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The American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) Fund — Idaho

Summary

Idaho's ARP ESSER State plan material opens with the Department's template and then gives Idaho's account of the pandemic school year, citing strategies such as maintaining in-person instruction, equitable access to technology for distance learning, and teacher preparation for online teaching. It says that as of May 13, 2021, among 115 traditional school districts, 108 were in person, eight were hybrid and zero were fully online or closed. On priorities, it reports that nearly 12 percent of Hispanic students were identified as chronically absent in 2020-2021, nearly double the rate among white students. The text ends with a local educational agency plan form whose assurances include that the plan is publicly available on the LEA website, with a direction to submit it by October 1, 2021.

Summary drafted by a model from the document's text below and checked by script against that text before publication. It is a navigation aid, not a reading of what the document proves. Where AI is used

Issuer
Congressional materials
Document type
Department Of Education Pdf Www Ed Gov 243F64D439
Case
Department Of Education Pdf Www Ed Gov 243F64D439

Cite this document

“The American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) Fund — Idaho.” Original at www.ed.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/department-of-education-pdf-www-ed-gov-243f64d439/, SHA-256 df4782d88e5d723dbce474a40da0a825809bb3e15e705a60b229f778c21ec4fc.

Full text

Introduction
The American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (“ARP ESSER”)
Fund, authorized under the American Rescue Plan (“ARP”) Act of 2021, provides nearly $122
billion to States to support the Nation’s schools in safely reopening and sustaining safe operations
of schools while meeting the academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs of students
resulting from the coronavirus disease 2019 (“COVID-19”) pandemic. It is particularly important
that ARP ESSER funding will enable States and local educational agencies (“LEAs”), and more
directly schools, to support students who have been most severely impacted by the COVID-19
pandemic and are likely to have suffered the most because of longstanding inequities in our
communities and schools that have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The U.S. Department of Education (“Department”) is committed to working in partnership with
States so that these unprecedented resources are quickly put to work to ensure students have
sustained access to in-person instruction and that the resources are used to provide the effective
support students need as they persist through and recover from the impacts of the COVID-19
pandemic. The thoughtful and timely use of these funds will have a lasting impact on our Nation’s
schools and help to address the inequities in resources, services, and opportunities available to our
students.
This template presents an opportunity for States to share their plans for the use of ARP ESSER
funds with the public. The Department must approve a State educational agency’s (“SEA’s”) plan
in order to make the State’s remaining ARP ESSER allocation available for use. Please note that
the Department intends to issue ARP ESSER reporting requirements separately.


Instructions
Each SEA must provide descriptions and other information that address each requirement listed
below. An SEA may use this template or another format as long as every item and element is
addressed in the SEA’s response. Throughout this document, questions that refer to an SEA’s ARP
ESSER funding are referencing the total allocation to be received by the SEA, including that which
it allocates to its LEAs.
Each SEA must submit to the Department by June 7, 2021, either: (1) its ARP ESSER plan or (2)
the State requirements that preclude submission of the plan by that date and a date by which it will
be able to submit its complete ARP ESSER plan.
To submit the SEA’s plan, please email the plan to your Program Officer at [State].OESE@ed.gov
(e.g., Alabama.OESE@ed.gov).

In order to ensure transparency, the Department will post each plan on the Department’s website
when it is received and will indicate each plan’s approval status.

This template also allows States to fulfill the requirement of the Coronavirus Response and Relief
Supplemental Appropriations (“CRRSA”) Act ESSER II 6-month reporting requirement in section
313(f) of the CRRSA Act.




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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 Department’s Safer Schools
      and Campuses Best Practices Clearinghouse so that they can be shared with other
      States and LEAs.
       Response:
       During the COVID-19 pandemic, the State Board of Education, State Department of
       Education, and other state agencies, as appropriate (state) developed various resources
       and trainings to support school districts and charter schools (local education agencies
       – LEAs) in meeting the needs of students across Idaho. For example, the State
       Department of Education (Department) held regular webinars to discuss all of the
       aspects of the shifting educational landscape, including the use of relief funds, child
       nutrition policy, and changes in assessment and accountability. The Department also
       created a public schools reopening page as a central repository for this type of
       information to assist local education agencies address student learning, operations,
       coordination with parents, safety and wellness, government resources, and
       connectivity. This page also included the Back to School Framework approved by the
       State Board of Education / State Education Agency (Board / SEA). All of these
       resources provided guidance for supporting effective instruction and student wellbeing
       whether a school was open fully in-person, hybrid, or remote.
       Using this information, Idaho LEAs adopted various strategies, based on local needs
       and consultation with community partners, to support students during the COVID-19
       pandemic. Three primary strategies implemented in Idaho are outlined below.
       In-person instruction
       For many LEAs, the most effective strategy was maintaining in-person instruction. To
       support this approach, the Department provided guidance about physical logistics such
       as distancing procedures, air filtration, and environmental hygiene. Additionally, the
       Department disseminated resources to support the broader social and emotional needs
       of students returning to school, such as the CASEL SEL Roadmap for Re-Opening
       Schools. All LEAs prioritized student health and safety, but with appropriate
       precautions, in-person learning remained safe and sustainable throughout the entire
       school year for various LEAs, particularly smaller LEAs in rural areas with minimal
       community transmission.

       Equitable access

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   When LEAs did need to incorporate distance learning, effective strategies focused on
   providing equitable access to the necessary technological resources and enhancing
   support for the students most at-risk in this educational environment. The Department
   collaborated with LEAs to manage these challenges. For example, the public schools
   reopening page included guidance to help local IT Directors identify the locations of
   students without internet service. These students could be assisted by providing an
   alternate method of internet access or prioritizing them for remaining in-person when
   hybrid learning was an option. These efforts built on ongoing cross-agency efforts to
   improve technology access in Idaho, started under the Governor’s Broadband Task
   Force and Digital Divide Committee. The Broadband Task Force and Digital Divide
   Committee worked to identify gaps in Idaho’s broadband infrastructure and supported
   efforts to improve access. For LEAs operating in a hybrid environment, the
   maintenance of in-person learning was further focused on students for whom online
   learning would be the most disruptive. NAEP school survey results indicate that Idaho
   educators were able to prioritize maintaining in-person instruction for traditionally at-
   risk student groups, including English learners, children with disabilities, and students
   experiencing homelessness. Many schools also targeted in-person learning for students
   in lower grades, for whom online learning could be more difficult.

   Teacher preparation
   Another key strategy was ensuring educators were sufficiently prepared to provide
   effective instruction online, whether in a hybrid or fully-remote environment. The
   Department along with other stakeholders like the Idaho Digital Learning Academy,
   offered trainings on virtual classroom strategies and distance education resources,
   including those contributed by educators and school personal from around the state.
   The Department also introduced remote assessment options to help teachers gather
   ongoing data from formative assessment processes, interim assessments, and progress
   monitoring tools to help educators track student outcomes and refine teaching and
   learning strategies.
   Although many LEAs in Idaho modified their operating status multiple times during
   the year to respond to the existing public health situation, by the spring of 2021 there
   was a consistent trend towards offering in-person instruction. As of May 13, 2021,
   among 115 traditional school districts, 108 were in person, eight were hybrid and zero
   were fully online or closed.
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.

   Response:

   Using data to target student needs




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   The foremost challenge for students and schools across Idaho is continuing to identify
   and employ effective strategies for assisting students who experienced unfinished
   learning. Statewide data on summative assessments in English Language Arts/Literacy
   and Mathematics and several other metrics are not yet available, but results from
   Idaho’s fall early reading assessment indicated around a five-percentage point
   reduction in the share of kindergarten through third grade students reading at grade
   level from the year prior. Idaho is awaiting spring data from this early reading
   assessment to determine whether ongoing disruptions caused by COVID-19 further
   increased that performance gap relative to previous cohorts or if local education
   agencies were able to narrow it through instruction and specific intervention strategies
   during the year. Additional assessment results from available formative and summative
   assessments and end-of-year data on course enrollment, course grades, and other
   metrics will help districts and schools identify academic priorities. The state will help
   LEAs develop strategies to analyze intervention priorities outside of the academic
   context, such as student social/emotional health and economic need, which may have
   changed based on the ongoing COVID-19 disruptions.

   Re-connecting with students

   As part of that process, one additional challenge is supporting students who have not
   maintained consistent contact with the educational system during the past school year.
   These students may not have assessment data to identify their academic needs and, in
   some cases, may not have current connections to their district or school. Idaho’s overall
   K-12 enrollment fell by several thousand students from the previous school year and
   some districts’ enrollment fell by over five percent. LEAs will continue their efforts to
   identify and support any “missing’ students as well. All of these results will determine
   priority focus areas for learning during the summer and next fall.

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:
        i.       Students from low-income families,
       ii.       Students from each racial or ethnic group (e.g., identifying disparities and
                 focusing on underserved student groups by race or ethnicity),
      iii.       Gender (e.g., identifying disparities and focusing on underserved student
                 groups by gender),
      iv.        English learners,
       v.        Children with disabilities (including infants, toddlers, children, and youth
                 with disabilities eligible under the Individuals with Disabilities Education
                 Act (“IDEA”)),
       vi.       Students experiencing homelessness,
      vii.       Children and youth in foster care,
     viii.       Migratory students, and
       ix.       Other groups disproportionately impacted by the pandemic that have been
                 identified by the SEA (e.g., youth involved in the criminal justice system,

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                             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, 1 chronic absenteeism,
                student engagement, and social-emotional well-being.
                Complete the table below, adding rows as necessary, or provide a narrative
                description.
             Response: The three core priorities for Idaho throughout the rest of this school year
             and school year 2021-2022 are continuing efforts to improve broadband access,
             addressing the academic impact of unfinished learning, and addressing the social,
             emotional, and mental health needs of students. These general areas of focus are the
             same for all students, but interventions will focus on the specific needs for each group.

             Improving Broadband Access

             As indicated above, the Broadband Task Force and Digital Divide Committee have
             engaged in efforts to identify and address gaps in Idaho’s broadband infrastructure. To
             improve equity in resources that support student learning, all students needs internet
             access and appropriate technology in order to engage in research and complete
             homework, and when necessary or preferred, to participate in online or hybrid learning.
             While improvements have been made, additional work is needed, particularly for
             students experiencing socioeconomic or housing challenges, and those in rural and
             remote communities. The Board / SEA is engaged on these committees and state
             agencies are engaged in ongoing discussions and work to identify appropriate next
             steps to address remaining broadband and technology gaps.




1
  For the purposes of the plan, “academic impact of lost instructional time” refers to “learning loss” experienced by
students as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, as referenced in the ARP Act and the CRRSA Act.

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Addressing Unfinished Learning

At this point in time, Idaho has limited statewide data to quantify the impacts of
unfinished learning due to the pandemic. As indicated in Section D of this plan, the
Accountability Oversight Committee (AOC), an ad-hoc committee of the Board / SEA,
will be working with the Department to gather and analyze appropriate data.
Preliminary information suggests that the specific academic consequences of
unfinished learning due the COVID-19 pandemic vary by student group in ways that
should inform intervention efforts. As an example, the fall statewide early literacy
assessment data indicates that the percentage of students from low-income families
reading at grade level fell more from 2019 to 2020 than the statewide whole (5.7
percentage points compared to 5.1 percentage points). Similar patterns were seen
among many, but not all, traditionally underserved groups, highlighting the need for
targeted support. The Board / SEA has reviewed this data, as well as national data
regarding the impacts of the pandemic, and has considered anecdotal evidence received
from LEAs. Based on this combined information, the Board / SEA has tentatively
identified priorities for addressing unfinished learning in our state: early English
language arts / literacy skills (K-4), middle grades mathematics (4-9), and credit
completion and course recovery for high school. The Board’s / SEA’s staff will work
with the AOC and the Department to conduct an analysis of the state’s data to confirm
if these areas are those with of greatest need. Once the priority areas are confirmed,
the Board / SEA and Department will communicate them to LEAs and will provide
professional development and resources to support LEAs in addressing them.


