State Plan for the American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund — Iowa
Summary
This is a State Plan for the American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) Fund, completed on the Department of Education template issued April 21, 2021, with content on Iowa's schools and students. The template says ARP ESSER provides nearly $122 billion to States. The cover page lists Amy Williamson, Deputy Director, as the SEA contact and Ann Lebo as the printed name of the authorized representative, with a date of June 7, 2021. The template says each SEA must submit its plan to the Department by June 7, 2021. The last page carries an estimated burden of 3 hours per response for GEPA requirements.
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
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Cite this document
“State Plan for the American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund — Iowa.”
Original at www.ed.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/department-of-education-pdf-www-ed-gov-c02b0107bb/
, SHA-256 5ae06bc1c9c246dab5f0accaf744ff505df7064db0585b726a10a63ac1b6919d.Full text
State Plan for the
American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund
U.S. Department of Education
Issued: April 21, 2021
OMB Number: 1810-0754
Expiration Date: October 31, 2021
Paperwork Burden Statement 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. The valid OMB
control number for this information collection is 1810-0754. Public reporting burden for this collection of
information is estimated to average 100 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 under Section 2001 of
the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP Act). If you have any comments concerning the accuracy of the time
estimate, suggestions for improving this individual collection, or if you have comments or concerns regarding the
status of your individual form, application or survey, please contact Britt Jung, Office of State and Grantee
Relations, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue,
SW, Washington, DC 20202-6450, email: SGR@ed.gov directly.
1
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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Cover Page
Grantee and Contact Information
ARP ESSER PR Award Number (e.g., S425U2100XX): S425U210014
SEA Contact: Amy Williamson, Deputy Director
Telephone: 515.339.4122
Email address: amy.williamson@iowa.gov
By signing this document, I agree to each of the assurances listed in Appendix C and further
assure that:
To the best of my knowledge and belief, all information and data included in this plan are true
and correct.
Chief State School Officer or Authorized Representative (Printed Name)
Ann Lebo
Signature of Authorized SEA Representative Date:
June 7, 2021
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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.
Based on information collected over the past year of implementation and in the
most recent survey of school and community needs, the three most effective
strategies in supporting the needs of Iowa's students have been:
1. Providing ongoing training, support, and resources for developing and
implementing Iowa districts’ Return-to-Learn plans within a Multi-Tiered
System of Supports (MTSS);
2. Providing access to technology for online learning in the form of funding
for hotspots, internet service, and online instructional delivery platforms;
3. Creating a collection of online modules providing teachers and
administrators with training and resources on using their MTSS to do the
following within the context of COVID-19:
a. Using student learning and other relevant data to identify student
learning and social-emotional behavioral health (SEBH) needs,
including mental health;
b. Implementing strategies to accelerate student learning; and
c. Implementing strategies to address SEBH needs.
These strategies were delivered directly by the SEA and supported through
Iowa's intermediate service agency system, Area Education Agencies (AEAs).
The SEA will share the link to the Safer Schools Clearinghouse on webinars
conducted with Iowa schools and post the link on the SEA’s ARP ESSER
resources webpage to encourage LEAs to submit lessons learned and best
practices for consideration.
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.
Based on information collected over the past year of implementation, the most
recent survey of school and community needs, and all data currently available to
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the SEA, the top issues facing students and schools in Iowa are:
1. Accelerating learning: When comparing student progress to that of
academic progress in a typical school year, preliminary data indicate that
more students are not making adequate progress.
While initial data on early literacy from the state’s fall 2020-21 universal
screening scores do not indicate achievement gaps widening by
race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, disability, or English language
learning status, the data indicates that achievement gaps that existed prior
to COVID-19 persist. In fall 2019 (prior to the COVID-19 pandemic), the
gaps in literacy proficiency between subgroups of kindergarten students
were significant. When comparing reading proficiency by race/ethnicity,
the achievement gaps between White kindergarten students and Black and
Hispanic students are 26% and 30%, respectively (Iowa Department of
Education, 2021b). Similarly, the gap between kindergarten English
learners and non-English learners was 28% in fall 2019 (Iowa Department
of Education, 2019).
In fall 2020-21, the gap in reading proficiency between first grade
students on FRL and students not on FRL was 26% (Iowa Department of
Education, 2021b). When comparing reading English learner proficiency
to non-English learner proficiency the gap is 21%. The achievement gaps
between White first grade students and Black and Hispanic students are
22% and 23%, respectively (Iowa Department of Education, 2021b).
In addition to the persistent achievement gaps mentioned above, the
initial fall 2020-21 early literacy data indicates that all student groups
have lost progress toward reading proficiency. Specifically, first grade
student reading proficiency fell 20% between fall 2019 and fall 2020
(Iowa Department of Education, 2021b). Early data from district reports
and focus groups further substantiate this conclusion of lost literacy
progress. Iowa’s summative test results for the 2020-21 school year will
be available this summer for analysis, and we will also add winter and
spring universal screening data to the analyses.
To address the issue of unfinished learning/accelerating learning, the SEA
will refine how it assists districts in using an MTSS system to design and
prioritize student learning experiences so students can catch up to their
typical trajectory of one year's learning in one year's time.
2. Social-emotional-behavioral health (SEBH): The stress of the
pandemic exacerbated existing SEBH concerns for students in Iowa. For
example, Iowa’s youth suicide rates are higher than most states, with
suicide being the second leading cause of death for Iowans ages 14 to 44
(Iowa Department of Public Health, 2020). Concerns that existed prior to
COVID-19 have become even more urgent for Iowa schools. For
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example, before the COVID-19 pandemic, the most recent data from the
state’s Conditions for Learning Survey (2019) indicated only 28.15% of
students in grades six to 12 felt emotionally safe in their school.
To address the need for SEBH, the SEA will further prioritize positive
behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS), social-emotional learning
(SEL), and wraparound services within an MTSS system.
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, 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).
Based on information collected over the past year of implementation, the most
recent survey of school and community needs, and all data currently available to
the SEA, the primary issues of accelerating learning and SEBH (see Question 2)
affect all of Iowa’s student groups, even though the pandemic may have had a
disproportionate effect on some of Iowa’s most vulnerable populations. The top
two issues, then, are still those stated in Question 2, but they may apply with
differing intensity for groups of students.
In the most recent survey of school and community needs, students living in
poverty (84%), students with disabilities (66%), and students who are English
language learners (44%) were identified as the groups most affected by COVID-
19 school closures (Iowa Department of Education, 2021a). These were closely
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followed by black and Hispanic students, at 33% and 32%, respectively (Iowa
Department of Education, 2021a). Iowa’s largest and most persistent
achievement gaps prior to the pandemic were for students with disabilities, black
students, and students who are English learners (Iowa Department of Education,
2021b).
Two of the issues commonly mentioned by education stakeholders as most likely
to exacerbate the negative impact of unfinished learning on academic progress
and SEBH for these student groups include access to food and nutrition and
access to technology for online education (Iowa Department of Education,
2021a). These were particular concerns early on during the pandemic for students
living in poverty and students with disabilities for whom specific technology is
sometimes required to access instructional content.
At this time, more accurate estimates of the academic impact of lost instructional
time on each group of students (than those provided in Question 2) are not
possible, but the SEA is revisiting all data available to us as they become
available. The SEA’s plans for targeting resources and efforts are designed to be
flexible as we learn more about which districts and students need the most
assistance.
