over 45% of open positions in CTE were deemed
‘difficult to fill’ by the LEAs
Early childhood educators No shortage in this area
School counselors No shortage in this area
Social workers About 50% of open positions were deemed ‘difficult
to fill’ by the LEAs
Nurses SEA do not survey for this
School psychologists 60% of open positions were deemed ‘difficult to fill’
by the LEAs
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ii. Describe how the SEA will assist its LEAs in identifying the most urgent
areas of shortages or potential shortages, with particular plans for individual
LEAs facing the most significant needs (e.g., by avoiding layoffs, providing
high-quality professional learning opportunities, and addressing the impact of
stress or trauma on educators). Include a description of how other Federal
COVID-19 funding (e.g., ESSER and GEER funds under the CARES Act and
CRRSA Act) have already been used to avoid layoffs during the COVID-19
pandemic.
SEA Response
The SEA has a critical shortage reporting process whereby LEAs report shortages to the
SEA and the SEA correlates that information to open job postings in the state. Because
the pandemic effect has not been as severe in New Hampshire and there has been a
robust economic recovery throughout 2020-2021, LEAs have not had to resort to broad
layoffs as a means of balancing budgets.
Further, as part of the pandemic response, the governor’s office issued Emergency Order
38, Temporary modification of school board and district statutory requirements. Under
this Emergency Order, “2. If a school district's budget is insufficient to fund
expenditures associated with addressing the COVID-19 pandemic, the governing body is
authorized, once authorization from the Department of Education ("DOE") has been
obtained, to make such expenditure to the extent other revenues or unrestricted fund
balance are available to meet those expenses. During the current health emergency, the
public hearing requirement under RSA 32:11, I, for the expenditure of money in excess
of an appropriation due to an unusual circumstance is hereby waived. The governing
body must still submit an application to the DOE Commissioner pursuant to RSA 32:
11, I, and a copy of such application to the SEA of Revenue Administration pursuant to
RSA 3 2: 11, IV. Upon approval by the governing body to submit an application to DOE
for an over expenditure, DOE shall review the application and notify the requesting
governing body of its decision within 2 business days of DOE's receipt of the
application. Applications to DOE can be submitted by email to the Director of the
Division of Education Analytics and Resources of the DOE.”
Where needed, LEAs were able to use this Emergency Order to adequately fund
operations. This included, where necessary, using emergency response funds to avoid
layoffs, both for educators as well as contracted support staff.
iii. Describe the actions the SEA will take to fill anticipated gaps in certified
teachers for the start of the 2021-2022 school year and to what extent the
SEA will further support its LEAs in expanding the educator pipeline and
educator diversity while addressing the immediate needs of students
disproportionately impacted by the pandemic (e.g., recruiting teaching
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candidates to provide high dosage tutoring or implementing residencies for
teacher candidates).
SEA Response
Teacher shortages were present even prior to the pandemic. As a result of that, the SEA
had already begun alternative credentialing processes, with the goal of attracting
qualified individuals outside of the school system and traditional educator preparation
pathways. One of the advantages of expanding alternative credentials pathways is the
ability to attract a broader and more diverse workforce. During the pandemic, these rules
were implemented to offer the LEAs great recruitment flexibility. Further, Emergency
Order #64, Temporary Remote Instruction and Support and Hybrid Instruction for K-12
School Districts provided LEAs additional flexibility during the state of emergency to
meet staffing needs. The order states, “RSA 189:39-b, V and Ed Rule 504.04(f) are
suspended for the duration of the State of Emergency declared in Executive Order 2020-
04. A school board, in consultation with the superintendent, may offer a One-Year
Certificate of Eligibility to an individual in accordance with the provisions of RSA
189:39-b, I-IV without regard to whether the individual has previously received a One-
Year Certificate of Eligibility. Any One-Year Certificate of Eligibility issued by the NH
SEA of Education pursuant to this paragraph 4 shall be effective for one calendar year
from the date of issuance."
3. Staffing to Support Student Needs: Describe the extent to which the SEA has
developed or will develop strategies and will support its LEAs in increasing
student access to key support staff within school buildings, including school
counselors, special education personnel, nurses, social workers, and psychologists
(e.g. hiring additional personnel or freeing up these staff to focus on providing
services to students).