To fully understand and address unfinished learning, the Board / SEA and Department
are also reviewing attendance and chronic absenteeism data in order to identify and
support students who have or continue to miss substantial instructional time.. Current
data on chronic absenteeism for school year 2020-2021 also highlights disparities by
student group. For instance, mid-year results indicate that nearly 12 percent of Hispanic
students were identified as chronically absent upon exiting school, which was nearly
double the rate among white students. An outline of all data to be considered by the
AOC is included in Section D.

Addressing Social and Emotional Challenges

The Board / SEA and the Department recognize that the pandemic has had an impact
on the social, emotional, and mental health of students and educators. While we are
still gathering data to better understand these issues, initial data from the 2020-2021
student engagement survey indicate that the social emotional impacts of the pandemic
may have been more substantial for students in certain subgroups. As an example, the
statewide student engagement survey administered to students in grades 3-12 in
February and March, 2021, showed a substantially higher percentage of students with
disabilities categorized as disengaged in the behavioral, cognitive, and emotional
domains when compared with students without disabilities. More comprehensive data
will become available at the end of this school year, allowing Idaho to enter the summer

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     and the 2021-2022 school year with detailed information disaggregated by student
     group.


       Table A1. This table will be populated when data is available in summer 2021.
       The types of data disaggregated by the student groups below will include assessment
       results, graduation rate, go-on rate, course grades, and other metrics discussed above,
       including the extent of the ongoing digital divide. These data will provide critical
       information about how to best support traditionally underserved groups, such as
       Native American and Hispanic students. Idaho anticipates the majority of data used
       for this analysis will be gathered through already established collection methods and
       will not require additional data submissions from LEAs.
        Student group                                                         Highest priority needs
        Students from low-income families                                     Available summer 2021
        Students from each racial or ethnic background used by the State      Available summer 2021
        for reporting purposes – please add a row for each racial or ethnic
        group (e.g., identifying disparities and focusing on underserved
        student groups by race/ethnicity)
        Students by gender – please add a row for each gender (e.g.,          Available summer 2021
        identifying disparities and focusing on underserved student groups
        by gender)
        English learners                                                      Available summer 2021
        Children with disabilities                                            Available summer 2021
        Students experiencing homelessness                                    Available summer 2021
        Children and youth in foster care                                     Available summer 2021
        Migratory students                                                    Available summer 2021
        Other groups of students identified by the State (e.g., youth         Available summer 2021
        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,
        LGBTQ+ students)


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.
     Response: To support LEAs, the Department will provide both recorded and in-person
     trainings on using existing reporting tools to identify the academic and
     social/behavioral impacts of the COVID-19 disruptions. These trainings will address
     strategies for appropriately using existing data systems for our statewide assessments
     (interim and summative) in English Language Arts/Literacy and Mathematics, the
     statewide early literacy assessment (formative and summative), the English learner
     assessment, the student engagement survey, and graduation rates. The Department will

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     advertise these training opportunities through newsletters, webinars, and direct
     outreach to LEA stakeholders. The AOC will review and analyze data in the Student
     Achievement Report (created by the Department), which will include a focus on g the
     effects of COVID-19 on students across Idaho across myriad metrics, including
     opportunity to learn, statewide achievement tests, the state’s early reading assessment,
     attendance, and enrollment. These results will be disaggregated by both student and
     school characteristics. The Department will also produce this report at the LEA level
     to help stakeholders contextualize their results and inform ongoing intervention efforts.
     Upon request, the state will provide LEAs with custom data reports targeted to their
     specific priorities. Of particular concern are schools previously identified for support
     and improvement. The Department will provide customized tools and reports to ensure
     these schools have ongoing support for their improvement efforts and that this year’s
     disruptions do not derail their progress in improving overall outcomes and narrowing
     achievement gaps.
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;
                   b. Enrollment: Student enrollment for all students and disaggregated for
                      each of the student groups described in A.3.i-viii 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.i-viii for each mode of
                      instruction.
     Response: Throughout the 2021-2022 school year, the Department employed several
     approaches to track operating status. At the start of the year, staff monitored district
     websites and reported the listed status. However, the data were not always completely
     accurate because district websites did not always reflect operating status changes and
     the process for manually reviewing websites sometimes took several weeks to
     complete. In January and February 2021, staff contacted all districts by phone and email
     to obtain their correct operating status. Since that time, staff have continued to follow
     up regularly based on anticipated changes. This manual approach was necessary
     because Idaho does not have a single, unified system for tracking district or school
     operating status.


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 Enrollment and attendance, disaggregated by student group, have been collected
 regularly throughout the year via the state’s K-12 longitudinal data system. LEAs
 submit information to the state via this system in October, November, December,
 March, May, at the end of the school year in June, and in September to cover the
 summer period. These attendance and enrollment data can be merged with the operating
 status information via the state’s unique LEA identification number.
 Idaho’s longitudinal data system also includes information on instructional setting for
 each course in which a student participates. The available instructional settings can
 delineate between in-person instruction, synchronous online instruction, and
 asynchronous online instruction. However, these data are not captured at the individual
 student level, so a hybrid course would be identified with a single setting while
 individual students might be participating either in-person or remotely. Furthermore,
 the setting may have changed at different times during the year without those updates
 being reflected in the data LEAs provide to the state.




     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 Department will periodically review data listed in A.5.i on SEA websites.


   Response: Please see the tables in Appendix A for the data described in A.5.i.a and
   A.51.b. Using the most current mid-term average daily attendance (ADA) figures in
   Idaho to address item A.5.1.c, the ADA by operational status is as follows: Remote
   or online only = 8,837; Hybrid = 126,126; and Full-time in-person instruction =
   168,123. All data will be made publicly available on the State Department of
   Education website (sde.idaho.gov) by June 21, 2021 and will be updated regularly.


    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.
Response: The Board / SEA expects that nearly all traditional LEAs will offer in-person
instruction during Summer 2021 and the 2021-2022 school year, with the exception of
fully virtual charter schools. However, within traditional LEAs, we anticipate that some
districts will continue to offer online school options that they created during the 2020-
2021 school year. The Board / SEA and Department will explore options for capturing
more detailed and accurate instructional methodology information. In making this

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     decision, the Board / SEA will weigh the benefits of any new data collection against the
     additional time and effort necessary for LEAs to report this information. The state will
     track any available operating status information and report enrollment by student group
     on the State Department of Education website.


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;


       Response: The Board / SEA approved Idaho Back to School Framework (Framework)
       2020 (https://boardofed.idaho.gov/resources/idaho-back-to-school-framework-2020)
       provides expectations, guidelines and best practices to ensure a safe and successful
       school environment. This document was most recently updated on October 21, 2020,
       and will continue to be updated by the Board / SEA as necessary to remain current with
       changes to state and federal guidance. The Framework is a collective effort by the Idaho
       Governor’s Office and the Board / SEA. The Framework was developed and
       recommended for Board / SEA approval by a work group made up of representatives
       from the Department of Education, the Department of Health and Welfare, the local
       public health districts, and LEAs. This guidance document addresses each of the
       mitigation strategies listed in the table below. For reference, the corresponding pages
       from the Framework 2020 have been provided for each mitigation strategy in the table
       below.


       In addition to the guidelines provided in the Framework 2020 related to the appropriate
       accommodations for children with disabilities, the Department also distributed a 53-
       page document that dove deeper into the guidance on this particular topic. The
       “Guidelines for Providing Special Education Services During the COVID-19
       Pandemic” is the Board’s / SEA’s detailed guidance to support districts in meeting the
       needs                of             students             with                disabilities



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(https://www.sde.idaho.gov/coronavirus/sped/SPED-COVID-19-Q-A-06-03-
2020.pdf).


The Board / SEA also distributed a separate guidance document specific to the wearing
of masks in our schools (https://www.sde.idaho.gov/re-opening/files/COVID-19-
School-Mask-Guidance.pdf).
           Complete the table below, adding rows as necessary, or provide a narrative
           description.
           Table B1.
            Mitigation strategy                                  SEA response
            Universal and correct wearing of masks               p. 9, 12, 31
            Physical distancing (e.g., including use of          p. 7, 8, 10-13, 31
            cohorts/podding)
            Handwashing and respiratory etiquette                p. 9, 29-31
            Cleaning and maintaining healthy facilities,         p. 9, 29-31
            including improving ventilation
            Contact tracing in combination with isolation        p. 7-10
            and quarantine, in collaboration with the State,
            local, territorial, or Tribal health departments
            Diagnostic and screening testing                     p. 9- 11
            Efforts to provide vaccinations to educators,        The Superintendent of Public
            other staff, and students, if eligible               Instruction, State Department of
                                                                 Education is not involved in the effort
                                                                 to provide vaccinations.
            Appropriate accommodations for children with         p. 13, 23, 24, 26- 28
            disabilities with respect to the health and safety
            policies



   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;

Response: In the late Summer of 2020, each LEA was required to develop a local plan.
With input from the local public health district or other health experts, each LEA
developed a plan that outlined their operations, including how it would respond to
disease transmission within their community, enabling them to continue to provide
instruction and educational services to their students. The Board / SEA staff verified
that each LEA plan had been drafted, vetted, and adopted by the local school board. It
is anticipated that districts will update these plans for the upcoming school year through
the Safe Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Services Plan. By May 2021,
most Idaho brick-and-mortar LEAs had reopened and returned to full-time, in-person
instruction.


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During the 2021 legislative session, the Superintendent of Public Instruction introduced
and       sponsored      House       Bill     175     (https://legislature.idaho.gov/wp
content/uploads/sessioninfo/2021/legislation/H0175.pdf), which was signed into law
later in the session. Beginning July 1, Idaho law will require, “to the greatest extent
possible and where safety requirements can be developed by the school district or
public charter school, an in-person instruction option will be made available to
students.” . This new law clearly prioritizes in-person instruction for our traditional
brick and mortar schools.


   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 department based on funding awarded by the CDC; and

Response: The state coordinated a network of statewide task forces to inform aspects
of prevention, mitigation, response, and recovery from the pandemic events and effects.
Federal resource coordination and information flow was primarily accomplished
through federal and state agency representatives in the task force environment. The
primary vehicle for guidance and information to individual LEAs was through regular
webinars with Idaho public school administrators and staff, the Idaho Superintendents
Network, the Idaho School Boards Association, and formal policy guidance from the
Board / SEA and the Department. LEAs were incorporated into technical working
groups with Education Liaisons through the 7 Public Health Districts (PHDs) as well
as county Emergency Managers to support regional and local decision-making and
resource requests. These technical working groups assisted in determining critical
information and process development related to screening, testing, essential worker
testing, community situational awareness and healthcare resource allocation specific to
the education environment. This coordination pattern from federal partners to statewide
task forces to local technical working groups and ultimately to the local governing body
comprised the primary support structure for coordination and guidance throughout the
preparation and response phase of operations.

   iv. Any guidance, professional learning, and technical assistance opportunities the
       SEA will make available to its LEAs.