The state’s annual measure of student engagement and well-being is the
Conditions for Learning Survey, which was recently administered to all students
with the option to also provide the survey to all parents and staff. These results
will be used to determine how student groups have been affected by COVID-19
and should be supported with the SEBH resources previously mentioned.
The SEA tracks chronic absenteeism data that is reported annually, but it was
difficult to obtain accurate data during the 2020-21 school year because of
disruptions to the way schools typically counted attendance. During the 2021-22
school year, we will continue to work with schools to track chronic absence as an
important indicator of risk in our early warning system.
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.
The SEA will support districts in using data contained in our statewide
MTSS/early warning data system, Student Success. This system makes literacy
and math screening and progress monitoring data, attendance rates, office
discipline referrals, outcome assessment data, and Conditions for Learning
survey data available to schools to assist in identifying student learning and
SEBH needs. All data can be disaggregated by district, school, and student
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subgroup.
The SEA will provide coaching to schools to use tools and resources, including
the ESSA Data Review, Early Warning System Guide, Universal Tier Tools, and
Intervention System Guide, to explore and use data to identify student needs by
subgroup, implement evidence-based strategies and interventions, and track
progress and implementation.
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.
a. During the 2020-21 school year, the SEA has not collected the
mode of instruction at the individual student-level. However,
several times throughout the school year (October, December, and
February), the SEA catalogued the predominant mode of instruction
for each public district and nonpublic school.
In the 2021-22 school year, the SEA will not collect this
information at the student-level unless required for the P-EBT
program or another requirement. Iowa law requires all districts to
have a 100% in-person attendance option available for all students
but also allows for remote instruction in certain circumstances.
Remote instruction options in the state are no longer related to
COVID-19, as the session law permitting those options expires June
30, 2021, and the emergency proclamation of the governor related
to remote instruction will not be extended beyond June 30. In short,
Iowa schools are expected to operate on a pre-COVID basis for the
2021-22 school year, though they will all have a current Return-to-
Learn plan that is compliant with federal requirements.
b. Student enrollment data are reported to the SEA on an ongoing
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basis, and the SEA officially reviews the student-level data three
times during the school year during our fall, winter, and spring
reporting periods.
c. Student attendance data are reported to the SEA on an ongoing
basis, and the SEA officially reviews the student-level data during
the spring reporting period. Attendance reporting for students in
grades kindergarten through 12 will be available in the state’s
MTSS data system during the 2021-22 school year.
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.
These data can be found in Appendix A.
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.
LEAs in Iowa have the opportunity to provide summer school in
2021, and it is a local decision to do so. Both for 2021 summer
school and the 2021-22 school year, the planned mode of instruction
is in-person. By law, each LEA in the state must offer in-person
instruction to students. LEAs may also offer the option to parents
for their learner(s) to participate in hybrid and/or remote instruction.
This may occur through state-provided online content (e.g., Iowa e-
Learning Central), locally-developed content, or through online
content from approved private providers. As previously stated in
A.5.i.a., remote instruction options in the state are no longer related
to COVID-19, as the session law permitting those options expires
June 30, 2021, and the emergency proclamation of the governor
related to remote instruction has expired.
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
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LEAs in this vital area.
1. Support for LEAs: Describe how the SEA will support its LEAs in safely
returning to in-person instruction and sustaining the safe operation of schools.
This description must include:
i. How the SEA will support its LEAs implementing, to the
greatest extent practicable, prevention and mitigation policies in
line with the most up-to-date guidance from the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) for the reopening and
operation of school facilities to effectively maintain the health
and safety of students, educators, and other staff;
Complete the table below, adding rows as necessary, or provide a
narrative description.
Table B1.
Mitigation strategy SEA response
Universal and correct The SEA provided district leadership teams,
wearing of masks educators, and staff with several supports in
developing and implementing their plans to
return to in-person learning (i.e., Return-to-Learn
plans implemented in SY20-21). Such supports
include (but are not limited to):
● Guidance around educational
frameworks and required Return-to-
Learn plan components, which will be
available in school year 2021-22 and
cover various mitigation strategies to
support a culture of preventative health,
equity, and wellness in the context of
instruction;
● A Google site, which contains education
modules and mini-unit lesson designs for
preschool through grade 12 that address
face coverings as one tool to help prevent
the spread of germs and viruses; and
● A Google site for families and
communities.
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Physical distancing The SEA has:
(e.g., including use of ● Provided district leadership teams,
cohorts/podding) educators, and staff with Return-to-Learn
educational framework guidance and a
framework document that covers various
mitigation strategies to support a culture
of preventative health, equity, and
wellness.
● Provided LEAs with a Google site that
includes education modules that address
thoughtfully staying at least six feet apart
from others or physical distancing (when
possible) for district leadership teams and
educators.
● Provided LEAs with sample learning
modules for preschool through grade 12
to reinforce physical distancing (when
feasible) to help with controlling the
spread of germs and viruses.
● Created a Google site for families.
Handwashing and The SEA has:
respiratory etiquette ● Provided LEA district leadership teams,
educators, and staff with Return-to-Learn
educational framework guidance and a
framework document that covers various
mitigation strategies to support a culture
of preventative health, equity, and
wellness.
● Provided LEAs with a Google site that
includes education modules that address
handwashing and respiratory etiquette for
district leadership teams and education
personnel
● Provided LEAs with sample learning
modules for preschool through grade 12
to reinforce handwashing and respiratory
etiquette to help control the spread of
germs and viruses.
● Created a Google site for families.
Cleaning and The SEA provided district leadership teams,
maintaining healthy educators, and staff with Return-to-Learn
facilities, including educational framework guidance, a framework
improving ventilation document tool, and a resources tool that covers
various mitigation strategies to support a culture
of preventative health, equity, and wellness by
addressing how to maintain healthy facilities and
improve ventilation with Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) resources.
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Contact tracing in The SEA:
combination with ● Collaborated with the Iowa Department
isolation and of Public Health to provide guidance to
quarantine, in LEAs regarding working with their local
collaboration with the public health agency on contact tracing,
State, local, isolation, and quarantine requirements
territorial, or Tribal for individual situations while protecting
health departments personally identifiable information.
● Provided sample LEA communications
for district leadership teams to use with
the education stakeholder groups within
the district (i.e., teachers/staff,
parents/guardians, students, community
members) regarding a change in delivery
model or health and safety status. These
communication blurbs were translated
into Chinese, Spanish, Swahili, and
Vietnamese. The SEA also encouraged
LEAs to deliver information using many
forms of media and for LEAs to be
mindful of equity of access.
Diagnostic and Students and staff have access to multiple
screening testing resources for testing, including community
healthcare providers, their local public health
agency's resources and programs, five state-run
TestIowa sites, and 13 TestIowa clinics to meet
their testing needs. Most of these resources are
free or covered by insurance.
The SEA also has access to free tests that can be
sent to districts. If shipping/delivery fees need to
be paid, the SEA can pay for costs from the state
set-aside funds from ESSER II or ARP ESSER.
The SEA supported LEAs by acquiring the
Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments
(CLIA) waiver, which covers all school districts
that conduct other federally mandated tests, have
the capacity to test students with the presence of
a licensed healthcare provider (e.g., school-based
health clinics), or schools who have chosen to
test staff or students using designated ESSER I,
ESSER II, or ARP ESSER funding.
