Ppr Int A858Cc4E940Ee05B Strategies For Using American Rescue Plan Funding To Address The - Ppr Int A858Cc4E940Ee05B Strategies For Using.
Summary
Strategies for Using American Rescue Plan Funding to Address the Impact of Lost Instructional Time, a U.S. Department of Education report of August 2021 issued under Secretary of Education Dr. Miguel A. Cardona. Each page carries the notice that the document has been formally rescinded by the Department and remains available on the web for historical purposes only. The report sets out ways ARP ESSER funds can support proven and promising strategies to address lost instructional time. It notes that Section 2001(e)(1) of the ARP Act requires LEAs to reserve at least 20 percent of their ARP ESSER funds, and section 2001(f)(1) requires states to reserve at least 5 percent, for evidence-based interventions. Its sections include reengaging students and the elements of high-quality and effective tutoring.
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This document has been formally rescinded by the Department and remains available on the web for historical purposes only.
Strategies for Using
American Rescue Plan Funding
to Address the Impact of
Lost Instructional Time
This document has been formally rescinded by the Department and remains available on the web for historical purposes only.
U.S. Department of Education
Dr. Miguel A. Cardona
Secretary of Education
August 2021
This report is in the public domain. Authorization to reproduce it in whole or in part is granted. While
permission to reprint this publication is not necessary, the citation should be U.S. Department of
Education: Strategies for Using American Rescue Plan Funding to Address the Impact of Lost
Instructional Time, Washington, DC, 2021. This report is available on the Department’s website at
https://www2.ed.gov/documents/coronavirus/lost-instructional-time.pdf.
Availability of Alternate Formats
On request, this publication is available in alternate formats, such as Braille or large print. For more
information, please contact the Department’s Alternate Format Center at 202-260-0818 or via e-mail at
alternateformatcenter@ed.gov.
Notice to Limited English Proficient Persons
If you have difficulty understanding English, you may request language assistance services for
Department information that is available to the public. These language assistance services are available
free of charge. If you need more information about interpretation or translation services, please call 1-
800-USA-LEARN (1-800- 872-5327) (TTY: 1-800-877-8339), email us at Ed.Language.Assistance@ed.gov,
or write to U.S. Department of Education, Information Resource Center, 400 Maryland Ave., SW,
Washington, DC 20202.
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This document has been formally rescinded by the Department and remains available on the web for historical purposes only.
Contents
I. Introduction ............................................................................................................................................... 4
II. Reengaging students by meeting their social, emotional, mental health, and academic needs ............. 6
a. Building trust with families to support in-person learning ................................................................... 6
b. Supporting students during key transitions .......................................................................................... 9
c. Using community partnerships to support reengagement ................................................................. 10
d. Addressing student social, emotional, and mental health needs....................................................... 10
e. Reengaging and supporting students in their learning ....................................................................... 12
f. Supporting students with disabilities .................................................................................................. 13
g. Elements of high-quality and effective tutoring ................................................................................. 14
h. The role of school leaders ................................................................................................................... 15
i. Creative approaches to staffing ........................................................................................................... 16
III. Supporting parents and caregivers in their child’s success ................................................................... 19
a. Engaging and communicating with parents and caregivers ............................................................... 19
b. Expanding home visits ........................................................................................................................ 20
c. Sharing data and resources with families to support student learning .............................................. 20
IV. Using high-quality assessments to support student learning................................................................ 22
a. The role of diagnostic and formative assessments ............................................................................. 22
b. The role of summative assessments ................................................................................................... 23
c. Performance-based assessments ........................................................................................................ 24
d. Using assessments as part of understanding students’ social and emotional needs......................... 25
e. Supporting educator assessment literacy and development ............................................................. 25
f. Department resources ......................................................................................................................... 26
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This document has been formally rescinded by the Department and remains available on the web for historical purposes only.
I. Introduction
With the passage of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP Act), local educational agencies (LEAs)
and schools have significant federal resources available which should be used to implement evidence-
based1 and practitioner-informed strategies to meet the needs of students related to COVID-19. While
the pandemic has impacted all communities, it has deepened pre-pandemic disparities in access and
opportunities facing students of color, multilingual learners, students with disabilities, and lesbian, gay,
bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) students, with significant impacts on their learning as
described in the U.S. Department of Education’s (Department’s) Office for Civil Rights report Education
in a Pandemic: The Disparate Impacts of COVID-19 on America’s Students. Further, parents whose
children received virtual only or combined instruction were more likely to report higher prevalence of
risk on 11 of 17 indicators of child and parental well-being than were parents whose children received
in-person instruction.i ARP Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) funds
provide an opportunity to make investments that respond to the urgent needs of students in ways that
address gaps in educational opportunity and build local capacity to sustain meaningful and effective
teaching and learning. ARP ESSER funds can be used to support the design, implementation, evaluation,
and use of data to inform continuous improvement of proven and promising strategies and practices to
address the impact of lost instructional time.