SEA Response
Emergency Order #64, Temporary Remote Instruction and Support and Hybrid
Instruction for K-12 School Districts provided LEAs additional flexibility during the
state of emergency to meet staffing needs, referenced above also provided a strong
framework to ensure that students with disabilities and, by inference, students needing
additional support services, must be granted access to those services, in-person, where
that is appropriate. The Emergency Order states, “School districts are required adhere to
all state and federal special education law requirements, including without limitation the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of
1973, in the delivery of instruction and support services pursuant to any offered
instructional model, including without limitation, traditional instruction, distance
learning, and hybrid models, consistent with US Department of Education Guidance. In
fulfilling their obligations pursuant to Ed 1100, et seq., school districts who have selected
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a remote instructional model for their general education population shall not exclude in-
person services from consideration for students with disabilities. In-person services
should be provided if such services are necessitated by the student's individualized needs
and consistent with the health and safety needs of the child, child's teachers, and child's
family.”
In support of schools working to effectively provide these services, specific guidance was
developed for the provision of in-person services, even in some of the most challenging
circumstances.
Knowing that the retention and recruitment of qualified staff is a challenge to many
LEAs, the SEA collaborated with the Department of Employment security to implement
an educator specific recruitment portal. This allowed LEAs to post specific positions,
both educators and support staff, to help facilitate the recruiting process throughout the
pandemic. This portal is still active and will remain so, even post pandemic.
G. Monitoring and Measuring Progress
The Department recognizes that transparency on how ARP ESSER funds are used and their
impact on the Nation’s education system is a fundamental responsibility of Federal, State,
and local government. In this section, SEAs will describe how they are building capacity at
the SEA and LEA levels to ensure high-quality data collection and reporting and to safeguard
funds for their intended purposes.
1. Capacity for Data Collection and Reporting: It is important for an SEA to
continuously monitor progress and make adjustments to its strategies, as well as
to support its LEAs in making adjustments to LEA strategies, based on impact.
Describe how the SEA will ensure its capacity and the capacity of its LEAs to
collect data on reporting requirements, including but not limited to the examples
of reporting requirements described in the SEA’s Grant Award Notification
(listed in Appendix B). Describe the SEA’s capacity and strategy to collect data
from its LEAs (disaggregated by student group, where applicable), to the greatest
extent practicable, including any steps the SEA will take to build its capacity in
the future (which may include the use of ARP ESSER and other Federal COVID-
19 pandemic funds at the SEA and LEA levels), on issues that may include the
following:
i. Student learning, including the academic impact of lost instructional
time during the COVID-19 pandemic;
ii. Opportunity to learn measures (e.g., chronic absenteeism; student
engagement; use of exclusionary discipline; access to and
participation in advanced coursework; access to technology, including
educator access to professional development on the effective use of
technology; access to high-quality educators; access to school
58
counselors, social workers, nurses, and school psychologists; and
results from student, parent, and/or educator surveys);
iii. Fiscal data that is comparable across the State (e.g., per-pupil
expenditures at the LEA and school levels);
iv. Jobs created and retained (by position type);
v. Participation in programs funded by ARP ESSER resources (e.g.,
summer and afterschool programs); and
vi. Other reporting requirements reasonably required by the Secretary
(please refer to Appendix B of this template; final requirements will
be issued separately).
SEA Response
The SEA has comprehensive beginning-of-year (BOY) and end-of-year (EOY) data
collection processes. Further, there are interim data collections that include specific
information as allowed by mid-year data collection.
Using our annual data collection processes will allow us to capture data regarding student
learning, engagement, access, fiscal data, and other relevant data to the greatest extent
practicable, particularly in light of the fact that the state does not currently have a
statewide data system.
As part of the EOY data collection for 2020-2021, additional data have been requested by
LEAs to help provide and enhance our understanding of student learning during the
pandemic and how we can implement programming in response to it, including
instructional mode and attendance information by student, including sub-group and by
mode of instruction throughout 2020/2021.
The SEA will continue its enhanced data collection as schools deploy ARP/ESSER funds
to both understand how these funds are addressing the impact of COVID-19 and to meet
the reporting requirements of the Secretary. In our initial discussions with LEAs relative
to the enhanced data collections, a number of districts have indicated challenges with
additional data collections, including administrative burden, system limitations, and data
quality. As part of our theory of action for change in New Hampshire, we respect the
prioritization decisions of local school system leaders, including whether to undertake
new data collections or to make investments in updating data systems versus other
investments that may more immediately respond to pandemic-related or other needs.