The SEA provided LEAs with Protection of Pupil
Rights Amendment (PPRA) guidance regarding
the acquisition of written parental consent prior
to any invasive testing or examination and
guidance for written consent of any non-licensed
personnel who would be required to perform an
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invasive procedure, consistent with Iowa Code
section 280.23.
Lastly, the SEA has provided information to
schools regarding the confidentiality surrounding
health records and the provision of student health
services (e.g., screening or documentation of
screening results) to meet the federal
requirements under the Family Education Rights
Privacy Act.
Efforts to provide The SEA encouraged school district leadership
vaccinations to teams to collaborate with their local public health
educators, other staff, agency in following the statewide prevention
and students, if vaccination strategy plan.
eligible
Appropriate The SEA provided:
accommodations for ● Reopening guidance and follow-up
children with clarifications to support the continued
disabilities with work of districts using their Return-to-
respect to the health Learn plan. These guidance documents
and safety policies address remote learning, hybrid learning,
and the transition to in-person learning
using CDC resources.
● LEAs with resources on the Return-to-
Learn Google site to address students
accessing academic programming within
IDEA, along with resources for students
and individuals protected within ADA as
it relates to confidentiality, health, and
safety.
● LEAs with information regarding the
confidentiality of sensitive health
information of students.
ii. Any Statewide plans, policies, estimated timelines, and specific
milestones related to reopening and operation of school facilities,
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including any mechanisms the SEA will use to track, monitor, or
enforce their implementation;
On January 29, 2021, Iowa's governor signed legislation requiring
all Iowa schools to offer families the option of fully in-person
school days starting on February 15, 2021. The SEA provided LEA
district leadership teams, educators, and staff with Return-to-Learn
educational framework guidance and a framework document for in-
person learning that covers various mitigation strategies to
implement a culture of preventative health, equity, and wellness.
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
Students and staff have individualized local access to multiple
resources for testing, including community healthcare providers,
their local public health agency’s resources and programs, five
state-run TestIowa sites, and 13 TestIowa clinics to meet testing
needs. Most of these resources are free or covered by insurance.
The SEA also has access to free tests that can be sent to districts. If
shipping/delivery fees need to be paid, the SEA can pay for costs
from the ESSER state set-aside funds from ESSER II or ARP
ESSER. The SEA supports LEAs by its acquisition of the CLIA
waiver, which covers all school districts that conduct other federally
mandated tests, districts that have the capacity to test students with
the presence of a licensed healthcare provider (e.g., school-based
health clinics), or schools that have chosen to test staff or students
using designated ESSER I, ESSER II, or ARP ESSER funding.
The SEA provided LEAs with PPRA guidance regarding the
requirement to acquire written parental consent prior to any invasive
testing or examination and guidance for written consent of any non-
licensed personnel who would be required to perform an invasive
procedure, consistent with Iowa Code section 280.23.
Lastly, the SEA provided information to schools regarding the
confidentiality requirements surrounding health records and the
provision of student health services (e.g., education records created
by conducting screening or documentation of screening results) to
meet the federal requirements under the Family Education Rights
Privacy Act.
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iv. Any guidance, professional learning, and technical assistance
opportunities the SEA will make available to its LEAs.
The Health and Safety Modules (R2L: Return to Learn) are
available for license renewal credit. Administrators, teachers, and
other educators working for LEAs can complete the course Creating
a Culture of Preventative Health and Wellness for one license
renewal credit. Credit is given for any health and safety modules
previously completed, with additional application of content to
reach the 15 hours of coursework required for the credit.
Coursework is aligned to job duties with optional application by
leadership team members, instructional coaches, classroom teachers,
or other educators supporting students in safely reopening schools.
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., through September 30, 2023), 1 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
1 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.
15
consistent, to the greatest extent practicable, with relevant CDC
guidance.
All Iowa districts were required to submit Return-to-Learn plans on July 1, 2020
in a format determined by the SEA and using supporting documents provided by
the SEA. All Return-to-Learn plans included the information required by ARP
ESSER and were also required to be posted publicly. The SEA has notified
districts that their original Return-to-Learn plans must remain posted publicly
and be reviewed periodically and revised as necessary.
i. The SEA will ensure that each LEA plan includes, or will be modified to
include, such policies by requiring every LEA to confirm the accuracy or
revision of their Return-to-Learn plan in the SEA's Consolidated Accountability
and Support Application (CASA) system.
Districts were originally required to submit a Return-to-Learn plan by July 1,
2020. Districts are required to confirm or revise these plans by June 15, 2021
after considering health and safety mitigation steps identified in table B1 and the
Return-to-Learn modules provided by the SEA for reopening schools and
sustaining their safe operation.
ii. The SEA has ensured that each LEA plan complies with this requirement by
reviewing the Return-to-Learn plans submitted by every LEA on July 1, 2020 to
ensure they included answers to questions that required a description of
continuity of services to address students’ academic needs and students’ and
staff’s social, emotional, mental health, and other needs. These plans were
determined to be compliant with Safe Return to In-Person Instruction and
Continuity of Services Plan requirements and will be used or revised as
necessary.
iii. The SEA has ensured the LEA will periodically review and revise, as
appropriate, its Return-to-Learn Plan by including an assurance in the required
ARP ESSER Plan. The SEA will continue to ensure this requirement is met by
including the following assurance as part of required quarterly claims for
reimbursement of federal funds–including relief funds–through September 2023:
The LEA assures that it will review its Return-to-Learn plan periodically and at
least every six months to ensure it remains relevant and meets all statutory and
regulatory requirements. The LEA also assures that it will seek public comment
on whether the plan requires revisions at least every six months. And if it is so
deemed that revisions are necessary, the LEA will provide the public opportunity
to provide comments on such revisions.
The SEA will also continue to monitor LEAs for compliance with this and all
other assurances and requirements per the state’s monitoring plan.
iv. The SEA does not collect information about LEA implementation of each
element of the most up-to-date CDC guidance listed in table B1 and defers to the
16
Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) on the need for this information as a
matter of state agency oversight. The SEA does and will continue to seek
information from LEAs on their needs for support and technical assistance to
implement strategies consistent with relevant CDC or IDPH guidance. The SEA
also coordinates all responses to LEA requests for guidance with IDPH
leadership. In Iowa’s required Return-to-Learn plan, LEAs must address the
topic area of Health and Safety as part of the required framework.
C. Planning for the Use and Coordination of ARP ESSER Funds
The Department recognizes that seeking input from diverse stakeholders is essential to
developing plans for the use of ARP ESSER funds that are responsive to the needs of
students, families, and educators. In this section, SEAs will describe their plans for
consultation and for coordinating the use of ARP ESSER funds with other resources to meet
the needs of students.
1. SEA Consultation: Consistent with the ARP ESSER requirements, describe how
the SEA engaged in meaningful consultation with stakeholders, and incorporated
input into its plan, including, but not limited to:
i. students;
ii. families;
iii. Tribes (if applicable);
iv. civil rights organizations (including disability rights organizations);
v. school and district administrators (including special education
administrators);
vi. superintendents;
vii. charter school leaders (if applicable);
viii. teachers, principals, school leaders, other educators, school staff, and
their unions; and
ix. stakeholders representing the interests of children with disabilities,
English learners, children experiencing homelessness, children and
youth in foster care, migratory students, children who are
incarcerated, and other underserved students.
The description must include how the SEA provided the public the opportunity to
provide input in the development of the plan, a summary of the input (including
any letters of support), and how the SEA took such input into account.