Section 2001(e)(1) of the ARP Act requires LEAs to reserve at least 20 percent of their ARP ESSER funds,
and section 2001(f)(1) requires that states likewise reserve at least 5 percent of their ARP ESSER funds to
(1) address the academic impact of lost instructional time2 through the implementation of evidence-
based interventions; (2) ensure that the interventions implemented respond to students’ social,
emotional, mental health, and academic needs; and (3) address the disproportionate impact of COVID-
19 on students from low-income backgrounds, students of color, students with disabilities, multilingual
learners, migratory students, students experiencing homelessness, and children and youth in foster
care. While ESSER funds under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (ESSER I) and the
Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (ESSER II) may also be used for all of
the purposes for which ARP ESSER funds may be used, LEAs and SEAS are not required to set aside a
specific amount of ESSER I or ESSER II funds to address the academic impact of lost instructional time.
The Department’s COVID-19 Handbook, Volume 2: Roadmap to Reopening Safely and Meeting All
Students’ Needs (Volume 2) includes strategies for addressing the impact of COVID-19 on students,
educators, staff, and families—such as meeting students’ basic needs (including food security), creating
safe and inclusive learning environments, accelerating students learning through instructional
approaches, tutoring, and expanded learning time, increasing educational opportunity, and stabilizing
1 The ARP Act defines “evidence-based” as having the meaning in section 8101(21) of the Elementary and Secondary Education
Act of 1965 (ESEA) (20 U.S.C. 6311(b)(2)(B)(xi)) and includes several tiers of evidence. “Evidence-based,” when used with
respect to a state, LEA, or school activity, means an activity, strategy, or intervention that (1) demonstrates a statistically
significant effect on improving student outcomes or other relevant outcomes based on strong evidence from at least one well-
designed and well-implemented experimental study (“tier 1”); moderate evidence from at least one well-designed and well-
implemented quasi experimental study (“tier 2”); or promising evidence from at least one well-designed and well-implemented
correlational study with statistical controls for selection bias (“tier 3”); or (2) demonstrates a rationale based on high-quality
research findings or positive evaluation that such activity, strategy, or intervention is likely to improve student outcomes or
other relevant outcomes and includes ongoing efforts to examine the effects of such activity, strategy, or intervention (“tier 4”).
2 The term “academic impact of lost instructional time” is used to refer to “learning loss” as that term is used in section 2001 of
the ARP Act. This document uses the term “impact of lost instructional time” to characterize the impact of COVID-19 on
educational opportunity and to be mindful that students are not viewed from a deficit-perspective. Strategies selected should
build on the many strengths that students bring toto their learning every day.
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This document has been formally rescinded by the Department and remains available on the web for historical purposes only.
and supporting the educator and staff workforce. This document is intended to complement Volume 2
by focusing on strategies to support state and local efforts in effectively using ARP ESSER funds to
address the impact of lost instructional time on underserved and disproportionately impacted students
including:
1. Reengaging students in their learning including by meeting the social, emotional, mental health,
and academic needs of students and through such approaches as tutoring and creative staffing;
2. Providing information and assistance to families as they support students, including through
home visits and information sharing; and
3. Using high-quality assessments to inform teaching and learning, including acceleration, and
target resources and supports.
Additional details on allowable uses of ESSER I, II, and ARP ESSER funds can be found in the
Department’s Use of Funds Frequently Asked Questions document.
Engaging the learning community
As schools, programs, and districts work to develop, refine, and implement strategies, including those in
this guidance, engagement with educators and staff (including their unions and professional
organizations), students, families, and the learning community is key. Community representatives
should include, at a minimum, administrators, teachers, specialized instructional support personnel
(e.g., paraprofessionals), related service providers, early childhood education providers, school
counselors, school social workers, school psychologists, and nurses, as well as custodial personnel,
transportation personnel, food personnel, and family services representatives. This engagement can
also include community partners such as local health departments, community-based mental health
providers, family-serving community-based organizations, and college and university partners to help
enhance and expand the school support network to promote student well-being and access to services.
Strategic planning to meet students’ needs should include students, parents, and guardians, and
individuals and organizations that represent the interests of students, staff, and parents and guardians,
including students with disabilities, and multilingual learners. To that end, schools and school districts
should also conduct active and specific engagement with historically underserved students and
families—including parents and students of color; multilingual learners; students with disabilities;
American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian students; students in foster care; students in
correctional facilities; students experiencing homelessness; and migratory students.
This engagement should begin early in the decision-making process and should be ongoing, meaningful,
collaborative, and accessible to individuals with disabilities and limited English proficiency. This will help
schools, programs, and districts develop trust and build capacity as they select and implement strategies
designed for systemic change at the local and school level. Additional strategies for engaging families are
included in this guidance.
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This document has been formally rescinded by the Department and remains available on the web for historical purposes only.
II. Reengaging students by meeting their social, emotional, mental health, and
academic needs
a. Building trust with families to support in-person learning
Addressing lost instructional time starts with the goal of providing all students equal access to safe, high-
quality, in-person learning. To achieve this goal, school, health, and community partnerships will help to
ensure the physical health and safety of families and students so that they feel safe and supported
returning to in-person learning. According to the most recent National Assessment of Educational
Progress (NAEP) 2021 School Survey conducted at the end of the last school year, Black, Asian, and
Latino public school students continued to return to in-person instruction at a far slower rate than their
white peers.ii Even as schools increasingly offered in-person learning options between January and May
of 2021, students of color only showed less growth over the months in enrolling in full-time in-person
instruction in comparison with white students, with Asian 8th grade students returning at the lowest
rates, at 23 percent compared to their white peers at 62 percent. Making up for the impact of lost
instructional time in the last two school years for students, particularly for students of color who have
been more likely to receive low-quality remote instruction,iii will only go so far if schools do not address
the reasons why families are hesitant for their children to return to in-person learning.