Response: The Department will continue to hold informational webinars for LEA
administrators and staff to provide ongoing and uninterrupted support for their needs
in responding to COVID. The Department will facilitate the Idaho Superintendents
Network, a professional learning community that works with superintendents across
Idaho’s LEAs. These monthly gatherings allow for direct and timely communication
with district administrators, providing information that will facilitate nimble transitions
in instruction delivery throughout the highly dynamic environment the pandemic has
created in our schools. The Governor’s Office convened a K-12 Emergency Council
made up of superintendents representing each educational region of the state, charter
school representatives, and State Board of Education members. This group continues

                                                                                         14
   to meet to identify issues, share information and inform LEA’s in the regions. The
   Board / SEA will update and maintain the relevant guidance documents described in
   our responses in Section B.1.i-iii. The Board / SEA will continue to maintain and
   update a primary webpage focused on COVID resources that support Idaho schools in
   the year ahead, and the Department will maintain the pandemic resource page located
   on the its website. A link to the state coronavirus resource website is available here,
   https://coronavirus.idaho.gov/resources-for-schools/. Additionally, the Department
   will continue to offer professional development opportunities to support educators in
   implementing instructional practices and programs to address the academic impact of
   unfinished learning and the social and emotional challenges created by COVID-19.
   Efforts to address social and emotional impacts include a statewide professional
   development activity, the Idaho Prevention and Support Conference, for all K-12
   educators to learn about school safety and prevention support programs. This event
   most recently occurred in April of 2021, with more than 800 Idaho educators in virtual
   attendance. The Department will be offering this opportunity again in the Spring of
   2022. Further, the Idaho Rural Education Association has as their mission to expand
   the quality of learning and educational opportunities in rural schools and communities.
   Partly in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, this association offers a resource list of
   mental health providers who will travel to rural and remote locations throughout the
   state to support the emotional and mental health needs of students.


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-plan-elementary-
   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
           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.,



                                                                                          15
                     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.

             Response: In October 2020, LEAs posted a Back-to-School Plan on their website or
             made them available through their district offices, which was verified by Board / SEA
             staff. This was five months prior to the enactment of ARP ESSER. A checklist form
             (see Appendix E) by which LEAs can compare their original plan and the ARP Act
             ESSER LEA plan requirements will be made available. This checklist may be used for
             LEAs to verify their existing plans meet Federal requirements and identify any
             amendments they will need to make to come into compliance. LEAs whose Back-to-
             School plan included input from stakeholders and is publicly available on the LEA’s
             website as identified under Sec. 2001(i)(1) and (2), but does not address all the
             requirements of the April 22, 2021 Federal Register, will have until November 24, 2021
             (6 months after May 24, 2021) to revise and post its plan. Any LEA whose Back-to-
             School plan does not meet the requirements under Sec. 2001(i)(1) and (2) will have 30
             days within receipt of the funds to develop and make publicly available a Safe Return
             plan that meets statutory requirements (August 1, 2021). All LEAs must complete the
             Safe Return to In-Person Instruction Checklist and post it on their website with their
             Back-to-School Plan by August 1, 2021. Department staff will visit each LEA website
             for these documents beginning August 2, 2021. Technical assistance and support will
             be provided, as needed, for any LEA that does not meet the minimum statutory
             requirements, which includes meaningful stakeholder input. For a copy of the Safe
             Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Services Plans Checklist, see
             Appendix E.


    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:

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.

                                                                                                                  16
     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.

Response: As soon as Idaho received the ARP ESSER State Plan template on April 22,
2021, the Department staff met several times to identify team leads for each section of
the plan and to develop a core stakeholder list for initial communication. On May 5,
2021, a letter went out from the Department’s Chief Deputy Superintendent to
stakeholders. The letter invited stakeholders to provide input into Idaho’s ARP ESSER
Plan, included the timeline for developing and submitting the Plan, and provided a
process for stakeholders to identify sections of interest. The same communication was
sent out again May 7, 2021 from the Department’s Deputy Superintendent of
Communications and Policy.

Team leads scheduled meetings for their sections between May 10-May 18, 2021, and
invited interested stakeholders to participate. The opportunity to collaborate was
communicated to a variety of stakeholders including superintendents, Board / SEA
staff, Governor’s Office staff, Division of Financial Management staff, Legislative
Services Office staff, Idaho Association of School Administrators, Idaho School
Boards Association, Idaho Education Association, LEA business managers, Nez Perce
Tribe Education Director, Idaho Business for Education, Idaho Association of
Commerce and Industry, Bluum, Idaho PTA Association Board, and the Department’s
directors of Special Education, Indian Education, Certification, Student Engagement
and Safety Coordination, Assessment and Accountability, and Federal Programs.

Additionally, Superintendent of Public Instruction Sherri Ybarra is currently accepting
applications through June 25, 202,1 for a new Student Advisory Council. This
statewide panel will include representation from students in grades 2 – 11 from
different backgrounds, cultures, and school size. Through this council, Idaho students
will have an opportunity to share their voices on important educational topics, including
the Idaho ARP ESSER SEA State Plan implementation. This group will meet quarterly
either virtually or in person.

                                                                                       17
A link to the first draft of Idaho’s ARP ESSER State Plan was published on the State
Department of Education’s website (www.sde.idaho.gov) from May 21– June 1, 2021
for public review. Sixteen individuals and organizations provided input on the draft
Plan posted on the Department’s webpage. These stakeholders represented district
administrators and business managers, a retired counselor, local school board member,
a grandparent, United Way, College of Idaho, New Classrooms, and interested citizens.
Stakeholder input included support and gratitude in using part of the ARP ESSER State
Set-Aside Reserve 3% for LEAs who do not receive Title I-A allocations. Support for
Innovation Zones to address unfinished learning was promoted by New Classrooms.
Support was expressed for using the State Set-Aside Reserve for students with unique
needs such as those students who are homeless, migratory, English Learners, or with
disabilities. Several stakeholders described support for using full-service community-
based afterschool and summer enrichment providers as a valuable resource and partner
to schools in addressing the academic, social and emotional needs of students. Support
for using chronic absenteeism as a measure for identifying students was included.
There was some confusion expressed about the two LEA plans and the need for
approval by the local school board prior to submission to the State Department of
Education. Support was also expressed for additional educator professional
development for social emotional health and positive behavioral interventions and
supports (PBIS) as well as the importance of good nutrition and feeding children at
school. All feedback documentation is on file with the Department.

The Board’s / SEA’s Accountability Oversight Committee (AOC) met May 27, 2021
to read the draft plan and make comments. This feedback was provided to the
Department on June 1st and the input was incorporated into the final draft.

A stakeholder feedback review committee was convened on June 2, 2021 to review the
public comment feedback and make recommendations for changes to the plan. Twenty
seven participants representing the Idaho Educators Association, LEA administrator,
Charter Commission, Board / SEA, Idaho School Boards Association, Idaho Business
for Education, Idaho Association of Commerce and Industry, Idaho legislators, Bluum,
Idaho Hispanic Commission, Idaho Division of Financial Management, Education
Northwest REL and Comprehensive Center 17, and the Department’s executive staff
and directors from the Indian Education, Special Education, Assessment and
Accountability, Certification, and Federal Programs departments discussed the
comments and provided suggestions for plan revisions. The final version of the Idaho
ARP ESSER State Plan submitted to the State Board of Education / SEA for
consideration and submittal to the U.S. Department of Education reflects discussions
from this meeting.

The Board/ SEA met June 15, 2021, to review and approve Idaho’s ARP ESSER State
Plan and delegate submittal of the plan by the SEA’s representative to the U.S.
Department of Education.



                                                                                    18
            Moving forward, Department staff will continue to provide weekly ESSER reports on
            its website, updates on the implementation of the state’s ARP ESSER State Plan to the
            Board / SEA, and quarterly virtual/in-person updates to the public.

        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 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);
                     Complete the table below or provide a narrative description.
Table C1.
 Funding Source             Prior/current SEA and LEA uses (including funding       Planned SEA and LEA uses
                            amounts, if applicable)                                 (including funding amounts,
                                                                                    if applicable)
 CARES Act ESSER I:         LEA: $43,069,226 total                                  Idaho does not collect
 $47,854,695                 See Appendix F for LEAs’ Reimbursement by              LEAs’ future/planned uses
 Idaho allocated 100% of    Category                                                of funds.
 its ESSER I funds,         $3,785,469 – LMS/Blended Learning
 including the State Set-
 Aside Reserve to LEAs.     $1,000,000 – SEL activities
 CARES Act GEER I:          $1,036,000 –funds to Career Technical Ed for PD to      Idaho does not collect
                            teachers                                                LEAs’ future/planned uses
                            $742,000 – funds to Career Technical Ed for PD to       of funds.
                            teachers
                            $3,813,800 – funds to Idaho Digital Learning Alliance
                            $839,700 – funds to Idaho Public Television
                            $368,250 - STEM
                            $25,000 – Building Safety
 CRRSA Act ESSER II:        LEA: $176,301,372 total                                 100% of the State Set-Aside
 $195,890,413               discretionary flow through. The Governor signed the     Reserve has been obligated.
                            supplemental appropriation into law May 10, 2021 and    There are no additional
                            LEAs received access to half of these funds May 20,     planned uses of funds at the
                            2021 and the remaining funds July 1, 2021, per the      state level. The state does
                            legislature. Data on how LEAs spend these funds are     not collect LEAs’ planned
                            not yet available.                                      uses of funds.
                            SEA: $19,589,041 total
                            $11,851,302 – allocations to LEAs who do not receive
                            a Title I-A allocation and low funded ESSER II LEAs
                            $300,000 – administration costs
                            $6,137,700 – HB22
                            $1,300,000 – Content and Curriculum Digital Tech


                                                                                                                19
CRRSA Act GEER II:    These funds have not been obligated yet.
$6,857,039


      Response: In addition to the GEER funds, the Governor approved the funding request of
      the Board / SEA for flowthrough grants to LEAS administered by the Department:
          • $99 M Special Distribution,
          • $24,920,000 Blended Learning for devices, connectivity, professional
            development, assistive technology and a learning management system
          • $1,000,000 for Technology for 60 LEAs with high poverty needs
          • $1,000,000 for LEAs that did not receive a Title I-A allocation.

             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.

         Response: CARES Act ESSER I funds were awarded to LEAs on June 24, 2020. The
         Board / SEA allocated 100% of its 10% State Set-Aside Reserve to LEAs for
         LMS/Blended Learning and SEL activities. The Board / SEA and Department do not
         track LEA obligations, only reimbursements. In Idaho, Federal funds are subject to
         legislative appropriation. Governor Little signed the supplemental appropriation for
         CRRSA Act ESSER II funds into law May 10, 2021. LEAs received access to
         approximately half of these funds May 20, 2021 and will receive access to the
         remaining funds July 1, 2021, per the legislature. The 10% State Set-Aside Reserve of
         $19,589,041 has been obligated by the Board / SEA:
             • $11,851,302 – allocations to LEAs who did not receive a Title I-A allocation
                 and low funded ESSER II LEAs
             • $300,000 – administration costs

         The legislature approved:
            • $6,137,700 – HB22 – an additional appropriation based on increased attendance
                for two Charter LEAs
            • $1,300,000 – Content and Curriculum Digital Tech ($1,000,000 must be used
                for research-based programs to assist with the instruction of students with non-
                English or limited-English proficiency for learning loss while $300,000 may be
                used by the Department to contract for services that provide technology
                education opportunities and/or information technology certification to students
                and faculty that prepare students for college, career, or the workplace.