The SEA conducted an initial statewide survey of the following stakeholders
regarding topics aligned to Iowa’s ARP ESSER state plan (e.g., the current and
promising practices, highest priorities, state needs and teacher shortages, extent
of support needed for various areas):
● Students;
● Families;
● Tribes;
● Civil rights organizations (including disability rights organizations);
● School and district administrators (including special education
administrators);
● Superintendents;
17
● Charter school leaders;
● Teachers, principals, school leaders, other educators, school staff, and
their unions; and
● Stakeholders representing the interests of children with disabilities,
English learners, children experiencing homelessness, children and youth
in foster care, migratory students, children who are incarcerated, and
other underserved students; and
● Members of the general public.
In developing its state plan, the SEA reviewed survey responses and wrote the
plan to incorporate the supports and priorities indicated by respondents. The SEA
will seek additional input from the same respondent groups in additional surveys
and will also conduct focus group sessions to understand what support is needed
and how best to address the needs identified. Future surveys and focus groups
will focus particular attention on the student groups most affected by the
COVID-19 pandemic and related school closures.
We anticipate multiple rounds of public input through 2023 to assess needs of
students, families, and educators and also to obtain feedback from these groups
about the effectiveness of the solutions that are provided.
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 Prior/current SEA and LEA uses Planned SEA and
source (including funding amounts, if LEA uses (including
applicable) funding amounts, if
applicable)
ESSER I Total Award Amount: $71,625,561 Unallocated Funds
(CARES Available
Act) Awarded to LEAs: $64,463,005 Reserved by SEA for
18
Allocated/Used: $64,463,005 (100%) administration:
-For identified allowable uses by LEAs $316,706
and nonpublic schools
Planned Uses
Reserved by SEA for state uses: Reserved by SEA for
$6,804,428 administration:
Allocated/Used: $6,804,428 (100%) -Payment of
-Provided to LEAs for online learning temporary staff to aid
platforms in administration of
relief funds
Reserved by SEA for administration: -Partial payment of
$358,128 permanent staff salary
Allocated/Used: $41,422 (11.6%) time as applicable
-Translation of guidance documents into
most commonly spoken languages in
Iowa districts
GEER I Total Award Amount: $26,217,108 Not applicable
(CARES Awarded to LEAs and community
Act) colleges: $26,217,108
Allocated/Used: $26,217,108
-Internet connectivity
-Student-level technology for remote
learning for LEAs and nonpublic
schools (e.g., hotspots, wireless plans,
devices)
-Remote learning and training for
community colleges
ESSER Total Award Amount: $344,864,294 Unallocated Funds
II Available
(CRRSA Awarded to LEAs: $310,377,865 Reserved by SEA for
Act) Allocated/Used: $310,377,865 (100%) administration:
-For identified allowable uses by LEAs $1,724,321
and nonpublic schools
Planned Uses
Reserved by SEA for state uses: -Payment of
$34,486,429 temporary staff to aid
Allocated/Used: $0 (0%) in administration of
relief funds
Reserved by SEA for administration: -Partial payment of
$1,724,321 permanent staff salary
Allocated/Used: $0 (0%) time as applicable
-Funding of SEA
reserve projects as
needed
Unallocated Funds
Available
Reserved by SEA for
state uses:
19
$34,486,429
Planned use:
-Funding projects
related to priorities of
(a) accelerating
learning and (b)
providing SEBH
supports within the
scope of the SEA’s
Future Ready Iowa
work to recover from
COVID-19
GEER II Total Combined Award Amount: Not applicable
(CRRSA $37,837,626
Act)
Emergency Assistance for Nonpublic
Schools (EANS) Total Award:
$26,271,345
-Awarded to nonpublic schools:
$26,071,345
-Allocated/Used by nonpublic schools:
$0
-Reserved/Used for SEA administration:
$200,000
GEER II Total Award: $11,566,281
-Available for Competitive Grants for
Mental Health Supports for LEAs:
$8,674,711
-Awarded to public schools:
$26,071,345
-Allocated/Used by public schools: $0
GEER
Competitive grants for GAP Tuition
Assistance for community colleges:
$2,891,570
-Awarded to community colleges:
$2,891,570
-Allocated/Used by community
colleges: $0
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.
20
All of the following information is current as of the date of this
report.
ESSER I
Total award amount: $71,625,561
Awarded to LEAs: $64,463,005
Not yet expended by LEAs (submitted for reimbursement):
$377,943
This amount includes the unspent portion of required
nonpublic equitable shares.
Reserved by SEA for state uses: $6,804,428
Not yet expended: $1,377,647
These funds were also distributed to LEAs and have not yet
been claimed for reimbursement. This amount includes the
unspent portion of nonpublic equitable shares.
Reserved by SEA for administration: $358,128
Not yet expended: $316,706
The SEA is not able to track LEA obligations, only expenditures.
Only one quarter of claims remains in the fiscal year, and we
anticipate that all remaining LEA funds will be expended for
ESSER I with the potential exception of some nonpublic shares.
LEAs are required to submit ESSER claims on a quarterly basis
through the SEA's CASA system. FY 2021 fourth quarter claims
must be submitted by July 15, 2021. All remaining SEA funds are
obligated and will be expended by the end of the fiscal year.
ESSER II
Total award amount: $344,864,294
Awarded to LEAs: $310,377,865
Not yet expended by LEAs (submitted for reimbursement):
$240,421,018
Reserved by SEA for state uses: $32,762,108
Not yet expended: $32,762,108
Reserved by SEA for administration: $1,724,321
Not yet expended: $1,724,321
The SEA does not have a means of tracking LEA obligations
outside of the claims process. All SEA funds have been or will be
obligated no later than July 1, 2021 through the SEA’s internal
budgeting process.
iii. In supporting LEAs as they plan for the safe return to and continuity
of in-person instruction and for meeting the academic, social,
emotional, and mental health needs of students resulting from the
COVID-19 pandemic, the extent to which the SEA is also using
21
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.2
Iowa is using and has coordinated the use of all ESEA, IDEA, child
nutrition services, and McKinney-Vento funds as part of an MTSS
for students prior to and throughout the pandemic by:
● Requiring a consolidated application for all ESEA funds;
● Encouraging a single nonpublic consultation process
between districts and nonpublic schools for all applicable
funds;
● Encouraging districts and nonpublic schools (if provided
funds through the program) to conduct a data-based needs
assessment upon which budget decisions are made for all
available funding sources;
● Budgeting all available state administrative and program
funds from these programs as a single budget and only after
conducting a state-level data-based needs assessment; and
● Allocating all state funds available through these programs
through the state’s Differentiated Accountability system to
target resources to districts and schools in the most need of
support.
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
2
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.
22
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 SEA will use funds reserved under section 2001(f)(1) to
address the academic impact of lost instructional time to develop,
implement, and provide ongoing support for accelerating student
learning within an MTSS. Specifically, we will:
● Revise and adapt the state’s existing materials on
implementation of evidence-based interventions to
specifically address accelerated learning in the context of
COVID 19, including:
○ The process for using data to prioritize unfinished
learning;
○ How to design instructional experiences for all
students;
○ How to teach grade-level academic standards while
also embedding prioritized unfinished learning
through the use of evidence-based interventions; and
○ How to provide interventions during the regular
school day and schedule additional learning time
(e.g., summer learning, summer enrichment,
afterschool programs) that match local resources and
needs.