As we continue to resume in-person learning and increase parent and caregiver confidence in sending
their children back to school, working to ensure the health and safety of school communities must be
the top priority. Districts and schools can take the following steps to prioritize the health and safety of
the school community this academic year:
• Communicate frequently with families – in their home language – and work to build their
confidence that children will be safe in-person;
• Encourage and provide access to vaccinations for eligible students and staff;
• Implement COVID-19 testing in schools;
• Address ventilation needs where applicable;
• Implement universal indoor masking;
• Maintain at least 3 feet of physical distance between students within classrooms to reduce
transmission risk. Because of the importance of in-person learning, schools should implement
physical distancing to the extent possible within their structures, but should not exclude
students from in-person learning to keep a minimum distance requirement. When it is not
possible to maintain a physical distance of at least 3 feet, such as when schools cannot fully re-
open while maintaining these distances, it is especially important to layer multiple other
prevention strategies, such as screening testing;
• Provide safe transportation;
• Provide affordable child care; and
• Ensure access to healthy meals and other basic needs.
The Department’s Return to School Roadmap provides resources and local examples to support states,
districts, and schools in these efforts.
Additional steps may need to be taken by districts and schools to support families of color in returning
to in-person learning. Volume 2 discusses some of the reasons families of color have cited for not
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This document has been formally rescinded by the Department and remains available on the web for historical purposes only.
returning to in-person learning, including for example health and safety concerns, fears of xenophobic
and racist harassment against Asian American students in particular, physical safety concerns due to
under-resourced school facilities, and school discipline policies.
For schools struggling to re-enroll students in in-person learning, educators should prepare to have
conversations, which may at times be uncomfortable, with their students and families about their needs
that may not currently be met or the needs that students and families did not feel were adequately met
before the pandemic. Educators should evaluate and reflect on their school culture, climate, and policies
and can use well-designed survey tools to learn what practices may be keeping all students from feeling
safe, included, and academically challenged and supported. Based on this information, they should
commit to making improvements to achieve the goal of safe, inclusive, and supportive learning
environments. Schools and programs should actively and consistently reach out to families to hear their
concerns and work to build trusting relationships. For example, Connecticut's Welcoming Schools
Initiative provides school districts with a set of principles of family engagement and accompanying
training in the areas of (1) physical environment; (2) school-wide practices and policies; (3) welcoming
school staff; and (4) written materials. Schools can use different staffing structures to implement these
strategies.
Volume 2 provides resources for school climate surveys for families and students and how to use that
data to drive equitable in-person reopening decisions. One resource provided by Communities in
Schools offers a toolkit of surveys for different student age groups and family surveys in English and
Spanish. Another set of resources is provided by Colorín Colorado including strategies for supporting
multilingual learners during COVID-19. Climate surveys can include questions tailored to the school
community context and can be administered in a number of ways, including during a home visit so as to
be inclusive of families who might not otherwise fill out surveys. Funding under the ARP can be used to
support these strategies, as well as personal outreach.
Personal outreach to families goes a long way in establishing connections and building or rebuilding
trust. This can begin with school and program leaders making themselves available to families by
providing flexible meeting times or holding one-on-one conversations or town-hall style meetings either
virtually or in-person to accommodate parents who are essential workers or those who work multiple
jobs. Outreach can also include phone calls home and sharing resources when meeting in person, over
email, or on a school or district website. Further, school communications must be accessible to families
with disabilities and shared with limited-English-proficient families in a language that they can
understand.iv Supporting parents in understanding the operations and practices of their child’s school or
program can help them to feel more included and better equipped to help their child advance
academically. Cultivating clear, open, and honest communication pathways from all educators and staff
invites greater opportunity for dialogue about what families and students need.
An equitable return to school and learning programs includes meeting students and families where they
are. Some school communities have done so by hosting outdoor school barbeques or picnics in the
communities where their students live rather than at school or partnering with community-based
organizations that families may already be familiar with or from which they receive other services.
Volume 2 provides strategies for reaching specific subgroups of students such as students experiencing
homelessness and migratory students. Door-to-door campaigns that were designed to locate absent and
disconnected youth during the pandemic have shone a light on the effectiveness of home visits in school
communities that did not already employ such an engagement strategy. Prearranged, regular visits
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This document has been formally rescinded by the Department and remains available on the web for historical purposes only.
between a student’s family and their educators that are not targeted to be specifically about academics
or discipline can demonstrate school staff’s respect for a student’s home and family life and can improve
student academic success. Instead, these visits should be focused on supporting student social and
emotional well-being and building relationships with families. District and school officials should invest
in professional development so that educators and staff can conduct meaningful and respectful home
visits to establish greater rapport and build trust. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
recommended safety measures, including masking and distancing, should also be implemented when
conducting home visits.