         Idaho does not 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

                                                                                              20
                      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. 3

             Response: LEAs are highly encouraged to coordinate and leverage all their Federal
             funds, including ESEA, IDEA, McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, and child
             nutrition funds, to meet the academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs of
             students resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic as they plan for the safe return to and
             continuity of in-person instruction.


    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;

                      The Board / SEA has not chosen specific interventions, as those will be
                      determined at the local level. The Board / SEA will require LEAs to use
                      evidence-based interventions and to provide the appropriate research.



3
  Please note that the needs of students experiencing homelessness must be addressed (along with the other groups
disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic) through the use of the ARP ESSER SEA reservations and
the required LEA reservation for the academic impact of lost instructional time; the funding provided to support the
needs of students experiencing homelessness by section 2001(b)(1) of the ARP Act is in addition to the supports and
services provided with ARP ESSER funds.

                                                                                                                  21
The Board / SEA has reviewed national data regarding the impacts of the
pandemic and has considered anecdotal evidence received from LEAs has
tentatively identified priorities for addressing learning gaps in our state: early
English language arts / literacy skills (K-4), middle grades mathematics (4-9),
and credit completion and course recovery for high school. The Board / SEA
will be conducting an analysis of the state’s data to confirm if these areas are
those with the greatest need. Once the priority areas are confirmed, the Board
/ SEA and Department will communicate them to LEAs and will provide
professional development and resources to support LEAs in addressing them.

Professional development will be provided to LEAs, including administrators,
on using data to identify gaps in student learning and implementing accelerated
learning strategies to address those gaps. Such strategies may include high-
dosage tutoring, extended learning time interventions (during or before/after
school), acceleration academies (focused instruction in one subject during
vacation breaks), with an emphasis on ensuring strategies are tied closely to
classroom content (and aligned to the state content standards) and designed to
meet the needs of their local student populations.

In addition to strategies focused on addressing disrupted learning, the state will
provide professional development to LEAs regarding using ARP ESSER funds
to increase resources available to students and families to meet students’ social,
emotional, and mental health needs and will strongly encourage LEAs to set
aside funds for this purpose. The Idaho Rural Education Support Network and
Idaho Digital Learning Academy have gathered a list of social, emotional, and
mental health resources, and the Board / SEA and Department will partner with
them to distribute the list to all LEAs. LEAs will be required to indicate how
they are addressing these needs in their Use of Funds Plan, as outlined in
Section E.

The Board / SEA will use state-level funds to support the evaluation and
ongoing monitoring of the impact of strategies implemented by LEAs. This will
include costs to program the state longitudinal data system to support expanded
data collection and costs related to analysis and research, including engaging
with contractors as needed. It may also include providing funds to LEAs to
manage data at the local level.

The Accountability Oversight Committee (AOC), an ad hoc committee of the
Board / SEA, will review data related regarding the effectiveness of the state’s
implementation of the ARP ESSER Plan no less than two times per year. Based
on this analysis, the AOC will make recommendations to the Board / SEA
regarding any adjustments that should be considered to improve the use of funds
or implementation. The data that will be included in the AOC’s annual report
is provided romanette ii below. In addition to that data, the AOC will review
the state’s interim assessment data. As a part of the Idaho’s suite of
standardized assessments, the Idaho Standards Achievement Test by Smarter

                                                                                22
   Balanced includes the Smarter Balanced Interim Assessments. The Smarter
   Balanced Interim Assessments are provided at no cost to LEAs, and between
   30% and 40% of the state’s LEAs have used them in recent years as a part of
   progress monitoring and/or formative assessment. Moving forward, the Board
   / SEA will continue to strongly encourage LEAs to use the Interim Block and
   Focused Interim Block assessments throughout the year and the Department
   will provide professional development and communications to support LEAs in
   effectively using them. The AOC will review a sampling of the Smarter
   Balanced Interim Assessment data midyear to monitor progress and attempt to
   identify LEAs that are demonstrating success in accelerating student learning.
   The AOC recognizes the limitations of the interim assessment data, and will
   take care in making interpretations and using the data.

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

   The Board / SEA will require LEAs to indicate the evidence-based strategies
   they will use to address the needs of individual students, including students
   within subgroups disproportionally impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, in
   their Use of Funds Plans, as outlined in Section E.

   Idaho’s previous assessment data has demonstrated gaps between subgroups of
   students and their peers, including students from low socioeconomic
   backgrounds, those receiving special education services, English Learners, and
   students from diverse ethnic backgrounds. The Board / SEA is committed to
   determining the extent to which these gaps have been exacerbated by the
   pandemic. As previously indicated, the Board / SEA has reviewed national data
   related to the impacts of the pandemic and has engaged in preliminary
   discussions regarding prioritizing efforts to address learning gaps. However,
   the Board / SEA is looking forward to reviewing Idaho’s data to determine if
   the national trends related to learning gaps and disproportionate impact hold
   true in our state. The Board / SEA has tasked the AOC with reviewing data and
   reporting to the Board.

   The statewide data to be used to determine the disproportionate impact of the
   pandemic on certain groups of students will be compiled by the Department
   annually into Idaho’s Student Achievement Report. The Student Achievement
   Report will be analyzed by the AOC, and the committee will provide
   recommendations to the Board regarding policies and strategies that need to be
   adjusted to address student needs and improve achievement. The majority of
   the data to be included in the Student Achievement Report is already collected
   by the state; however, the Department and the AOC will be comparing and
   analyzing the data in new ways in order to identify students disproportionately

                                                                                  23
    impacted by the pandemic. The 2022 Student Achievement Report will include
    the following data:
        • Opportunity to Learn Survey Results
        • Longitudinal representation of cohort performance on state standardized
            assessments, including the Idaho Standards Achievement Test and the
            Idaho Reading Indicator
        • Comparison of performance on the state standardized assessment by
            student subgroups (low socioeconomic, special education, English
            learners, homeless, migrant, and foster).
        • Comparison of performance on state standardized assessment by locale
            designation (rural vs. urban)
        • Comparison of performance on state standardized assessment by
            attendance
        • Comparison of graduation rates by student subgroups and by attendance
        • Comparison of secondary student grades (with a focus on failure grade
            rates) by student subgroups and by attendance
        • Comparison of Go On rates by student subgroups

    As outlined in Sections A and E of this plan, the state will distribute the AOC’s
    Annual Report, including the Student Achievement Report to all LEAs. The
    state will also support LEAs in conducting similar analyses of their LEA-level
    data. Finally, the Board / SEA and Department will encourage LEAs to consider
    other locally available data, such as benchmark and formative assessments and
    teacher feedback, that they may use to identify and support students
    disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.

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.

    The Board / SEA will review the AOC’s Annual Report, which will include an
    analysis of data comparing the performance of students on statewide
    standardized assessments based on their enrollment (movement between LEAs)
    and attendance, including those identified as chronically absent. Professional
    development will be provided to LEAs regarding use of the statewide data and
    how they can conduct similar analysis at the LEA level. LEAs will be guided
    to use their attendance and absenteeism data to identify students who missed
    the most instruction during the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 school years, and
    those whose attendance is problematic during the 2021-2022 school year. To
    support LEAs in addressing the needs of students who missed substantial
    instruction, professional development will be provided to LEAs regarding how
    they can use a tiered system of support to improve student attendance and
    engagement. The tiered system of support will be based on resources available



                                                                                   24
           through AttendanceWorks, as previously recommended to the Board by the
           Accountability Oversight Committee.

           The Board / SEA will offer LEAs with no or low formula-based allocations and
           those who use their LEA-level ARP ESSER funds and have exhausted other
           funding sources, but still need additional funds to implement the tiered system
           of support, the opportunity to apply for funds from the state.

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;

           The Board / SEA has not chosen specific interventions, as those will be
           determined at the local level. The Board / SEA will require LEAs to use
           evidence-based interventions when implementing summer programming.

           The Board / SEA and Department will distribute resources to LEAs regarding
           evidence-based approaches to implementing effective summer programs that
           address students academic and social, emotional, and mental health needs.
           Professional development aligned to these resources will be provided.
           Evidence-based practices included in the professional development and/or
           distributed resources could include:
               • facilitation by credentialed teachers with content knowledge;
               • focus on single-subject intensives;
               • use of rigorous curricula aligned to the state content standards and
                   consistent with the curricula used by the LEA during the school year;
               • high-quality enrichment experiences; and
               • an emphasis on consistent attendance and engagement.

           Beginning with summer 2021, LEAs will be required to submit data regarding
           student enrollment and attendance in summer programs. Gathering this data
           will allow the Board / SEA to conduct an evaluation of the effectiveness of
           summer programs. The state may utilize the following data points to evaluate
           the effectiveness of summer programs:
               • Comparison of student scores on the spring Idaho Reading Indicator
                   (prior to participation in summer) and the fall Idaho Reading Indicator
                   (after participation) for grades K-3;


                                                                                          25
               •   Comparison of students scores on the spring Idaho Standards
                   Achievement Test by Smarter Balanced and the Smarter Balanced
                   Interim Comprehensive Assessment administered at the end of summer
                   programs for grades 4-8;
               •   Student grades for secondary students enrolled in specific courses for
                   the purposes of credit recovery; and
               •   LEA established pre and post test results.

       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

           Idaho is participating in the Summer Learning and Enrichment Collaborative,
           and the Board / SEA and Department will gather and distribute information to
           LEAs regarding effective strategies for meeting students’ needs, particularly
           students disproportionately affected by the pandemic.

           The Board / SEA and Department will guide LEAs to use spring data, including
           statewide standardized assessment results, to review the needs of individual
           students and determine which students should be enrolled in summer programs.
           Professional development will provided that includes how LEAs can review
           their student subgroup data to identify students disproportionately impacted by
           the pandemic, and how accelerated learning strategies can be implemented to
           ensure students’ individual learning gaps and needs are addressed.

      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.

           The Board / SEA will use enrollment, attendance, and absenteeism data to
           identify students who missed the most learning during the 2019-2020 and 2020-
           2021 school years, as outlined in Section D.1.iii above. Professional
           development will be provided to guide LEAs in using their attendance and
           absenteeism data to identify the students who missed the most instruction
           within their LEA, and LEAs will be guided to prioritize those students for
           enrollment in summer programs.

           Additionally, professional development regarding implementing a tiered
           support system to address the needs of students demonstrating attendance issues
           will be provided to LEAs beginning in the 2021-2022 school year.

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

                                                                                           26
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;

      The Board / SEA has not chosen specific interventions, as those will be
      determined at the local level. The Board / SEA will require LEAs to use
      evidence-based strategies in implementing before and afterschool programs.

      Professional development will be provided on effective implementation of
      accelerated learning strategies. Further, the Board / SEA will strongly
      encourage LEAs to begin or expand partnerships with non-profits and other
      community agencies that provide or support before and after school
      programming, and will ensure LEAs understand that they may use LEA-level
      funds to support these partnerships. The Board / SEA will require LEAs to
      report how their before and afterschool programs were created, including if they
      have engaged in new community partnerships or built upon existing
      partnerships, and to indicate if the number of available spots in before and
      afterschool programs has increased using ARP ESSER funds. The SEA will
      also require LEAs to provide information regarding their efforts to increase
      attendance and participation in before and afterschool programs (or maintain
      high attendance if previous data indicates it was already strong).