● Train and provide coaching through a statewide
implementation network; and
● Provide curated lists of evidence-based interventions from
reviewed organizations (e.g., What Works Clearinghouse).
The SEA will evaluate the impact of this work by:
● Periodically reviewing available data regarding student
progress in the state’s Student Success system and other data
collections;
● Requesting necessary data when not available; and
● Requiring districts to report on implementation of evidence-
based strategies in the CASA system as necessary to enable
the evaluation of effectiveness of evidence-based strategies.
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
23
As previously stated (see A.2. and A.3.), based on the best and most
recent information currently available to the SEA, the state’s long-
standing and unacceptable achievement gaps by race/ethnicity,
socioeconomic status, disability, and English language learning
status that existed prior to COVID-19 persist, but do not appear to
be widening. All student groups have lost progress toward
proficiency in literacy.
The information available to the SEA is preliminary, and we will
continue to collect all available data and revise plans for the
implementation of interventions to meet the needs of the students
and districts with the most significant needs. Additional data the
SEA will review include: summative assessment data (Iowa
Statewide Assessment of Student Progress (ISASP)), including the
alternate assessment and ELPA21, universal screening data in
literacy and math for each screening period, attendance/chronic
absenteeism, and Conditions for Learning survey results.
Given the information available, the SEA will provide resources to
districts immediately that meet the needs of all learners, including
each of the student groups listed in Question A.3.i.-viii. Most well-
curated resources available for selecting evidence-based
interventions and strategies provide multiple options that serve all
students very well, providing a significant effect size even before
we have additional data available to target our efforts more
precisely.
As more detailed information becomes available, the SEA will
target additional resources such as funds, professional learning, or
specially-funded exploratory projects to areas of need.
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 SEA will reserve funds to create and implement training and
supportive processes and materials for schools to help determine
what activities they should conduct to identify, reengage, and
support students most likely to have experienced the impact of lost
instructional time by incorporating these activities into technical
assistance resources provided to all districts for the 2021-22 school
year. The SEA expects that these needs will differ across districts
substantially due to the variety of instructional delivery models used
by districts during the 2020-21 school year. The supports for
students will be built into the statewide instructional supports and
24
will be delivered through the state’s implementation network.
Since missed instructional time can have a large and negative
impact on learning progression, it is crucial that students who
missed the most instruction are identified so schools can interpret
their learning data in light of their lost instructional time.
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 SEA will use funds reserved under section 2001(f)(2) to
support implementation of evidence-based summer learning and
enrichment programs, including those that begin in 2021, by
integrating summer learning into the state’s model of accelerating
student learning within an MTSS. Specifically, we will:
● Create new materials and revise and adapt the state’s
existing materials on implementation of evidence-based
interventions to specifically address summer programming
in the context of COVID 19, including:
○ When and how summer learning programs can be
successful for the delivery of intensive accelerated
learning;
○ How to determine which students might benefit most
from summer learning;
○ How to design and fund sustainable summer learning
programs;
○ How to use summer learning programs as an
extension of excellent instruction during the regular
school year; and
○ How to provide summer learning programs that
match local resources and needs.
● Train and provide coaching through a statewide
implementation network; and
● Provide curated lists of evidence-based interventions from
reviewed organizations (e.g., What Works Clearinghouse).
The SEA will evaluate the impact of this work by:
25
● Periodically reviewing available data regarding student
progress in the state’s Student Success system and other data
collections;
● Requesting necessary data when not available; and
● Requiring districts to report on implementation of evidence-
based strategies in the CASA system as necessary to enable
the evaluation of effectiveness of evidence-based strategies.
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
As previously stated, based on the best and most recent information
available to the SEA at this time, the state’s long-standing and
unacceptable achievement gaps by race/ethnicity, socioeconomic
status, disability, and English language learning status that existed
prior to COVID-19 persist but do not appear to be widening.
However, all student groups have lost progress toward proficiency
in literacy.
The information available to the SEA is preliminary, and we will
continue to collect all available data and revise plans for the
implementation of interventions to meet the needs of the students
and districts with the most significant needs. Additional data the
SEA will review include: summative assessment data (ISASP)–
including the alternate assessment and ELPA21–universal screening
data in literacy and math for each screening period,
attendance/chronic absenteeism, and Conditions for Learning
Survey results.
Given the information available, the SEA will provide resources to
districts immediately that meet the needs of all learners, including
each of the student groups listed in Question A.3.i.-viii. Most well-
curated resources available for selecting evidence-based
interventions and strategies provide multiple options that serve all
students very well, providing a significant effect size even before
we have additional data available to target our efforts more
precisely.
As more detailed information becomes available, the SEA will
target additional resources such as funds, professional learning, or
specially-funded exploratory projects to areas of need.
iii. The extent to which the SEA will use funds it reserves to identify
26
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 SEA will use reserved funds to create and implement training
and supportive processes and materials for schools to help
determine what activities they should conduct to identify, reengage,
and support students most likely to have experienced the impact of
lost instructional time by incorporating these activities into technical
assistance resources provided to all districts for the 2021-22 school
year. We expect that these needs will differ across districts
substantially due to the variety of instructional delivery models used
by districts during the 2020-21 school year. The supports for
students will be built into the statewide instructional supports and
will be delivered through the state’s implementation network.
Summer learning can be an opportunity to make up for missed
instructional time, but it can also be seen as a punishment by
students and families. The use of appropriate interventions and
strategies for each district, school, community, and student is
important to the success of this effort.
3. Evidence-Based Comprehensive Afterschool Programs: Describe how the SEA
will use the funds it reserves under section 2001(f)(3) of the ARP Act (totaling
not less than 1 percent of the State’s total allocation of ARP ESSER funds) for
evidence-based comprehensive afterschool programs (including, for example,
before-school programming), and ensure such programs respond to students’
academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs. The description must
include:
i. A description of the evidence-based programs (e.g., including
partnerships with community-based organizations) the SEA has
selected, and the extent to which the SEA will evaluate the impact
of those programs;
The SEA will use funds reserved under section 2001(f)(3) to
support implementation of evidence-based comprehensive after-
school programs by integrating the use of before- and after-school
programs and wraparound care into the state’s model of accelerating
student learning within an MTSS. Specifically, we will:
● Create new materials (as necessary) and revise and adapt the
state’s existing materials on implementation of evidence-
based interventions to specifically address before- and after-
school programs for academic needs and wraparound
services for SEBH and mental health, including:
○ When and how summer learning programs can be
successful for the delivery of intensive accelerated
learning;
27
○ How to determine which students might benefit most
from summer learning;
○ How to design and fund sustainable comprehensive
after-school programs;
○ How to use after-school programs as an extension of
excellent instruction during the regular school day;
and
○ How to partner with community-based organizations
to meet local needs and share resources.
● Train and provide coaching through a statewide
implementation network; and
● Provide curated lists of evidence-based interventions from
reviewed organizations (e.g., What Works Clearinghouse).
The SEA will evaluate the impact of this work by:
● Periodically reviewing available data regarding student
progress in the state’s Student Success system and other data
collections;
● Requesting necessary data when not available; and
● Requiring districts to report on implementation of evidence-
based strategies in the CASA system as necessary to enable
the evaluation of effectiveness of evidence-based strategies.