Even when students do return to in-person learning, educators and staff should be sensitive to the
challenges that many of them have experienced and how to mitigate their impact on student
engagement and learning. The following resources are available to support trauma-sensitive schools:
• The Child Trauma Toolkit for Educators provides school administrators, teachers, staff, and
parents and caregivers with basic information about working with traumatized children in the
school system;
• The Creating, Supporting, and Sustaining Trauma-Informed Schools: A System Framework
presents a tiered approach to creating a trauma-informed school environment that addresses
the needs of students, staff, administrators, and families who might be at risk for experiencing
the symptoms of traumatic stress;
• A Trauma-Informed School Strategies During COVID fact sheet that provides information on the
physical and emotional well-being of staff, creating a trauma-informed learning environment,
identifying and assessing traumatic stress, addressing and treating traumatic stress, trauma
education and awareness, partnerships with students and families, cultural responsiveness,
emergency management and crisis response, and school discipline policies and practices; and
• The National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments, Trauma Sensitive Schools
Training Package provides school and district administrators and staff a framework and roadmap
for adopting a trauma-sensitive approach school- or districtwide.
The CDC provides resources on preventing and mitigating the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences
(ACEs), which are potentially traumatic childhood events, including but not limited to, experiencing
violence, abuse, or neglect, or witnessing violence in the home or community. Research on the science
of learning has established that while adverse experiences, such as experiencing and witnessing
violence, can have profound effects on students, learning environments and conditions can be designed
in culturally responsive ways that can help students overcome these effects and thrive. This research
also shows that social, emotional, identity, cognitive, and academic development are all interconnected.
Improving academic outcomes for students requires nurturing each of these areas of development in
ways that are asset-oriented and personalized to meet students where they are as they return to school.
Educators can use this research to transform learning opportunities and practices including strategies
for acceleration to address lost instructional time. One resource to support educators in these efforts is
the Design Principles for Schools which guides the transformation of learning settings for children and
adolescents using five integrated elements: positive developmental relationships; environments filled
with safety and belonging; rich learning experiences and knowledge development; development of skills,
habits, and mindsets; and integrated support systems.
Schools and educators can leverage tools that allow teachers to understand and cultivate student’s non-
academic skills by measuring school climate, providing social-emotional supports, and reducing school
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exclusions. Implementing and improving such measures can help to give weight and prioritize social and
emotional outcomes in balance with academic outcomes.
Some questions educators and staff can ask to help increase student engagement include the following:
• To what extent are students free from bullying and harassment?
• To what extent do students see themselves in the curriculum?
• To what extent do students relate to what they are learning?
• To what extent are students’ out-of-school identities, cultures, and experiences brought into the
classroom?
• Are high expectations communicated to students along with the appropriate supports for them
to succeed?
• Are students’ mental health or other needs responded to with a positive, inclusive learning
environment and support?
• Are questions and any response option provided age-and culturally appropriate?
Depending on responses to these questions, schools may revisit their discipline policies to assess if they
contribute to lost instructional time with disproportionate effects on certain student subgroups and
examine their curricular and instructional design to determine if they contribute to student
disengagement, including among subgroups of students. Rebuilding from COVID-19 is an opportunity to
reexamine and strengthen school policies and practices to assure families that school will reopen
equitably for all students. Developing trust will not happen overnight – it requires a culture shift over
time. With intentional training and professional development for educators and staff and the
establishment of equitable practices to include more voices – including the voices of students and
families — school leaders can lead their school communities to becoming healthier and more welcoming
schools.
b. Supporting students during key transitions
Many students will be making key transitions, such as from early childhood programs to elementary
school, elementary school to middle school, middle school to high school, and high school to
postsecondary education and the workforce, after having been in a virtual environment. Other students,
such as migratory students, students experiencing homelessness, children and youth in foster care, and
children of active-duty military, may have moved during the pandemic and may be enrolling in a new
school. These students are returning to in-person learning in schools they may be unfamiliar with and
that have new routines and expectations. This can make their return more stressful and increase their
need for additional support. To support these transitions, schools can invite new students and their
families to visit and take a tour of the school and meet educators and staff in advance of the first day of
school. This can also include summer bridge programs, or orientation days or weeks prior to the start of
the school year.
States and districts can use ARP ESSER funds to establish early warning indicator (EWI) systems to
promote targeted engagement strategies in response to data from EWIs. EWI systems can track
attendance, assignment completion, and grades. When viewed at the classroom and student level, these
data can strengthen a school’s ability to provide specific and timely interventions. States and districts
can also collect data on the successful transitions of students from pre-school to elementary school,
elementary school to middle school, middle school to high school, and high school to postsecondary
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education. For example, schools can use on-track indicators to assess how well students are making the
transition into high school so that the schools can provide additional supports as needed. Schools may
want to consider implementing or enhancing multi-tiered systems of support that typically include: (1)
school-wide supports; (2) progress monitoring; (3) tiered systems of academic and behavioral
interventions; and (4) the use of evidence-based instructional and behavioral interventions. Additional
strategies for keeping students on track, including specific strategies for English learners and students
with disabilities, are provided by the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research.
The use of well-designed student surveys in advance of and during these transitions can also provide
important information to educators on how students are feeling about these transitions and where
additional support might be needed. Further, for highly mobile students, schools and districts should
work quickly to secure a student’s records and connect with admissions staff, a counselor, registrar, or
teacher from the sending school to ensure the student is quickly enrolled, placed in the correct grade,
and awarded credits for work already completed. Schools should remember to utilize surveys in
compliance with the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA).