      Beginning in the 2021-2022 school year, the Board / SEA will require LEAs to
      submit data about student enrollment and attendance in before and afterschool
      programs. The Board / SEA will use statewide standardized assessment data,
      including interim assessments when appropriate, to compare the performance
      of students attending before and afterschool programs to their peers who do not
      attend. The Board / SEA will use state-level funds to support data gathering and
      analysis, as needed.

   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

      The Board / SEA and Department will guide LEAs to use data, including
      statewide standardized assessment results, interim assessments, and/or locally-
      chosen progress monitoring, to review the needs of individual students and
      determine which students should be enrolled in before and afterschool
      programs. Professional development will provided that includes how LEAs can

                                                                                     27
               review their student subgroup data to identify student disproportionately
               impacted by the pandemic, and how accelerated learning strategies can be
               implemented to ensure students’ individual learning gaps and needs are
               addressed.

          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.

               The Board / SEA will use enrollment, attendance, and absenteeism data to
               identify students who missed the most learning during the 2019-2020 and 2020-
               2021 school years, as outlined in Section D.1.iii above. Professional
               development will be provided to guide LEAs in using their attendance and
               absenteeism data to identify the students who missed the most instruction
               within their LEA, and LEAs will be guided to prioritize those students for
               enrollment in summer before and afterschool programs.

               Additionally, professional development regarding implementing a tiered
               support system to address the needs of students demonstrating attendance issues
               will be provided to LEAs beginning in the 2021-2022 school year.

   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.
       The Board / SEA will use the statewide emergency needs funds to provide funding to
       LEAs that receive no or low formula-based ARP ESSER allocations based on Title I
       to support their implementation of accelerated learning strategies. Additionally, the
       Board / SEA will provide funding to the Bureau Deaf Blind, as they have not qualified
       for allocations, but have students in need of services.


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


                                                                                             28
   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.

Response: Ensuring LEAs develop high-quality thoughtful plans identifying how they will
use their ARP ESSER funds is critical in addressing the significant impact of COVID-19,
including keeping schools open for in-person instruction, lost instructional time, and the
social and emotional health of both students and staff. The Department has an important
role in supporting LEAs in meeting the Federal Register requirements for the ARP ESSER
Plan. An LEA ARP ESSER Use of Funds template was developed and will be distributed
to LEAs to complete. The Board / SEA expects each LEA’s local board of trustees to guide
collaborative community efforts to develop their Use of Funds Plans, and is requiring the
LEA Plans to be signed by the LEA’s superintendent or charter administrator and the
president of the LEA’s local board of trustees prior to submitting the plan to the
Department. See Appendix H for the LEA ARP ESSER Use of Funds template. This
template requires LEAs to address the impact of lost instruction time on academics, social,
emotional, and mental health needs of all students with a targeted focus on the 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 children.
Additionally, Idaho requires LEAs to address interventions to support Native American
students and Hispanic students experiencing gaps. These underserved population groups
are included in the LEA plan template.



                                                                                             29
Technical assistance and support in developing the plan will be provided to LEAs until all
plans are submitted to the state. State support includes an upcoming webinar in June on the
four tiers of evidence-based interventions. The Comprehensive Center 17 organized an
Idaho team that is currently participating in the Summer Learning and Enrichment
Collaborative. This professional learning community supports organizations that are
partnering to provide summer programs that engage students academically, socially and
emotionally, particularly those students hardest hit by the pandemic. Information is posted
on the ARP ESSER webpage at https://www.sde.idaho.gov/federal-programs/american-
rescue-plan/index.html , and LEAs are invited to visit the Collaborative website and engage
in the series of virtual learning offerings. ESEA Federal Programs coordinators are
planning a mini-webinar series later this summer to share specific ideas on how ESSER
funds can be used to support the at-risk subgroup populations. This includes students
identified as homeless, children and youth in foster care, migratory students, and students
in correctional facilities.
LEAs who want to move to a community school model are encouraged. Community
schools are an evidence-based framework for coordinating recovery efforts and actively
engaging families and partner organizations. The Federal Programs’ FACE coordinator is
actively involved in supporting LEAs to become community schools. On June 10, 2021,
a virtual learning presentation will provide LEAs information on how ESSER funds can
support the practical implementation of the community school strategy, ongoing
professional development and implementation support. An additional presentation is
planned to provide LEAs information on the importance of stakeholder involvement in
developing and revising their Back-to-School plans and the LEA ARP ESSER Use of
Funds plan.
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:

        i. Tribes;
       ii. civil rights organizations (including disability rights organizations); and
      iii. 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.


                                                                                         30
   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.

Response: As part of the LEA ARP ESSER Plan – Use of Funds, LEAs must identify the
stakeholder roles providing input, describe the process, including timeline, for involving
stakeholders, and describe how the public was given an opportunity to provide input in the
development of the plan. Involving stakeholders includes meaningful participation in
conversations, discussions, and meetings where plan components are addressed. Examples
of obtaining public input could include conducting a public hearing, posting the plan on
the LEA’s website and soliciting comment, and conducting a survey on sections of the
plan. The Department will ensure LEAs are aware of resources available to develop their
plan and ensure stakeholder input is included. Staff are currently scheduling a mini-
webinar series that includes stakeholder involvement in ESSER use of funds planning and
program use of funds for the underserved populations.


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;

   Response: The LEA ARP ESSER Plan template requires the LEA to describe how it
   will consistently monitor student progress and effectiveness of the
   strategies/interventions implemented to address gaps in student learning and well-
   being. The Department will review LEA plans for inclusiveness and will provide
   direct support for LEAs with gaps in their plans. Information from LEA plans will be
   used to devise ongoing specific support plans and deliver through existing state support
   mechanisms.

   The Department will collaborate with federal technical assistance providers (e.g.,
   Region 17 Comprehensive Center), to provide professional development and resource
   support to LEA staff on topics to be determined through analysis of developed LEA
   plans. It is anticipated, but not limited to, the following topics:

       •   Acceleration Academies
       •   Devising and best utilizing additional instructional time
              o Before or After School
              o Additional School Days
              o Summer School
       •   Common formative assessments

                                                                                         31
   •   Early learning (K-4 literacy)
   •   Extended day partnerships (CBOs)
   •   Extracurricular Activities
   •   High-quality tutoring
   •   Mastery learning/Project-based learning
   •   Multi-tiered system of supports
   •   Narrowing standards
   •   SEL and mental health supports
   •   Strategic staffing (teacher advocates, advisory, looping)
   •   Student voice and perception
   •   Transition supports (Pre-K-Elem; Elem- MS; MS-HS; HS-post-secondary/
       career/beyond)
   •   Four tiers of evidence-based interventions

   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

Response: The Accountability Oversight Committee (AOC) is an ad-hoc committee of
the Board / SEA that provides the Board with recommendations related to assessment
and accountability. The AOC’s annual report is focused on analyzing data and
providing recommendations regarding policy and implementation strategies the state
can put in place to improve student achievement. For its fiscal year 2022 report, the
AOC will be including a special focus analyzing the effects of the COVID 19 pandemic
on student achievement, including a review of data to determine if disparate impacts
exist between subgroups of students. The Department will compile the data into the
2020-2021 Student Achievement Report, and the AOC will analyze the data and make
recommendations to the Board / SEA regarding its use. The data will be distributed to
LEAs to improve their understanding of any disparate impacts on student subgroups.
Professional development will be provided to LEAs on conducting analysis of local
data to identify disproportionately impacted students within their LEA and to support
development of appropriate intervention strategies.

  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:
           1. Students who have missed the most in-person instruction during the
               2019-2020 and 2020-2021 school years;
           2. Students who did not consistently participate in remote instruction when
               offered during school building closures; and
           3. Students most at-risk of dropping out of school.

Response: The LEA ARP ESSER Use of Funds template includes a section on
identifying, re-engaging, and supporting students who have experienced the impact of
unfinished learning. These data will be collected from the LEA plan templates and

                                                                                       32
       analyzed at the state level to identify the largest gaps. The state will share the
       information with LEAs, and these data will identify the areas of greatest need which
       will inform technical assistance and professional development to support LEAs.

   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 to:

            i. Allocating funding both to schools and for districtwide activities based on
               student need, and
           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.

       Response: In the LEA ARP ESSER Use of Funds template, LEAs must describe how
       remaining funds will be allocated to schools and for districtwide activities based on
       student need to support student success both equitably and inclusively. These data will
       provide a state-level view of where professional development and support is needed.
       Additionally, the Board / SEA has approved the use of SEA set-aside/reserve fund for
       LEAs that do not receive a Title I-A allocation and, therefore, do not receive an ESSER
       formula allocation in recognition of their COVID pandemic needs that require funding
       to address. As a result, with the ESSER I round of funding, LEAs that did not receive
       a Title -A allocation received “equitable like” funding from one of the Governor’s
       COVID relief funding sources. With CRRSA Act ESSER II and ARP ESSER, the
       Board / LEA approved funding these same LEAs using monies from the State Set-
       Aside Reserve.

       In an effort to provide financial transparency, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
       requires public schools to report per-pupil federal and non-federal costs, and for states
       to collect and publish this information. Idaho reports this information on its report card
       website at https://idahoschools.org/ under the Non-Academics section of each LEA’s
       page. The new maintenance of equity requirement under the American Rescue Plan
       (ARP) will further protect funding levels for those high poverty LEAs and schools.


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:




                                                                                               33
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.
  Complete the table below, changing or adding additional rows as needed, or
  provide a narrative description.
  Table F1.
   Area                  2018-2019 Idaho         2019-2020 Idaho         2020-2021 Idaho
                         State Student to Area   State Student to Area   State Student to Area
                         Ratio*                  Ratio*                  Ratio*
   Special educators     24 special education    23 special education    21 special education
                         students per special    students per special    students per special
                         educator                educator                educator
   Paraprofessionals –   11 special education    10 special education    11 special education
   special education     students per special    students per special    students per special
                         education               education               education
                         paraprofessional        paraprofessional        paraprofessional
   English as a second   180 English language    145 English language    129 English language
   language educators    students per English    students per English    students per English
                         as a second language    as a second language    as a second language
                         educator                educator                educator
   Paraprofessionals –   103 English language    113 English language    104 English language
   English as a second   students per English    students per English    students per English
   language              as a second language    as a second language    as a second language
                         paraprofessional        paraprofessional        paraprofessional
   School counselors     421 students per        413 students per        403 students per
                         school counselor        school counselor        school counselor

                         31 out of 176 LEAs      31 out of 180 LEAs      39 out of 185 LEAs
                         had no school           had no school           had no school
                         counselors              counselors              counselors
   Social workers        5796 students per       5673 students per       5822 students per
                         school social worker    school social worker    school social worker

                         144 out of 176 LEAs     149 out of 180 LEAs     152 out of 185 LEAs
                         had no school social    had no school social    had no school social
                         workers                 workers                 workers
   Nurses                1969 students per       1902 students per       1825 students per
                         school nurse            school nurse            school nurse

                         130 out of 176 LEAs     131 out of 180 LEAs     135 out of 185 LEAs
                         had no school nurses    had no school nurses    had no school nurses
   School                1755 students per       1686 students per       1704 students per
   psychologists         school psychologist     school psychologist     school psychologist



                                                                                           34
        Area                2018-2019 Idaho         2019-2020 Idaho         2020-2021 Idaho
                            State Student to Area   State Student to Area   State Student to Area
                            Ratio*                  Ratio*                  Ratio*
                            107 out of 176 LEAs     109 out of 180 LEAs     117 out of 185 LEAs
                            had no school           had no school           had no school
                            psychologists           psychologists           psychologists

      *The number for each area is determined by an individual serving in at least one
      (1) applicable assignment and counts that person as one individual (full or part
      time), and does not include those who were contracted by outside vendors.