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
As previously stated (see responses to A.2. and A.3.), based on the
best and most recent information currently available to the SEA, the
state’s long-standing and unacceptable achievement gaps by
race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, disability, and English
language learning status that existed prior to COVID-19 persist but
do not appear to be widening. However, all student groups have lost
progress toward proficiency in literacy.
The information available to the SEA is preliminary, and we will
continue to collect all available data and revise plans for the
implementation of interventions to meet the needs of the students
and districts with the most significant needs. Additional data the
SEA will review include: summative assessment data (ISASP)—
including the alternate assessment and ELPA21— universal
screening data in literacy and math for each screening period,
attendance/chronic absenteeism, and Conditions for Learning survey
results.
28
Given the information available, the SEA will provide resources to
districts immediately that meet the needs of all learners, including
each of the student groups listed in Question A.3.i.-viii. Most well-
curated resources available for selecting evidence-based
interventions and strategies provide multiple options that serve all
students very well, providing a significant effect size even before
we have additional data available to target our efforts more
precisely.
As more detailed information becomes available, the SEA will
target additional resources such as funds, professional learning, or
specially-funded exploratory projects to areas of need.
Comprehensive after-school programs, including those that address
SEBH and mental health needs, may be responsive to the needs of
multiple student groups among those listed in A.3.i.-viii based on
data that become available to the SEA and LEAs. The SEA is
particularly mindful of assisting LEAs in the development of
programs that do not present barriers to participation for any student
groups due to difficulty with transportation, language,
accommodations, or other similar issues.
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 SEA will use reserved funds to create and implement training
and supportive processes and materials for schools to help
determine what activities they should conduct to identify, reengage,
and support students most likely to have experienced the impact of
lost instructional time by incorporating these activities into technical
assistance resources provided to all districts for the 2021-22 school
year. The supports for students will be built into the statewide
instructional supports and will be delivered through the state’s
implementation network. These supports will include
comprehensive after-school programs.
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.
29
The SEA will use reserved funds to support trainers and coaches to work with
LEAs to provide just-in-time professional learning around Iowa’s highest priority
needs: accelerating learning and SEBH. The funds will also support exploratory
projects with selected districts to identify effective evidence-based interventions
to share statewide.
E. Supporting LEAs in Planning for and Meeting Students’ Needs
The Department recognizes that the safe return to in-person instruction must be accompanied
by a focus on meeting students’ academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs, and by
addressing the opportunity gaps that existed before – and were exacerbated by – the
pandemic. In this section, SEAs will describe how they will support their LEAs in
developing high-quality plans for LEAs’ use of ARP ESSER funds to achieve these
objectives.
1. LEA Plans for the Use of ARP ESSER Funds: Describe what the SEA will
require its LEAs to include in LEA plans consistent with the ARP ESSER
requirements for the use of ARP ESSER funds, how the SEA will require such
plans to be made available to the public, and the deadline by which the LEA must
submit its ARP ESSER plan (which must be a reasonable timeline and should be
within no later than 90 days after receiving its ARP ESSER allocation). The LEA
plans must include, at a minimum:
i. The extent to which and how the funds will be used to implement
prevention and mitigation strategies that are, to the greatest extent
practicable, in line with the most recent CDC guidance, in order to
continuously and safely operate schools for in-person learning;
ii. How the LEA will use the funds it reserves under section 2001(e)(1)
of the ARP Act (totaling not less than 20 percent of the LEA’s total
allocation of ARP ESSER funds) to address the academic impact of
lost instructional time through the implementation of evidence-based
interventions, such as summer learning or summer enrichment,
extended day, comprehensive afterschool programs, or extended
school year programs;
iii. How the LEA will spend its remaining ARP ESSER funds consistent
with section 2001(e)(2) of the ARP Act; and
iv. How the LEA will ensure that the interventions it implements,
including but not limited to the interventions under section
2001(e)(1) of the ARP Act to address the academic impact of lost
instructional time, will respond to the academic, social, emotional,
and mental health needs of all students, and particularly those
students disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19
pandemic, including students from low-income families, students
of color, English learners, children with disabilities, students
experiencing homelessness, children and youth in foster care, and
migratory students.
The Department will require districts to submit a two-part district plan. Part I of
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the required ARP ESSER plan (due May 23) required district superintendents to
sign off on a number of assurances (e.g., GEPA, requirements to "meaningfully"
engage with the required stakeholders and provide the public an opportunity to
provide comments, ongoing consultation and public input requirements) and to
acknowledge the Part II requirements. Part II of the plan (due August 23) will
require LEAs to describe 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 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.
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.
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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.
The SEA ensured that LEAs will provide the public the opportunity to provide
input in the development of the LEA’s plan by requiring the following
assurances:
● The LEA assures that it will meaningfully engage with the following
stakeholders during development of its ESSER III plan and take such
input into account in the development of the plan:
○ Students;
○ Families;
○ School and district administrators, including special education
administrators;
○ Teachers, principals, school leaders, other educators, school staff,
and their unions;
○ Tribes (if applicable);
○ Civil rights and disability rights organizations (if applicable); 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 (if applicable).
● The LEA assures that it will seek public comment on its ESSER III plan
and take such comments into account in the development of the plan.
The SEA will also continue to monitor LEAs for compliance with these
assurances and all other requirements per our monitoring plan.
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;
The SEA will issue guidance for evidence-based strategies that
includes a list of SEA-reviewed resources for evidence-based
interventions and strategies that respond to students’ academic,
social, emotional, and mental health needs. This list of reviewed
evidence-based interventions was the most requested support when
the SEA surveyed ARP ESSER stakeholders. Lists will include
summer learning, extended day or year programs, and additional
strategies that provide effect sizes necessary to result in
improvement. The SEA will collect information on the effectiveness
of interventions.
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The SEA will monitor district implementation of their selected
strategies by periodically reviewing available data regarding student
progress in the state’s Student Success system or requesting data
when not available. The SEA will also require districts to report on
implementation of evidence-based strategies in the CASA system to
enable the evaluation of effectiveness of such strategies. As
additional information regarding federal monitoring requirements
becomes available, the SEA will review its current monitoring
protocols and make revisions as necessary to align with the federal
requirements.
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
The SEA’s guidance for evidence-based strategies will include
strategies that are specifically meant to respond to the needs of
students disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic,
including each of the student groups listed in Question A.3.i.-viii.
The SEA will monitor district implementation of evidence-based
strategies used to address the needs of student groups
disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 in the same manner
other supports and implementation will be delivered and monitored
(see E.3.i). Data obtained to measure implementation and progress
will be disaggregated by student group.
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:
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.
The SEA will assist districts in determining what activities they
should conduct (or plan to conduct) to identify, reengage, and
support students most likely to have experienced the impact of lost
instructional time by incorporating these activities into technical
assistance resources provided to all districts for the 2021-22 school
year. We expect that these needs will differ across districts
substantially due to the variety of instructional delivery models used
33
by districts during the 2020-21 school year. Regardless of need, the
supports for students are built into the instructional supports
described in prior answers and will be delivered through the state’s
implementation network.
The SEA will monitor district implementation of strategies for
reengagement and support by periodically reviewing available data
regarding student progress or requesting data when not available.
The SEA will also require districts to report on implementation of
evidence-based strategies in the CASA system to enable the
evaluation of effectiveness of such strategies. As additional
information regarding federal monitoring requirements becomes
available, the SEA will review its current monitoring protocols and
make revisions as necessary to align with the federal requirements.
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.