Additional examples of the work underway across the nation can be found in the Department’s Safer
Schools and Campuses Best Practices Clearinghouse.
c. Using community partnerships to support reengagement
As students return to in-person instruction following the COVID-19 pandemic, community partnerships
can allow districts to expand learning beyond the classroom and reengage students’ learning. A study
found that schools with strong ties to families and communities were four times more likely to make
significant gains in reading and math.v One example is the Austin, Texas Citizen Schools at Bedichek
Middle School, which provides an afterschool program that seeks to inspire middle-school students by
providing relevant learning experiences and supporting youth with mentors. The model includes
apprenticeships with community members, academic support and instruction, and exploration sessions,
such as community field trips and service opportunities. One resource for developing partnerships with
districts and schools to provide afterschool and summer programs that support student reengagement
and learning is the Afterschool Alliance’s Toolkit.
Another example is the partnership between City Year, an AmeriCorps program that works with under-
resourced schools across the country, and the Everyone Graduates Center at Johns Hopkins University.
The non-profit organizations work together to help educators establish practices to strengthen students’
connection to school. Their efforts have supported an Action Community of schools in Colorado, Florida,
New York, and South Carolina. This community developed and shared a resource intended to increase a
student’s sense of school belonging and engagement. City Year AmeriCorps members can also serve as
full-time student success coaches, partnering with educators to help students build on their strengths
and develop skills to thrive in school and in life.
d. Addressing student social, emotional, and mental health needs
As students return to learning in an in-person setting, state, district, and school leaders, including Board
of Education Chairs and members, and other educators can take specific steps to be prepared to be
responsive to student social and emotional needs and the mental health crisis facing students as they
cope with the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on a survey from October 2020, 75 percent of educators
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strongly agree that social and emotional support for students has never been more important.vi Further,
during 2020, the proportion of mental health-related emergency department visits among adolescents
aged 12–17 years increased 31 percent compared with that during 2019.vii There was also an increase in
suspected suicide attempts. These concerns can translate into an increased need for social, emotional,
or mental health supports (e.g., counseling services).
An LEA may use ESSER funds to provide mental health services and supports for students and their
families, teachers, and LEA staff who are experiencing COVID-19 pandemic-related trauma, including
students who were experiencing trauma prior to the pandemic that may have been exacerbated by the
pandemic. Funds may also be used to provide professional development and training that increase
awareness of mental health literacy for teachers and staff. Many schools already implementing
multitiered supports may integrate mental health strategies and interventions into these existing
systems. LEAs may also use the funds to hire additional school psychologists and counselors to provide
the services or to contract for such services for students, educators, and other district staff. ESSER and
GEER funds may also be used to provide student and educator access to online counseling services and
other mental health supports. Funds may be used to provide resources and information to students and
families to provide a greater understanding of mental health and address any stigma associated with
mental health that may be a barrier to accessing services even when available.
As an additional approach to responding to the mental health crisis, for example, schools and districts
can use ARP ESSER funds to support or implement multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) frameworks
that support school communities and integrate social and emotional learning into the school day. The
Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports’ abbreviated district guide describes the use of
an MTSS framework, like positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS), to design classrooms and
schools in a manner that provides effective, efficient, and relevant supports to all students, families, and
educators during and after a crisis.
Promoting supportive environments also includes increasing school connectedness and engaging
parents. Connectedness to family, peers, and important adults in schools and community organizations
is key to protecting adolescent health. Students are more likely to thrive if they know they matter and
that they have adults, teachers, and friends who care about their safety and success. These protections
can last long into adulthood, leading to better mental health, less substance use, and fewer experiences
of violence. Making these supportive connections can also be particularly important for LGBTQ+
students who, based on the most recent CDC data, are twice as likely as heterosexual students to have
experienced feelings of sadness and hopelessness and more likely to have experienced persistent
feelings of sadness or hopelessness than heterosexual students. Further, almost half of lesbian, gay, or
bisexual students seriously considered suicide in 2019.
Further, to create supportive learning environments, exclusionary disciplinary practices such as
suspension or expulsion, which disproportionately impact students of colorviii (as well as students with
disabilities, English learners, and LGBTQ+ students), can be replaced with restorative justice frameworks
that provide non-punitive schoolwide frameworks.ix Additionally, schools could consider implementation
of stand-alone social-emotional schoolwide initiatives, such as the CASEL School Guide or use of
curriculums with a strong evidence base, and PBIS. Schools or districts may also choose to partner with
community-based organizations (CBOs) to expand mental health services or to supplement existing
school counselor staff. Another resource is the Turnaround for Children Toolbox, which provides
evidence-based strategies for creating school systems, structures, and practices that support students’
holistic development and learning.
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This document has been formally rescinded by the Department and remains available on the web for historical purposes only.
States and districts may use ARP ESSER funds to provide educators with the supports and professional
development they need to integrate social and emotional learning into their practice and address
trauma and loss resulting from the pandemic and on the most effective evidence-based strategies to
reengage and support students in their learning. Additional strategies to support the social, emotional,
mental health, and academic needs of students can be found in Volume 2.
e. Reengaging and supporting students in their learning
As students continue to return to in-person instruction, educators and staff may face challenges in
reengaging students in their learning and supporting students during what may be a difficult transition.