However, the SEA is firmly committed to meeting all of its data requirements under all
applicable federal laws and regulations, as are its LEAs, including collection,
disaggregation, and public reporting through its iPlatform. The SEA’s iPlatform is a
robust data reporting tool used for telling education data stories from schools/districts.
The concept behind this portal is to enhance transparency and stimulate community
conversations with parents, districts, legislators, and others about the state of their local
school systems.
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2. Monitoring and Internal Controls: Describe how the SEA will implement
appropriate fiscal monitoring of and internal controls for the ARP ESSER funds
(e.g., by updating the SEA’s plan for monitoring funds and internal controls under
the CARES and CRRSA Acts; addressing potential sources of waste, fraud, and
abuse; conducting random audits; or other tools). In this response, please describe
the SEA’s current capacity to monitor ARP ESSER; steps, if needed, to increase
capacity; and any foreseeable gaps in capacity, including how the SEA will
provide its LEAs with technical assistance in the anticipated areas of greatest
need.
SEA Response
The SEA’s Bureau of Federal Compliance (BFC) provides consolidated fiscal monitoring
of all LEAs to address potential sources of waste, fraud, and abuse. The BFC completes
annual subrecipient risk assessments, undertakes extensive LEA fiscal monitoring (using
multiple methods), provides both SEA Program Administrators and subrecipients with
training and technical assistance resources related to the proper fiscal management
(internal controls) of Federal grant funds, and implements enforcement actions when
necessary all in general accordance with the requirements of 2 CFR 200. The ARP
ESSER grant subrecipients will be included in the BFC’s annual LEA risk assessments
and its established fiscal monitoring program.
All ARP ESSER fund subrecipients will be folded into the BFC’s current risk assessment
and monitoring framework. In addition, given the nuances of some of the compliance
requirements around the use of ARP ESSER funds, the BFC will be incorporating
specific ARP ESSER risk variables in its LEA risk assessments. These risk assessments
will be completed in July of 2021 to inform the BFC’s 2021-2022 school year fiscal
monitoring program.
In addition to providing LEAs with general technical assistance on Federal compliance
requirements (procurement, inventory control, cost principles, etc.), the BFC also
develops program specific technical assistance resources on an as-needed basis to assist
subrecipients in their management of Federal grant funds. The BFC anticipates this will
also be the case with the ARP ESSER funds. The BFC delivers written technical
assistance to LEAs through the development and distribution of Fact Sheets and Info
Sheets on specific compliance topics, regional training, and the development of on-line
resources. Lastly, being a relatively small state, the BFC finds conducting individual
technical assistance site visits at LEAs to be extremely beneficial to both the SEA and the
LEA.
SEA has established an office dedicated to the support and implementation of ESSER
funds. Personnel provide direct technical assistance to LEAs, averaging 20+ direct
conversations and meetings with LEAs per week, in addition to providing webinars and
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PowerPoint presentations. Additionally, the office has built webpages specific to each
ESSER fund to provide Federal grant documentation and State-specific documentation.
CARES ESSER: https://www.education.nh.gov/who-we-are/division-of-learner-
support/bureau-of-instructional-support/cares-act-funding
CRRSA ESSER: https://www.education.nh.gov/who-we-are/division-of-learner-
support/bureau-of-instructional-support/crrsa-esser-ii-coronavirus
ARPA ESSER: https://www.education.nh.gov/american-rescue-plan-act-elementary-and-
secondary-school-emergency-relief-fund
Four webinars have provided clarity and insight to the ESSER funds for each grant, the
EOY data collection and the data collection to support the ARP ESSER State
Application. PowerPoint presentations are available on the webpages, listed above. A
PowerPoint was not provided for the EOY data collection.
CRRSA ESSER: https://www.education.nh.gov/sites/g/files/ehbemt326/files/inline-
documents/sonh/esser-ii-nh-faqs.pdf
ARPA ESSER: https://www.education.nh.gov/sites/g/files/ehbemt326/files/inline-
documents/sonh/esser-iii-webinar.pdf
ARPA ESSER Data Collection webinar:
https://www.education.nh.gov/sites/g/files/ehbemt326/files/inline-documents/sonh/esser-
iii-data-collection-webinar.pdf
NH specific FAQs were created and are continuously updated to provide insight from US
ED for NH specific questions and direct examples of allowable uses of funds
implemented by LEAs across the State.