   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.

Response: To recruit and retain certificated individuals in the identified shortage areas,
the Department will provide the following professional development opportunities
which is in alignment with the second recommendation of the Educator Pipeline
Subcommittee of the Our Kids, Idaho’s Future – Final Report to continue to grow
statewide professional development efforts for educators:
    • The Department partnered with NNU to develop behavioral health and wellness
       professional development specific to grade level. For a list of opportunities
       click here.
    • Free Youth Mental Health First Aid twice a month
    • Free Suicide Prevention Gatekeeper training, both online and community
       trainings
    • Various workshops on behavioral health and wellness at the annual Prevention
       and Support Conference
    • Various workshops on mental health at Idaho School Mental Health conference,
       in collaboration with the Idaho School Counselors Association, the Idaho
       School Psychologist Association, and the Association of Idaho School Social
       Workers.
    • Implementation and technical support for student wellness programs in Idaho
       elementary, middle, and high schools via Idaho Lives Project and Sources of
       Strength.
    • Management and oversight of the Garrett Lee Smith Grant and the ID-AWARE
       (Addressing Wellness and Resilience in Education) Grant.
    • SEA provides PD for educators with a special education focus throughout the
       year through the SEA and SESTA. For a list of trainings please see the ITC
       link at https://idahotc.com/




                                                                                              35
   Idaho LEAs have had access to CARES Act ESSER funds since June 24, 2020.
   Approximately, half of CARES Act funds have been expended and drawn down from
   LEAs as of May 3, 2021. For CARES Act ESSER, 25% of these expended funds have
   been used for salaries and benefits to avoid, in part, layoffs during the COVID-19
   pandemic.

   The Idaho legislature has been given spending authority for CRRSA Act funds, and
   these budget appropriations were signed into law by the Governor the week of May 10,
   2021. These funds are being made available to LEAs in the Grant Reimbursement
   Application (GRA) program, for which LEAs will have access the week of May 17,
   2021.

      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
                 candidates to provide high-dosage tutoring or implementing residencies
                 for teacher candidates).

   Response: The following are options provided by the Board / SEA to fill areas of need
   in certified educators for the 2021-2022 school year.
       • Three alternative authorization options to allow educators to serve as a teacher
            of record, school counselor of record, and social worker of record while they
            are completing a program that leads to certification.
       • Four non-traditional routes to teacher certification that allows teachers to serve
            as the teacher of record while they are finishing the requirements for
            certification.
       • Emergency provisional certification for areas a school district or charter school
            identify as a declared emergency hire.

   The Department has a Be an Educator webpage for the recruitment of certified
   educators. The Department will continue to update the website to include options and
   routes for certification.

   The Department will provide Career Fairs through already established funding to assist
   LEAs in recruitment of certified educators. The Career Fair will include information
   for LEAs on how they can use different types of funding to cover costs for the
   preparation of their staff that are working toward certification as well as the
   professional development opportunities provided by the Department.

2. 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).

                                                                                           36
       Response: The Department has a Be an Educator webpage for the recruitment of
       certified educators. The Department will continue to update the website to include
       options and routes for certification.

       The Board / SEA and Department of Education will collaborate with Department of
       Labor and PERSI on ideas for recruiting individuals for employment opportunities.

       The Department will provide Career Fairs through already established funding to assist
       LEAs in recruitment of certified educators. The Career Fair will include information
       on how LEAs can use different types of funding to cover costs for the preparation of
       their staff that are working toward certification. In addition, information will be
       provided on opportunities for preparation of paraeducators to increase the number of
       qualified paraeducators available to LEAs.

       The Department will provide resources of ideas on options for classified
       staff/paraprofessionals to free up teachers, school counselors, school social workers,
       school nurses, and school psychologists to focus on providing services to students.

       The Department to create a website with resources available for behavioral health and
       wellness.


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

                                                                                             37
          coursework; access to technology, including educator access to professional
          development on the effective use of technology; access to high-quality
          educators; access to school 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).

Response: The Board / SEA will ensure LEAs have the capacity to collect and report
data for all identified metrics by maintaining existing systems and using SEA set-aside
ARP ESSER funds to expand the state’s statewide longitudinal data system and support
data management, research, and analysis. The Board / SEA and Department have been
thoughtful in prioritizing use of existing data for analysis and only adding requirements
for new data submission when necessary. Additionally, the Board / SEA may use SEA
funds to address capacity issues at the LEA level, if needed. The existing data
management and reporting system for the Idaho Standards Achievement Test in
English Language Arts/Literacy, Mathematics, and Science includes the results of
interim assessments that LEAs may administer to students throughout the year to
identify learning needs relative to the state content standards. LEAs who use these
optional assessments can view their results in this system and the state can access this
information as well. The state’s early literacy assessment also incorporates a monthly
progress monitoring system that LEAs can use to support younger students and that the
state can access as needed.

Data on coursework, chronic absenteeism, exclusionary discipline, and school
personnel characteristics will continue to be available in the state’s longitudinal data
system, via which LEAs submit information several times throughout the year.

Idaho LEAs will also continue to administer student, parent, and staff engagement
surveys in the 2021-2022 school year. Fiscal data, including per-pupil expenditures by
LEA and school, are also available through the existing data infrastructure and will
continue to be included on the state and local report cards, (available at
IdahoSchools.org).

To assist LEAs in reporting these data, the Department will also generate consistent,
streamlined templates with associated guidance. This approach will mirror the process
the Department already uses for state intervention and remediation funds, where LEAs
report the specific amount allocated towards personnel, technology, curriculum,
professional development, or other resources.

Consistent with Appendix B, the state will also produce more general guidance to assist
LEAs in creating appropriate policies that allow them to safely maintain in-person

                                                                                        38
   learning in the summer and during school year 2021-2022. This guidance will build on
   the state’s Back to School Framework.


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.

   Response: As ARP ESSER funds are released, Idaho will provide regular trainings to
   LEAs about the rules for using these funds and effective strategies for identifying local
   high priority needs. The state will base these strategies on the analysis components
   outlined in Section A. These steps will assist LEAs in setting up appropriate and
   effective use of these funds at the start of the process. For reporting, Idaho currently
   maintains a Grant Reimbursement Application (GRA) that educational entities use to
   provide documentation about the use of funds for federal flow through grants.
   However, this application does not include all of the reporting information associated
   with the use of ARP ESSER funds, such as the amount of funds spent on unfinished
   learning and on social/emotional needs. Consequently, to support appropriate
   monitoring of these funds, the state will create a separate ARP ESSER tracking system
   that includes all of the associated federal reporting requirements. LEAs receiving these
   funds will be required to report their use of funds on a quarterly basis. Staff members
   will review all submissions and follow up with any entities who have not submitted
   their information or who have submitted information, insufficient data, or a
   questionable use of funds. Each submission period, staff will randomly select five
   percent of the LEAs for more detailed auditing.

   The state will also regularly track changes in the identified priority metrics over time
   to help determine whether interventions have been effective or require refinement.
   Particular attention will be paid to the effectiveness of support for traditionally
   underserved student groups, such as Native American and Hispanic students. Idaho
   anticipates it will be the able to develop and support this new ARP ESSER monitoring
   framework with existing staff, who are well practiced in assisting LEAs in
   appropriately using and reporting on other sources of funds.




                                                                                          39
Appendix A: School Operating Status and Instructional Mode Data Template

Indicate the date or time period represented by the following data.
Response: The data below are current as of 5/13/2021. The data in Table 1 are based on the
current LEA-level operating status information that Idaho tracks. The possible values are “Online,”
“Virtual School,” “Hybrid,” “In Person with Online School Option,” and “In Person.” To align
with the categories in Table 1, these values are mapped as follows:

   •    Online and Virtual School entries = Remote or online only
   •    Hybrid and In Person with Online School Option = School buildings open with
        remote/online and in-person instruction (hybrid)
   •    In Person = School buildings open with full-time in-person instruction
Since Idaho only captures these data at the LEA level, all schools within an LEA are considered
to have the same status as the LEA as a whole to generate the counts in Table 1. It is also impossible
to fully discern with the existing data whether a particular educational environment is being offered
to all students or some students. Consequently, schools are listed as offering the option associated
with their operating status to all students. All other schools are listed in the “Not offered” category.
Based on these caveats, users should cautious in interpreting these 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.
Add or change rows as needed


 Number of schools                                   All       Offered to all   Offered to   Not
                                                     schools   students         some         offered
                                                                                students
 Remote or online only                               760       17               -            743
 School buildings open with both remote/online and   760       294              -            466
 in-person instruction (hybrid)
 School buildings open with full-time in-person      760       449              -            311
 instruction
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).
Response: Due to these underlying data limitations discussed above, the state is not able to
confidently disaggregate the figures by instructional level.




                                                                                                       40
Table 2
In the most recent time period available, what was the enrollment and mode of instruction for the
schools in your State?
Add or change rows as needed
Response: The data in Table 2 are based on enrollment data as of 5/13/2021. Students who are
enrolled in more than one entity are counted in each location. Student enrollment data are merged
with the operational status information summarized above Table 1.
Table 2. Enrollment and mode of instruction
 Number of students           Total        Remote or     Both remote/online and in-    Full-time in-
                              enrollment   online only   person instruction (hybrid)   person instruction
 Students from low-income     98,070       4,160         38,159                        55,751
 families
 White, not Hispanic          229,134      7,538         91,784                        129,812
 Black or African             3,335        64            1,297                         1,974
 American, not Hispanic
 Hispanic, of any race        57,759       1,418         27,674                        28,667
 Asian, not Hispanic          3,460        65            1,436                         1,959
 American Indian or           3,211        70            1,347                         1,794
 Alaskan Native, not
 Hispanic
 Native Hawaiian or           976          21            429                           526
 Pacific Islander, not
 Hispanic
 Two or more races, not       9,415        443           4,236                         4,736
 Hispanic
 Race/Ethnicity               NA           NA            NA                            NA
 information not available
 English learners             18,601       126           8,725                         9,750
 Children with disabilities   33,918       1,040         14,691                        18,187
 Students experiencing        5,521        149           2,132                         3,240
 homelessness
 Children and youth in        1,105        40            433                           632
 foster care
 Migratory students           3,758        0             2,236                         1,522




                                                                                                            41
Appendix B: Reporting Language Included in the Grant Award Notification
(“GAN”)
As described in the Grant Award Notification (“GAN”), the SEA will comply with, and ensure
that its LEAs comply with, all reporting requirements at such time and in such manner and
containing such information as the Secretary may reasonably require, including on matters such
as:
   •   How the State is developing strategies and implementing public health protocols including,
       to the greatest extent practicable, policies and plans in line with the CDC guidance related
       to mitigating COVID-19 in schools;
   •   Overall plans and policies related to State support for return to in-person instruction and
       maximizing in-person instruction time, including how funds will support a return to and
       maximize in-person instruction time, and advance equity and inclusivity in participation in
       in-person instruction;
   •   Data on each school’s mode of instruction (fully in-person, hybrid, and fully remote) and
       conditions;
   •   SEA and LEA uses of funds to meet students’ social, emotional, and academic needs,
       including through summer enrichment programming and other evidence-based
       interventions, and how they advance equity for underserved students;
   •   SEA and LEA uses of funds to sustain and support access to early childhood education
       programs;
   •   Impacts and outcomes (disaggregated by student subgroup) through use of ARP ESSER
       funding (e.g., quantitative and qualitative results of ARP ESSER funding, including on
       personnel, student learning, and budgeting at the school and district level);
   •   Student data (disaggregated by student subgroup) related to how the COVID-19 pandemic
       has affected instruction and learning;
   •   Requirements under the Federal Financial Accountability Transparency Act (“FFATA”);
       and
   •   Additional reporting requirements as may be necessary to ensure accountability and
       transparency of ARP ESSER funds.