Some researchers estimate that 3 million students have either been consistently absent from or have
not been actively participating even if logged on in remote learning since the beginning of the
pandemic.x These students were more likely to be multilingual learners, students with disabilities,
students in foster care, students from low-income backgrounds, Native American youth, migratory
students, or students experiencing homelessness;xi and LGBTQ+ students, especially LGBTQ+ students
who are Black or Native American, who are more likely than others to be homeless.xii It is particularly
important to reengage those students who had the least opportunity to engage in virtual learning,
missed the most instruction, and were least engaged by their schools prior to and during the pandemic,
and to ensure those students receive the social and emotional supports that they need to succeed
academically.
To address this challenge, states, districts, and schools may engage in a variety of evidence-based
practices to reengage students and address the varied impacts of lost instructional time. Educators
should personalize instruction to meet students’ individual needs. It is critical to do so without lowering
high expectations for their long-term goals in student achievement or using tracking or traditional
remediation. Students benefit from doing work and engaging in curriculum that is challenging,
supported, and interesting including accessing content that is above grade-level.xiii For example, if
students are coached on developing skills rather than engaged in traditional remediation techniques,
students can complete 27 percent more grade-level work.xiv For this approach to be successful,
educators will need to first identify what core or foundational content students need to know to be
prepared for the next level. Educators may establish a baseline and use data-based decision making to
inform lesson plans and academic progression. School leaders should provide educators with guidance
on the scope of what is critically important for students to learn and master, including critical thinking
and applied learning skills.
One way to operationalize the principles of personalization and support is through tailored acceleration
that combines “high-quality, teacher-led instruction with other instructional approaches so that all
students do not need to learn the same thing at the same time…[such that] students can then access the
most essential building-block skills from prior grades with the key on-grade skills to create individualized
learning pathways that get them back to grade-level and beyond as fast as possible. The goal of tailored
acceleration is to ensure that all students attain college and career readiness…regardless of where they
may be starting—while adhering to the principles of high expectations, rigorous accountability, and
educational equity.”xv Key program design options educators can use for providing tailored acceleration
can be found in this resource.
To support learning acceleration, schools are providing teachers with intensive professional
development including on how to identify content and skills that need to be prioritized, how to design
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This document has been formally rescinded by the Department and remains available on the web for historical purposes only.
and select instructional strategies, and how to use data to inform instruction. Schools can also plan
ahead for how they will use upcoming school vacation time to support students with the greatest need.
For example, the Acceleration Academies in the Lawrence Public School system in Massachusetts
provided accelerated learning opportunities during school breaks, resulting in significant gains in student
performance. As the school year begins and educators gain better insight into where their students are,
this model could be implemented during upcoming breaks to support struggling students. The model
also provides practices that could be incorporated when school is in session. Another example is the
Complex Instruction approach which enables students to learn and teachers to teach at a high
intellectual level in academically, linguistically, racially, ethnically, and socially heterogeneous
classrooms.
States can use their ARP ESSER funding to issue guidance to districts on how to support student
reengagement and learning. One example of a state’s effort to support acceleration rather than
remediation is Delaware's Strategy to Accelerate Learning, which was designed in response to the
COVID-19 pandemic to address students’ disrupted learning for the past two years, and includes--
• Adopting and using high-quality instructional materials;
• Providing necessary professional learning for teachers and educators;
• Ensuring all students have access to grade-level instruction; and
• Reexamining and creating support structures to accelerate learning.
A number of innovative opportunities are available through the use of emergency relief funds that may
not have previously been possible both because of the availability of funds and technological innovation
that has taken place. For example the Department recently clarified that an SEA or LEA may use ESSER
and Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) funds to develop or implement an innovative
approach to providing instruction to accelerate learning and mitigate the effects of lost instructional
time for students most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This could include emerging technology-
based or technology-enabled approaches, including evidence-based educational technology platforms.3
Throughout the pandemic, educators have learned ways of leveraging technology to expand their
options for instructional approaches. Educators should consider how to translate those approaches to
in-person environments. In this way, technology-enabled practices can be used to enhance in-person
learning and student performance and create meaningful opportunities to extend learning time.
f. Supporting students with disabilities
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, there were significant gaps between the proficiency and
graduation rates of students with disabilities and their peers without disabilities, even though research
demonstrates that students with disabilities can meet the same academic standards when provided
high-quality evidence-based instruction and needed services and supports.xvi The Department’s
3
If a school or district has adopted an innovative practice in response to the pandemic and wishes to continue these practices,
it might not need to obtain additional evidence (e.g., an independent program evaluation) for the program during the
pandemic. The Department has clarified that “As part of the ‘demonstrates a rationale (tier 4)’ level of evidence, grantees may
develop and use approaches that are novel, if they are consistent with theoretical and empirical findings from research and the
grantee will continue to review the effects of the practice to build the evidence base.” Further, any use of technology by
students for educational purposes must include consideration of requirements under Section 504 to ensure equal access and
effective communication for students with disabilities.
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Frequently Asked Questions on the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Programs and
the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Programs describes how funds may be used for
accommodations and for the provision of required educational and related aids and services determined
necessary to ensure the provision of FAPE to students with disabilities who are not eligible under IDEA
but receive services in accordance with a Section 504 plan.