CRRSA ESSER: https://www.education.nh.gov/sites/g/files/ehbemt326/files/inline-
documents/sonh/esser-ii-nh-faqs.pdf
ARPA ESSER: https://www.education.nh.gov/sites/g/files/ehbemt326/files/inline-
documents/sonh/esser-iii-webinar.pdf
The office is utilizing SEA resources to support the timely utilization of ESSER funds.
As an example, for more technical issues, the office has collaborated with our BFC to
oversee requested use of ESSER funds for construction projects to provide technical
assistance and ensure Federal compliance.
Lastly, the Office of School Finance at the SEA conducted an informational session on
the ESSER Local Maintenance of Equity requirement in Section 2004(c) of the American
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Rescue Plan Act via Zoom. At the time of plan submission, we are still awaiting
additional guidance and clarification from the U.S. Department of Education to finalize
the calculation requirements. However, the training provided to LEAs covered the
following:
• Our current understanding of the federal law and how it may or may not apply to
your district;
• Our draft budgeting and staffing allocation tool to assist districts in assessing the
applicability of the federal law to their district and developing strategies to
achieve compliance; and
• LEA feedback for how the SEA can best operationalize the federal law and
provide support and technical assistance.
To help schools comply with requirements, the SEA drafted the DRAFT Excel Document
LMOE Calculator designed to be a tool to strategize how to achieve compliance with the
MoEQ. The tool is built on assumptions about the federal law and the best available data
we have. Once we have federal guidance, a final version of the tool will be provided
along with more technical assistance from SEA.
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Appendix A: School Operating Status and Instructional Mode Data Template
Indicate the date or time period represented by the following data.
Table 1
In the most recent time period available, how many schools in your State offered each mode of
instruction or learning model described below? Each row should account for all schools in your
State, so that, for each row, the sum of the numbers in the “offered to all students,” “offered to
some students,” and “not offered” columns is equal to the number in the “all schools” column.
To the extent data are available, please complete the above table for 1) all schools in the State,
and 2) separately for each instructional level (e.g., pre-kindergarten/elementary schools, middle
schools, high schools).
SEA Response
Number of schools All schools Offered to all Offered to Not offered
students some students
Remote or online only 0 0 0 0
School buildings open with 0 0 0 0
both remote/online and in-
person instruction (hybrid)
School buildings open with 464 464 0 0
full-time in-person instruction
Pre-kindergarten/Elementary 322 322 0 0
schools
Middle schools 74 74 0 0
High schools 98 98 0 0
This data is represented as of April 19, 2021 when Governor Christopher Sununu’s
Emergency Order #89 came into effect.
Table 2
In the most recent time period available, what was the enrollment and mode of instruction for the
schools in your State?
SEA Response
The SEA does not have student enrollment data by mode of instruction and student subgroup.
This information will be required for districts to report as part of the End-of-Year data collection
so that this chart might be updated at that time.
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Number of Total Remote or online Both remote/online Full-time in-
students enrollment only and in-person person
instruction (hybrid) instruction
Students from 33786 6007 1206 26131
low-income
families
White, not 134814 28320 9445 93858
Hispanic
Black or 4183 1058 97 3000
African
American, not
Hispanic
Hispanic, of any 11638 3188 329 7970
race
Asian, not 6730 2759 254 3470
Hispanic
American 572 179 24 447
Indian or
Alaskan Native,
not Hispanic
Native 223 75 23 149
Hawaiian or
Pacific Islander,
not Hispanic
Two or more 4468 1136 337 290
races, not
Hispanic
Race/Ethnicity 1665 111 17 548
information not
available
English learners 5228 1266 65 3647
Children with 27651 5059 1856 21067
disabilities
Students 2276 515 37 1728
experiencing
homelessness
Children and 8835 157 33 605
youth in foster
care
Migratory 102 13 1 87
students
This data is based on an SEA special data request to inform the ARP ESSER State Plan. The
request was disseminated and a webinar was conducted on May 13, 2021. The request was
completed by June 1, 2021 with a return rate of 86%.
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