                                                                                                 42
Appendix C: Assurances
By signing this document, the SEA assures all of the following:

   •   The SEA will conduct all its operations so that no person shall be excluded from
       participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subject to discrimination under the ARP
       ESSER program or activity based on race, color, national origin, which includes a person’s
       limited English proficiency or English learner status and a person’s actual or perceived
       shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics; sex; age; or disability. These non-discrimination
       obligations arise under Federal civil rights laws, including but not limited to Title VI of the
       Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972, section 504
       of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Age Discrimination Act of 1975. In addition, the
       SEA must comply with all regulations, guidelines, and standards issued by the Department
       under any of these statutes;
   •   The SEA will comply with all ARP Act and other ARP ESSER requirements and all
       requirements of its Grant Award Notification, including but not limited to:
            o Complying with the maintenance of effort provision in section 2004(a)(1) of the
                ARP Act, absent a waiver by the Secretary pursuant to section 2004(a)(2) of the
                ARP Act; and
            o Complying with the maintenance of equity provisions in section 2004(b) of the
                ARP Act, and ensuring its LEAs comply with the maintenance of equity provision
                in section 2004(c) of the ARP Act (please note that the Department will provide
                additional guidance on maintenance of equity shortly);
   •   The SEA will allocate ARP ESSER funds to LEAs in an expedited and timely manner and,
       to the extent practicable, not later than 60 days after the SEA receives ARP ESSER funds
       (i.e., 60 days from the date the SEA receives each portion of its ARP ESSER funds). An
       SEA that is not able to allocate such funds within 60 days because it is not practicable (e.g.,
       because of pre-existing State board approval requirements) will provide an explanation to
       the Department within 30 days of receiving each portion of its ARP ESSER funds
       (submitted via email to your Program Officer at [State].OESE@ed.gov (e.g.,
       Alabama.OESE@ed.gov)), including a description of specific actions the SEA is taking to
       provide ARP ESSER funds to LEAs in an expedited and timely manner and the SEA’s
       expected timeline for doing so;
   •   The SEA will implement evidence-based interventions as required under section 2001(f)
       of the ARP Act and ensure its LEAs implement evidence-based interventions, as required
       by section 2001(e)(1) of the ARP Act;
   •   The SEA will address the disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on
       underserved students (i.e., students from low-income families, students from racial or
       ethnic groups (e.g., identifying disparities and focusing on underserved student groups by
       race or ethnicity), gender (e.g., identifying disparities and focusing on underserved student
       groups by gender), English learners, children with disabilities, students experiencing
       homelessness, children and youth in foster care, and migratory students), as required under
       section 2001(f) of the ARP Act, and ensure its LEAs address the disproportionate impact
       of the COVID-19 pandemic on underserved students (i.e., students from low-income
       families, students from racial or ethnic groups, gender, English learners, children with
       disabilities, students experiencing homelessness, children and youth in foster care, and
       migratory students), as required by section 2001(e)(1) of the ARP Act; and

                                                                                                    43
•   The SEA will provide to the Department: (1) the URL(s) where the public can readily find
    data on school operating status and (2) the URL(s) for the SEA and/or LEA websites where
    the public can find the LEA plans for a) the safe return to in-person instruction and
    continuity of services required under section 2001(i) of the ARP Act, and b) use of ARP
    ESSER funds. SEAs should consider ensuring a standardized URL format in all cases (e.g.,
    xxx.gov/COVIDplan).




                                                                                          44
Appendix D
                        OMB Control No. 1894-0005 (Exp. 06/30/2023)
                                   NOTICE TO ALL APPLICANTS
The purpose of this enclosure is to inform you     needs. This provision allows applicants
about a new provision in the Department of         discretion in developing the required
Educations General Education Provisions            description. The statute highlights six types
Act ("GEPA") that applies to applicants for        of barriers that can impede equitable access
new grant awards under Department                  or participation: gender, race, national origin,
programs. This provision is Section 427 of         color, disability, or age. Based on local
GEPA, enacted as part of the Improving             circumstances, you should determine
America's Schools Act of 1994 (Public Law          whether these or other barriers may prevent
(P.L.) 103-382).                                   your students, teachers, etc. from such access
                                                   to, or participation in, the Federally-funded
   To Whom Does This Provision Apply?              project or activity. The description in your
                                                   application of steps to be taken to overcome
Section 427 of GEPA affects applicants for
                                                   these barriers need not be lengthy; you may
new grant awards under this program. ALL
                                                   provide a clear and succinct description of
APPLICANTS FOR NEW AWARDS
                                                   how you plan to address those barriers that
MUST INCLUDE INFORMATION IN
                                                   are applicable to your circumstances. In
THEIR APPLICATIONS TO ADDRESS
                                                   addition, the information may be provided in
THIS NEW PROVISION IN ORDER TO
                                                   a single narrative, or, if appropriate, may be
RECEIVE FUNDING UNDER THIS
                                                   discussed in connection with related topics in
PROGRAM.
                                                   the application.
(If this program is a State-formula grant
                                                   Section 427 is not intended to duplicate the
program, a State needs to provide this
                                                   requirements of civil rights statutes, but
description only for projects or activities that
                                                   rather to ensure that, in designing their
it carries out with funds reserved for State-
                                                   projects, applicants for Federal funds address
level uses. In addition, local school districts
                                                   equity concerns that may affect the ability of
or other eligible applicants that apply to the
                                                   certain potential beneficiaries to fully
State for funding need to provide this
                                                   participate in the project and to achieve high
description in their applications to the State
                                                   standards.       Consistent with program
for funding. The State would be responsible
                                                   requirements and its approved application, an
for ensuring that the school district or other
                                                   applicant may use the Federal funds awarded
local entity has submitted a sufficient section
                                                   to it to eliminate barriers it identifies.
427 statement as described below.)
                                                    What are Examples of How an Applicant
    What Does This Provision Require?
                                                     Might Satisfy the Requirement of This
Section 427 requires each applicant for funds                      Provision?
(other than an individual person) to include in
                                                   The following examples may help illustrate
its application a description of the steps the
                                                   how an applicant may comply with Section
applicant proposes to take to ensure equitable
                                                   427.
access to, and participation in, its Federally-
assisted program for students, teachers, and
other program beneficiaries with special

                                                                                                 45
   (1) An applicant that proposes to carry
   out an adult literacy project serving,
   among others, adults with limited English
   proficiency, might describe in its
   application how it intends to distribute a
   brochure about the proposed project to
   such potential participants in their native
   language.
   (2) An applicant that proposes to develop
   instructional materials for classroom use
   might describe how it will make the
   materials available on audio tape or in
   braille for students who are blind.
   (3) An applicant that proposes to carry
   out a model science program for
   secondary students and is concerned that
   girls may be less likely than boys to enroll
   in the course, might indicate how it
   intends to conduct "outreach" efforts to
   girls, to encourage their enrollment.
   (4) An applicant that proposes a project to
   increase school safety might describe the
   special efforts it will take to address
   concerns of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and
   transgender students, and efforts to reach
   out to and involve the families of LGBT
   students.
We recognize that many applicants may
already be implementing effective steps to
ensure equity of access and participation in
their grant programs, and we appreciate your
cooperation     in    responding   to    the
requirements of this provision.
Click here to enter text.




                                                  46
                      Estimated Burden Statement for GEPA Requirements
According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a
collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. Public
reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 3 hours per response,
including time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and
maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. The
obligation to respond to this collection is required to obtain or retain benefit (Public Law 103-382).
Send comments regarding the burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information,
including suggestions for reducing this burden, to the U.S. Department of Education, 400
Maryland Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20210-4537 or email ICDocketMgr@ed.gov and reference
the OMB Control Number 1894-0005.




                                                                                                   47
Assurances                                                         LEA Response
   1. The LEA assures that, to the best of the LEA’s                   Yes ☐                       No
       knowledge and belief, all information in this                                               ☐
       plan is true and correct.
   2. The LEA engaged in meaningful consultation                       Yes ☐                     No ☐
       with stakeholders and gave the public an
       opportunity to provide input in the
       development of this plan. Specifically, the LEA
       engaged in meaningful consultation with
       students; families; school and district
       administrators (including special education
       administrators); and teachers, principals,
       school leaders, other educators, school staff,
       and their unions.
   3. The LEA engaged in meaningful consultation                       Yes ☐                     No ☐
       with each of the following, to the extent
       present in or served by the LEA: Tribes; civil
       rights organizations (including disability rights
       organizations); and stakeholders representing
       the interests of children with disabilities,
       English learners, children experiencing
       homelessness, children in foster care,
       migratory students, children who are
       incarcerated, and other underserved students.
   4. The plan is in an understandable and uniform                     Yes ☐                     No ☐
       format; to the extent practicable, written in a
       language that parents can understand or, if
       not practicable, orally translated; and, upon
       request by a parent who is an individual with a
       disability, will be provided in an alternative
       format accessible to that parent.
   5. The plan is publicly available on the LEA                        Yes ☐                     No ☐
       website.