One resource with strategies for accelerating learning for students with disabilities is the National
Center for Learning Disabilities’ “Promising Practices to Accelerate Learning for Students with Disabilities
During COVID-19 and Beyond.” This resource describes how schools can implement the following
strategies:
• Educating students with disabilities alongside their peers;
• Redesigning and accelerating curriculum;
• Using continuous formative assessments (described in greater detail below); and
• Prioritizing inclusion of students with disabilities.
States can also take important steps to support districts and schools in meeting the needs of students
with disabilities, including following service disruption or changing service needs as students return to
school. For example, in February 2021, the Minnesota Department of Education released a guide,
Minnesota: Guide to Addressing the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Students with Disabilities,
which is intended to assist school districts, charter schools, and parents and caregivers in making
equitable and individualized determinations of services, including extended school year (ESY) services,
general education recovery services, revised individualized education program (IEP) services, and COVID-
19 compensatory services. The guide provides information on students’ and families’ rights to education
in the time of COVID-19 and encourages collaboration between families and schools to continue to meet
the needs of students with disabilities. Other resources include Washington State’s guidance on
determining the need for compensatory services.
g. Elements of high-quality and effective tutoring
Accelerating learning builds on what students already know, ensuring that they learn at least at grade
level with needed supports. Implementing evidence-based tutoring practices is a key approach to
accelerating learning. Tutoring can yield important results for students when done in effective ways,
based on a significant body of research.
The best available evidence suggests that tutoring is most effective when it uses the following
approaches:xvii
Use trained educators as tutors. Teachers, paraprofessionals, teaching candidates, recently
retired teachers, or highly trained tutors who receive a stipend (e.g., AmeriCorps members) are
most likely to be effective, particularly when also given time for planning and collaboration with
classroom teachers.
Provide high dosage tutoring each week. Programs that include frequent sessions (e.g., daily or
at least three sessions per week) of at least 30–50 minutes work best. The youngest students
(e.g., early childhood through 1st grade) benefit from increased weekly sessions in terms of
length and frequency.
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Conduct tutoring during the school day whenever possible. Tutoring programs that take place
during the school day appear to have the largest effects. After-school tutoring programs have
also been shown to have positive, although smaller, effects. When conducting tutoring during
the school day, schools should do so in a way that ensures students still receive instruction on
core content and have opportunities for enrichment. For example, tutoring could take place
during study hall or flexible periods, during independent practice portions of a class, or as a
complement to instruction in partnership with the classroom teacher.
Emphasize attendance and focused worktime during out-of-school tutoring. Experts have
suggested that afterschool tutoring programs may have shown smaller effects than in-school
programs because less tutoring occurs. However, out-of-school time programs can be effective.
To promote the best results, ensure these programs provide high-dosage tutoring.
Align with an evidence-based core curriculum or use an evidence-based program and practices.
Practices that support student learning in the classroom are also important in tutoring. Take
specific actions to support student learning, including using quizzing, asking deep explanatory
questions, spacing learning over time, incorporating worked example solutions with problem-
solving exercises, connecting and integrating abstract and concrete representations of concepts,
and combining graphical representations — like figures and graphs — with verbal
descriptions.xviii
Schools and districts may review school-level data and practices to identify priority areas and
outcomes.xix For example, educators can regularly conduct short, formative assessments and develop
individualized learning progressions for students. While remaining focused on grade-level content,
students could then engage in flexible groupings and in different modalities — independent practice,
small group teacher instruction, technology-enabled guiding practice, small group practice — with
scaffolding based on their mastery of various skills. Technology-based intelligent tutoring systems can
also be used to augment adult support and these programs have been shown to increase student
performance even with relatively low-dosage rates.xx Formative assessments can also be used to
determine the impact of any new instructional models on student learning and to provide timely
feedback to educators and to the tutors to inform instruction and target support.xxi
This online tool, Learning Recovery: How to Develop and Implement Effective Tutoring Programs by the
Department’s National Comprehensive Center, provides a tutoring package for teachers that provides
timely, useful, and relevant information on how to use tutoring in learning recovery efforts. This
resource offers a collection of best practices that can be applied immediately to classroom practice and
to district or state policies. It also provides best practices for planning the expansion of tutoring
programs to the district or state level, including national cost estimates and how program design
efficiencies may lower the cost of implementation. The National Student Support Accelerator also
provides resources for high-impact tutoring, including a tutoring database, tutoring quality improvement
system, and a toolkit for tutoring programs.
h. The role of school leaders
School leaders play a critical role in supporting the design and implementation of tutoring programs. For
example, effective tutoring programs require the selection of effective tutors. School leaders may look
to employ certified teachers, paraprofessional staff, teacher candidates enrolled in preparation
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programs, or well-trained tutors who earn a stipend, such as AmeriCorps members.xxii Experienced and
trained tutors who are compensated build the foundation for an effective tutoring program. For
example, the Tennessee Tutoring Corps recruited and compensated qualified college students to
support summer learning opportunities in math and reading for elementary students beginning in 2020.
School leaders are key in coordinating and ensuring support for pre-service and on-going training for
tutors and educators. Effective tutoring models include coordination between the classroom educators
and the tutors, and school leaders can support educator schedules that include time for this work.
School leaders can make tutoring a permanent part of the school schedule (e.g., using a double-block
model) and structure (e.g., by providing credit for tutoring) to support students. School leaders can
leverage existing partnerships or develop new partnerships with community-based organizations to
target students most in need of support for learning acceleration.
i. Creative approaches to staffing
As schools work to address different learning needs of students due to lost instructional time and
historical inequities, one area for transformation is to change the one teacher per classroom model.