The SEA conducted an initial survey to garner input from the
required educational stakeholders (e.g., principals, charter school
leaders) regarding the extent of support needed around educational
equity. Nearly half (49.4%) of respondents indicated that they
would like “some support” addressing educational equity moving
forward (Iowa Department of Education, 2021a).
The SEA will assist with equitable allocation of funding and
districtwide activities by revising and reissuing the state’s self-
assessment tool for allocation of resources.
The SEA will assist with equitable and inclusive practices for
returning to in-person instruction by providing professional learning
for districts and schools on use of the toolkit for understanding the
Conditions for Learning survey data. These data include information
on the learning environment broken out by subgroup.
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
34
stabilizing the educator workforce and for making staffing decisions that will support
students’ academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs.
1. Supporting and Stabilizing the Educator Workforce:
i. Describe the extent to which the State is facing shortages of
educators, education administration personnel, and other school
personnel involved in safely reopening schools, and the extent to
which they vary by region/type of school district and/or groups of
educators (e.g., special educators and related services personnel and
paraprofessionals; bilingual or English as a second language
educators; science, technology, engineering, and math (“STEM”)
educators; career and technical education (“CTE”) educators; early
childhood educators). Cite specific data on shortages and needs
where available.
Complete the table below, changing or adding additional rows as
needed, or provide a narrative description.
Table F1.
Area Data on shortages and Narrative description
needs
Special educators <0.01% 728 postings - This data is for licensed
and related service 715 produced = 13 special education teachers.
personnel and shortage Data is not available for
paraprofessionals paraeducators.
Bilingual educators <.01% 96 postings - 67 95% of World Language
produced = 29 shortage teachers are teachers of
Spanish
English as a second no shortage 69 postings
language educators - 201 produced = 132
overage
STEM educators n is too small The STEM endorsement is
not required to teach
STEM courses, so data is
not valid
CTE educators 0.38% 223 postings -
78 produced = 145
shortage
Early childhood >0.01% 75 postings - This data is for ECE
educators (ECE) 63 produced = 12 generalists only. ECE
shortage special educators (55
postings, 96 produced) are
included in the special
educators area.
School counselors <0.01% 138 postings -
127 produced = 11
shortage
35
Social workers no shortage 28 postings
- 40 produced = 12
overage
Nurses <0.01% 72 postings -
38 produced = 34
shortage
School psychologists no shortage 18 postings
- 36 produced = 18
overage
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.
The SEA will share shortage information with LEAs and educator
preparation programs (EPPs) to identify shortages.
The SEA will share data with the Iowa College Student Aid
Commission to support grants and awards in shortage areas.
Several LEAs have used ESSER I and/or ESSER II funds for at
least a portion of their staff salaries and benefits. LEAs continued to
pay their staff during periods of closure, as was emphasized by the
CARES Act. For Iowa, particularly at the end of the 2019-20 school
year, it was unknown how long closure periods would last so this
was helpful in ensuring the ability to provide continuity of services.
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).
The Department has recently approved at least six new EPP
programs designed to increase teacher pipelines in several avenues:
1. Enhancing coursework options for paraeducators in a
pathway to teaching license;
36
2. Enhanced pathways through community colleges to increase
CTE teachers;
3. Condensed coursework programs that reduce the time and
cost to complete a teacher preparation program;
4. Work with teacher and administrator service agencies to
inform and support alternative licensure programs in rural
and isolated areas; and
5. Identifying rural shortage areas to inform EPPs and
legislators.
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).
The SEA has worked closely with EPPs to alleviate shortages by encouraging
and approving new programs to reduce shortages and make pipelines more
efficient. This includes work with Iowa's alternative licensure pathways.
G. Monitoring and Measuring Progress
The Department recognizes that transparency on how ARP ESSER funds are used and their
impact on the Nation’s education system is a fundamental responsibility of Federal, State,
and local government. In this section, SEAs will describe how they are building capacity at
the SEA and LEA levels to ensure high-quality data collection and reporting and to safeguard
funds for their intended purposes.
1. Capacity for Data Collection and Reporting: It is important for an SEA to
continuously monitor progress and make adjustments to its strategies, as well as
to support its LEAs in making adjustments to LEA strategies, based on impact.
Describe how the SEA will ensure its capacity and the capacity of its LEAs to
collect data on reporting requirements, including but not limited to the
examples of reporting requirements described in the SEA’s Grant Award
Notification (listed in Appendix B). Describe the SEA’s capacity and strategy
to collect data from its LEAs (disaggregated by student group, where
applicable), to the greatest extent practicable, including any steps the SEA will
take to build its capacity in the future (which may include the use of ARP
ESSER and other Federal COVID-19 pandemic funds at the SEA and LEA
levels), on issues that may include the following:
i. Student learning, including the academic impact of lost instructional
time during the COVID-19 pandemic;
ii. Opportunity to learn measures (e.g., chronic absenteeism; student
engagement; use of exclusionary discipline; access to and
participation in advanced coursework; access to technology,
including educator access to professional development on the
37
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).
The SEA has extensive data collections and reporting systems which include (but
are not limited to): reporting important data regarding student learning,
engagement, and opportunity to learn. For example, the SEA will collect and
report information on chronic absenteeism, student discipline, and course taking
patterns for college-level and advanced coursework.
The SEA will also collect and report Conditions for Learning, which is a survey
that measures student perception of engagement, safety, and school environment.
All of the student-level data can be disaggregated by student group. In our
licensure application, we also collect and report information regarding the
number of educators, school support staff, and any other licensed (e.g.,
counselors, social workers) and non-licensed staff in an Iowa district or school.
The SEA also plans to collect and report district-level data in the following areas:
● Educator and administrator retention, including FTE created and/or
retained by position type;
● Student participation in summer school and afterschool programs;
● Fiscal data segregated by use; and
● Fiscal data supporting access to early childhood education programs.
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.
Iowa's fiscal monitoring of, and internal controls for, ARP ESSER funds will
mirror the fiscal monitoring protocols and internal controls established for both
the CARES and CRRSA Acts (e.g., required quarterly reporting, required project
codes, funds disbursed quarterly on a reimbursement basis once the SEA is
provided sufficient documentation of such expenses, risk-based monitoring). The
SEA’s monitoring plan will be updated to incorporate new requirements for
38
spending particular to ARP ESSER not previously captured in the CARES or
CRRSA Acts.
ARP ESSER expenses will be identified within a LEA's accounting system
through the use of one of the two mandatory project codes. This second project
code reflects a slight deviation from current internal control procedures. The
second project code for the minimum LEA reservation to address learning loss
allows the SEA to more closely monitor ARP ESSER expenses to ensure funds
are being appropriately used to satisfy the statutory requirements.
Any potential noncompliance with CARES, CRRSA, or ARP ESSER
requirements identified through desk audits or on-site monitoring will be cited
and will require corrective action.
Currently, the SEA has the capacity to meet its responsibilities to monitor and
support its LEAs in appropriately using ARP ESSER and other relief funds. To
meet the additional responsibilities imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic (e.g.,
providing more robust supports to LEAs aimed at addressing the impact of
COVID-19, administering the Emergency Assistance for Nonpublic Schools
program), the SEA has hired additional temporary staff to expand its capacity to
monitor and support LEAs.
The SEA will continue to monitor capacity to meet the needs of its LEAs during
its implementation of state-level activities and supports. The SEA will make any
needed adjustments deemed necessary.