NOTES:
•   If the LEA developed a Back-to-School plan before ARP ESSER was enacted (March 11, 2021) and that plan
    was developed with public input, but the plan does not include all of the required information, as outlined
    in Table 1 and Table 2 above, the LEA must revise its plan to include all required elements..
•   LEAs are required to review and revise their Back-to-School / Safe Return to In-Person Instruction Plan no
    less frequently than every 6 months.
Date of most recent review of the LEA’s current Back-to-School Plan:
If the LEA answered “No” to any elements in Table 1 or Table 2,
LEA Plan Modification Deadline): November 24, 2021 (6 months after May 24, 2021).
If the LEA answered “Yes” to all elements in Table 1 and Table 2, next planned LEA Plan Review Date
(no more than 6 months from the last plan review date):




                                                                                                                  49
Appendix F: CARES Act FY20 & FY 21 Reimbursements by Category as of
June 1, 2021

              CARES ACT GRANTS
                                                             Salaries and         Purchased       Professional        Supplies         Capital Objects   Transportation          Other            Travel            Indirect Cost            Meals                  Total
                                                               Benefits            Services      Development          Materials                                                                                      Collection




                   CARES Coronavirus Relief - CFAC

CARES Coronavirus Relief - CFAC - Special Distribution                                                                                                                                                                                                        $   97 625 662.87
                                                         $ 67 598 460.25 $ 4 971 951.73 $ 17 739 312.51 $              248 936.92 $ 6 970 319.55 $                  -        $    63 565.69 $      31 405.90 $            1 710.32

CARES Coronavirus Relief - CFAC - Technology                                                                                                                                                                                                                  $     981 424.41
                                                         $        2 500.00 $         88 903.89 $     638 356.90 $             -        $   253 358.62 $             -        $           -    $            -    $              -

CARES Coronavirus Relief - CFAC - Blended Learning                                                                                                                                                                                                            $   24 026 795.40
                                                         $ 1 410 550.41 $ 1 731 722.85 $ 14 242 142.00 $               417 246.21 $ 6 090 141.85 $                  -        $           -    $   134 992.08 $                 -

CARES Coronavirus Relief - CFAC - Non ESSER I                                                                                                                                                                                                                 $     853 948.47
                                                         $      202 472.69 $        118 411.88 $     400 386.31 $        21 400.46 $       109 794.07 $             -        $           -    $            -    $         1 483.06

CARES Coronavirus Relief - CFAC - Child Nutrition                                                                                                                                                                                                             $    1 667 389.23
                                                         $      168 136.42 $          1 785.15 $           -      $ 1 463 231.90 $            3 431.91 $      27 261.51 $                -    $     3 542.34 $                 -         $           -

                            CARES ESSER I

CARES ESSER I - Flow Through
                                                         $ 12 645 627.61 $ 1 633 691.44 $ 5 612 236.83 $                 32 593.62 $ 1 986 821.92 $          159 820.48 $         33 203.34 $     455 922.66 $            1 743.04                            $   22 561 660.94

CARES ESSER I - State Set-Aside LMS
                                                         $       41 675.71 $ 1 017 667.91 $          888 878.30 $        42 558.42 $       116 898.48 $       33 451.36 $                -    $    40 868.84 $                 -                              $    2 181 999.02

CARES ESSER I - State Set-Aside SEL
                                                         $      110 121.47 $         64 859.63 $     123 272.44 $        25 754.67 $          8 000.00 $       1 211.96 $                -    $     4 316.90 $            3 315.64                            $     340 852.71

                  CARES Child Nutrition State Grant

CARES Child Nutrition State Grant                        $             -      $           -      $         -      $           -        $           -     $          -        $           -    $            -    $              -         $ 45 481 967.00 $        45 481 967.00

Grand Total                                              $ 82,179,544.56 $ 9,628,994.48 $ 39,644,585.29 $ 2,251,722.20 $ 15,538,766.40 $                     221,745.31 $         96,769.03 $     671,048.72 $            8,252.06 $ 45,481,967.00 $ 195,721,700.05

Percentage                                                        41.9880%            4.9197%         20.2556%            1.1505%             7.9392%           0.1133%            0.0494%           0.3429%               0.0042%             23.2381%              100.0000%



              CRRSA ACT GRANTS
                                                             Salaries and         Purchased       Professional        Supplies         Capital Objects   Transportation          Other            Travel            Indirect Cost            Meals                  Total
                                                               Benefits            Services      Development          Materials                                                                                      Collection




CRRSA Act - ESSER II F/T
                                                         $ 2 991 249.59 $ 1 588 239.27 $             265 666.63 $             -        $    94 748.60 $             -        $     1 727.49 $     309 295.00 $                 -                              $    5 250 926.58
CRRSA Act - ESSER II Set Aside
                                                         $      145 466.00 $         15 587.96 $      37 750.84 $             -        $           -     $          -        $           -    $            -    $              -         $           -        $     198 804.80

Grand Total                                                      $3,136,716         $1,603,827         $303,417                   $0           $94,749                  $0           $1,727          $309,295                       $0                   $0          $5,449,731


Percentage                                                        57.5573%           29.4295%          5.5676%            0.0000%             1.7386%           0.0000%            0.0317%           5.6754%               0.0000%              0.0000%              100.0000%




                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            50
Appendix G: ARP Section 2001(e)(1-2): Use of LEA Funds

2001(e)(1)

(e) USES OF FUNDS.—A local educational agency that receives funds under this section—

(1) shall reserve not less than 20 percent of such funds to address learning loss through 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, and emotional needs and address the
disproportionate impact of the coronavirus on the student subgroups described in section
1111(b)(2)(B)(xi) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
6311(b)(2)(B)(xi)), students experiencing homelessness, and children and youth in foster care.

2001(e)(2)

(2) shall use the remaining funds for any of the following:

(A) Any activity authorized by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965.

(B) Any activity authorized by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

(C) Any activity authorized by the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act.

(D) Any activity authorized by the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006.

(E) Coordination of preparedness and response efforts of local educational agencies with State,
local, Tribal, and territorial public health departments, and other relevant agencies, to improve
coordinated responses among such entities to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus.

(F) Activities to address the unique needs of low-income children or students, children with
disabilities, English learners, racial and ethnic minorities, students experiencing homelessness, and
foster care youth, including how outreach and service delivery will meet the needs of each
population.

(G) Developing and implementing procedures and systems to improve the preparedness and
response efforts of local educational agencies.

(H) Training and professional development for staff of the local educational agency on sanitation
and minimizing the spread of infectious diseases.

(I) Purchasing supplies to sanitize and clean the facilities of a local educational agency, including
buildings operated by such agency.

(J) Planning for, coordinating, and implementing activities during long-term closures, including
providing meals to eligible students, providing technology for online learning to all students,
providing guidance for carrying out requirements under the Individuals with Disabilities Education


                                                                                                  51
Act and ensuring other educational services can continue to be provided consistent with all Federal,
State, and local requirements.

(K) Purchasing educational technology (including hardware, software, and connectivity) for
students who are served by the local educational agency that aids in regular and substantive
educational interaction between students and their classroom instructors, including low-income
students and children with disabilities, which may include assistive technology or adaptive
equipment.

(L) Providing mental health services and supports, including through the implementation of
evidence-based full-service community schools.

(M) Planning and implementing activities related to summer learning and supplemental afterschool
programs, including providing classroom instruction or online learning during the summer months
and addressing the needs of low-income students, children with disabilities, English learners,
migrant students, students experiencing homelessness, and children in foster care.

(N) Addressing learning loss among students, including low-income students, children with
disabilities, English learners, racial and ethnic minorities, students experiencing homelessness, and
children and youth in foster care, of the local educational agency, including by—

(i) administering and using high-quality assessments that are valid and reliable, to accurately assess
students’ academic progress and assist educators in meeting students’ academic needs, including
through differentiating instruction;

(ii) implementing evidence-based activities to meet the comprehensive needs of students;

(iii) providing information and assistance to parents and families on how they can effectively
support students, including in a distance learning environment; and

(iv) tracking student attendance and improving student engagement in distance education.

(O) School facility repairs and improvements to enable operation of schools to reduce risk of virus
transmission and exposure to environmental health hazards, and to support student health needs.

(P) Inspection, testing, maintenance, repair, replacement, and upgrade projects to improve the
indoor air quality in school facilities, including mechanical and nonmechanical heating,
ventilation, and air conditioning systems, filtering, purification and other air cleaning, fans, control
systems, and window and door repair and replacement.

(Q) Developing strategies and implementing public health protocols including, to the greatest
extent practicable, policies in line with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention for the reopening and operation of school facilities to effectively maintain the health
and safety of students, educators, and other staff.

(R) Other activities that are necessary to maintain the operation of and continuity of services in
local educational agencies and continuing to employ existing staff of the local educational agency.


                                                                                                     52
Appendix H: LEA ARP ESSER Use of Funds Template
Instructions: Complete this plan template by engaging meaningful consultation with stakeholders, as
identified in the assurances below, and by giving the public an opportunity to provide input in the
development of this plan. Submit this plan, or a Plan developed by the LEA that includes all requirements,
to Lisa at lenglish@sde.idaho.gov by October 1, 2021.

    LEA # and Name:
    Website link to the LEA’s ARP ESSER Plan – Use of Funds

Section 1: Using ARP ESSER funds for the continuous and safe operation of in-person learning

      1. Describe the LEA’s process, including timeline, for engaging meaningful consultation with
         stakeholders. Identify the stakeholder groups involved. Describe how the public was given an
         opportunity to provide input in the development of this plan.
         [Open-ended response]

      2. Describe how funds will be used to implement prevention and mitigation strategies that are
         consistent with the most recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines 4 for
         reopening and operating schools for in-person learning.
         [Open-ended response]

      3. Describe how the LEA will use no less than, 20% of allotted ARP 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. Specifically, address how the LEA will utilize funds to identify,
         reengage, and support students most likely to have experienced the impact of lost instructional
         time on student learning, such as:
             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.
             d. Subgroups of students disproportionally impacted by COVID-19, including students from
                 low-income families, students of color, English learners, children with disabilities, students
                 experiencing homelessness, children in foster care, migratory students, Hispanic students,
                 and Native American students.
         [Open-ended response]

       4. Describe how the LEA will spend its remaining ARP ESSER funds consistent with section 2001(e)(2)
          of the ARP Act (See Appendix G) . In your description, please identify how funds will be allocated
          to schools and for districtwide activities based on student need to equitably and inclusively support
          student success.
          [Open-ended response]



4
 The most recent guidelines can be found here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-
childcare/index html

                                                                                                              53
   5. Describe how the LEA will ensure that the interventions it implements, including but not limited to
      the interventions implemented 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 in foster care, and migratory students.
     [Open-ended response]

   6. Describe how the LEA will consistently monitor student progress and effectiveness of the
      strategies/interventions implemented to address gaps in student learning and well-being.
      [Open-ended response]

Section 2: Assurances

                                              Assurance                                             LEA Response
     1.   The LEA assures that, to the best of the LEA’s knowledge and belief, all information      Yes      No
          in this plan is true and correct.                                                          ☐       ☐
     2.   The LEA engaged in meaningful consultation with stakeholders and gave the public
          an opportunity to provide input in the development of this plan. Specifically, the LEA
          engaged in meaningful consultation with students; families; school and district           Yes     No
          administrators (including special education administrators); and teachers, principals,     ☐      ☐
          school leaders, other educators, school staff, and their unions. Keep documentation
          of stakeholder communications and meetings on file at the LEA.
     3.   The LEA engaged in meaningful consultation with each of the following, to the
          extent present in or served by the LEA: Tribes; civil rights organizations (including
          disability rights organizations); and stakeholders representing the interests of
                                                                                                    Yes     No
          children with disabilities, English learners, children experiencing homelessness,
                                                                                                     ☐      ☐
          children in foster care, migratory students, children who are incarcerated, and other
          underserved students. Keep documentation of stakeholder communications and
          meetings on file at the LEA.
     4.   The plan is in an understandable and uniform format; to the extent practicable,
          written in a language that parents can understand or, if not practicable, orally          Yes     No
          translated; and, upon request by a parent who is an individual with a disability, will     ☐      ☐
          be provided in an alternative format accessible to that parent.
     5.   The plan is publicly available on the LEA website.                                        Yes     No
                                                                                                     ☐      ☐
     [5a] If the LEA response with ‘yes’, this is an open-ended item for the URL
          Please provide the URL:


Superintendent’s Printed Name:

Superintendent’s Signature:                                                                        Date:

School Board President’s Printed Name:

School Board President’s Signature:                                                                Date:

Submit this plan to Lisa at lenglish@sde.idaho.gov no later than October 1, 2021.




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