39
Resources
Iowa Department of Education. (2019). Conditions for Learning survey.
Iowa Department of Education. (2021a). ARP ESSER stakeholder survey.
Iowa Department of Education. (2021b). Legislative report: Closing achievement gaps.
https://educateiowa.gov/documents/legislative-information/2021/05/legislative-report-closing-
achievement-gaps-2021
Iowa Department of Public Health, Bureau of Health Statistics. (2020). 2019 vital statistics of
Iowa. https://idph.iowa.gov/Portals/1/userfiles/68/HealthStats/vital_stats_2019-20201022.pdf
40
Appendix A: School Operating Status and Instructional Mode Data Template
Indicate the date or time period represented by the following data.
Remote learning data are from February 1, 2021.
Demographic data are from 2020-21 with the exception of migrant students which are from
2019-20.
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.
Offered to all Offered to
Number of schools All schools Not offered
students some students
Remote or online only 1,323 5 0 1,318
School buildings open with both 1,323 Data Not Available 1,323 0
remote/online and in-person instruction
(hybrid)
School buildings open with full-time in- 1,323 1,323 0 0
person 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).
Table 2
In the most recent time period available, what was the enrollment and mode of instruction for the
schools in your State?
Both remote/online and
Total Full-time in-
Number of students Remote or online only in-person instruction
enrollment person instruction
(hybrid)
Students from low- 200,207 Data Not Available* Data Not Available* 200,207
income families
White, not Hispanic 375,173 Data Not Available* Data Not Available* 375,173
Black or African 33,111 Data Not Available* Data Not Available* 33,111
American, not Hispanic
Hispanic, of any race 59,145 Data Not Available* Data Not Available* 59,145
Asian, not Hispanic 12,865 Data Not Available* Data Not Available* 12,865
American Indian or 1,729 Data Not Available* Data Not Available* 1,729
Alaskan Native, not
41
Hispanic
Native Hawaiian or 1,942 Data Not Available* Data Not Available* 1,942
Pacific Islander, not
Hispanic
Two or more races, not 22,691 Data Not Available* Data Not Available* 22,691
Hispanic
Race/Ethnicity 0 Data Not Available* Data Not Available* 0
information not available
English learners 30,410 Data Not Available* Data Not Available* 30,410
Children with 61,801 Data Not Available* Data Not Available* 61,801
disabilities
Students experiencing 3,527 Data Not Available* Data Not Available* 3,527
homelessness
Children and youth in 2,209 Data Not Available* Data Not Available* 2,209
foster care
Migratory 1,999 Data Not Available* Data Not Available* 1,999
students
* In the 2021-22 school year, the SEA will not collect this information at the student-level unless
required for the P-EBT program or another requirement. Iowa law requires all districts to have a
100% in-person attendance option available for all students but also allows for remote instruction
in certain circumstances. Remote instruction options in the state are no longer related to COVID-
19, as the session law permitting those options expires June 30, 2021, and the emergency
proclamation of the governor related to remote instruction has expired. In short, Iowa schools are
expected to operate on a pre-COVID basis for the 2021-22 school year, though they will all have a
current Return-to-Learn plan that is compliant with federal requirements.
42
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.
43
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:
○ 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
○ 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
44
ARP Act; and
● 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).
45
Appendix D
OMB Control No. 1894-0005 (Exp. 06/30/2023)
NOTICE TO ALL APPLICANTS
The purpose of this enclosure is to inform you barriers that can impede equitable access or
about a new provision in the Department of participation: gender, race, national origin,
Educations General Education Provisions Act color, disability, or age. Based on local
("GEPA") that applies to applicants for new circumstances, you should determine whether
grant awards under Department programs. these or other barriers may prevent your
This provision is Section 427 of GEPA, students, teachers, etc. from such access to, or
enacted as part of the Improving America's participation in, the Federally-funded project
Schools Act of 1994 (Public Law (P.L.) 103- or activity. The description in your
382). application of steps to be taken to overcome
these barriers need not be lengthy; you may
To Whom Does This Provision Apply? provide a clear and succinct description of
how you plan to address those barriers that are
Section 427 of GEPA affects applicants for
applicable to your circumstances. In addition,
new grant awards under this program. ALL
the information may be provided in a single
APPLICANTS FOR NEW AWARDS
narrative, or, if appropriate, may be discussed
MUST INCLUDE INFORMATION IN
in connection with related topics in the
THEIR APPLICATIONS TO ADDRESS
application.
THIS NEW PROVISION IN ORDER TO
RECEIVE FUNDING UNDER THIS Section 427 is not intended to duplicate the
PROGRAM. requirements of civil rights statutes, but
rather to ensure that, in designing their
(If this program is a State-formula grant
projects, applicants for Federal funds address
program, a State needs to provide this
equity concerns that may affect the ability of
description only for projects or activities that
certain potential beneficiaries to fully
it carries out with funds reserved for State-
participate in the project and to achieve high
level uses. In addition, local school districts
standards. Consistent with program
or other eligible applicants that apply to the
requirements and its approved application,
State for funding need to provide this
an applicant may use the Federal funds
description in their applications to the State
awarded to it to eliminate barriers it
for funding. The State would be responsible
identifies.
for ensuring that the school district or other
local entity has submitted a sufficient section What are Examples of How an Applicant
427 statement as described below.) Might Satisfy the Requirement of This
Provision?
What Does This Provision Require?
The following examples may help illustrate
Section 427 requires each applicant for funds
how an applicant may comply with Section
(other than an individual person) to include in
427.
its application a description of the steps the
applicant proposes to take to ensure equitable (1) An applicant that proposes to carry out
access to, and participation in, its Federally- an adult literacy project serving, among
assisted program for students, teachers, and others, adults with limited English
other program beneficiaries with special proficiency, might describe in its application
needs. This provision allows applicants how it intends to distribute a brochure about
discretion in developing the required the proposed project to such potential
description. The statute highlights six types of
46
participants in their native language. The Iowa Department of Education will
(2) An applicant that proposes to develop use a portion of the funds reserved for
instructional materials for classroom use state-level projects to ensure that all
might describe how it will make the professional learning and instructional
materials available on audio tape or in resources provided for educators, families,
braille for students who are blind. and students are accessible by adults and
students with disabilities and non-native
(3) An applicant that proposes to carry out English speakers. This includes, but is not
a model science program for secondary limited to, the provision of interpreters,
students and is concerned that girls may be providing materials in multiple languages,
less likely than boys to enroll in the providing closed-captioning services
course, might indicate how it intends to during live webinars, braille and or large-
conduct "outreach" efforts to girls, to print services for materials as needed, and
encourage their enrollment. providing additional accommodations for
attendees at conferences and training
(4) An applicant that proposes a project to opportunities upon request.
increase school safety might describe the
special efforts it will take to address The SEA will also use a portion of the
concerns of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and funds reserved for state-level projects to
transgender students, and efforts to reach ensure that socioeconomic status,
out to and involve the families of LGBT language, or disability status do not
students. prevent the full participation of students or
parents/guardians in activities designed to
We recognize that many applicants may
enhance SEBH, such as student and family
already be implementing effective steps to
engagement activities. Examples include
ensure equity of access and participation in
provision of interpreters, flexible
their grant programs, and we appreciate your
scheduling, provision of remote
cooperation in responding to the requirements
participation in activities, and provision of
of this provision.
transportation.
47
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.
48
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