Utilizing more adults in classrooms allows for prioritizing educator strengths and usage of break-out
sessions so that educators can better facilitate the differentiated instruction students need.xxiii Changes
should be made in consultation or in partnership with teachers, recognizing the impact that the
pandemic has had on teachers, both professionally and personally.
Specifically, schools and districts can use ARP ESSER funds to –
Extend the reach of effective teachers as teacher leaders who –
o Work directly or in small groups with students most impacted by COVID-19 so that
students with the greatest need have access to the most effective teachers.
o Support partner teachers across a school in their professional development and working
collaboratively to meet the needs of students. For example, Public Impact’s Opportunity
Culture is an initiative to extend the reach of highly effective teachers, using school
district data to develop staffing models focused on student achievement in math and
reading. This model empowers highly effective teachers who serve as models and
mentors for colleagues;
o Support multiple co-teaching models4 including by providing adequate time to
collaborate and plan;
4 Examples of co-teaching models include: “(1) one teach, one observe involves one of the co-teachers leading large-group
instruction while the other teacher gathers academic, behavioral, or social data on specific
students or the class group; (2) station teaching involves dividing students into three groups and rotating the groups from
station to station taught by the co-teachers at two stations and working independently at the third; (3) parallel teaching
requires each of the co-teachers to instruct half of the students presenting the same lesson in order to provide instructional
differentiation and increased student participation; (4) alternative teaching involves one teacher providing instruction to the
majority of students while the other teacher works with a small group for remediation, enrichment or assessment; (5) teaming
requires the co- teachers lead large-group instruction by both lecturing, representing different viewpoints and multiple
methods of solving problems; and (6) one teach, one assist, also identified as supportive teaching, involves one co-teacher
leading instruction while the other teacher circulates among the students providing individual assistance. Source: A Study of Co-
Teaching Identifying Effective Implementation Strategies.
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o Lead remote instruction for a larger group of students, if remote instruction is still
needed for some students after schools reopen for in-person learning, with co-teachers
providing small group and individualized support; or
o Lead professional development, professional learning communities, and grade-level or
subject-area teams for educators across the school. Professional learning communities
are most effective when they use data to determine student and educator learning
needs; identify shared goals for student and educator learning; support educators' in
their knowledge of content, content-specific pedagogy, how students learn, and
management of classroom environments; select and implement appropriate evidence-
based strategies to achieve student and educator learning goals; use evidence to
monitor and refine implementation; and evaluate results.
Engage qualified adults to support educators, students, and staff, such as –
o Teacher candidates in partnership with local schools of education at institutions of
higher education (IHEs);
o Recently retired educators;
o Paraprofessionals, AmeriCorps members, college students, and other volunteers with
high-quality training to serve as tutors; and
o Non-instructional staff, including school counselors, school nurses, and mental health
professionals who can identify and support students who are highly mobile or
chronically absent, such as students who are migratory, students experiencing
homelessness, and students in foster care. These staff members can support finding and
enrolling students on days and at hours convenient to families, as well as help students
develop a sense of belonging in their new schools and identify challenging coursework
and peer supports mid-year. In addition, these staff can support students and their
families in completing college applications.
Build and maintain a cadre of high-quality substitute teachers, including through partnerships
with teacher preparation programs to hire teacher candidates in training and through outreach
to retired educators, and compensating them through pay, benefits, and professional
development, who can assist by –
o Stepping into the classroom to support continuity for students when educators need to
take time off;
o Co-leading small group learning; and
o Supporting release time for educators to allow for teacher professional development.
Implement flexible and creative scheduling to support students while providing planning and
collaboration time for teachers by, for example –
o Holding entire days where the majority of time is focused on a single core academic
subject;
o Offering all “special” subjects (e.g., music, art, physical education) on the same day so
grade-level teams can plan together; and
o Holding shorter learning cycles, with more frequent breaks, some of which educators
can use for planning (e.g. a trimester or quarter structure at the secondary school level,
increasing the number of days for collaborative and job-embedded professional
development and providing some of them consecutively).
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Use targeted incentives to encourage educators to work in high-need subject areas and high-
need schools, such as loan forgiveness, grants, or service scholarship programs that significantly
underwrite the cost of postsecondary education in exchange for a commitment to teach in a
high-need field or school for a minimum number (e.g., four) of years (see the North Carolina
Teaching Fellows Program).
While there are no quick fixes to ensuring that students have access to the educators and support staff
they need to succeed, there are tools that can serve as a starting point. For example, the Center for
Great Teachers and Leaders at the American Institutes for Research provides evidence-based toolkits for
equitably building the educator workforce, including the Talent Development Framework and
considerations specific to COVID-19, as does the Learning Policy Institute. The New England Consortium
on Secondary Schools, Learning Policy Institute, and the National Comprehensive Center among others,
have also outlined strategies for increasing both the diversity and qualifications of educators, including
for educators of Native American students specifically. These strategies include cultivating interest in
teaching among children of color at earlier ages, providing competitive compensation and retention
packages, providing supports to complete preparation programs, and streamlining certification and
licensure processes.
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III. Supporting parents and caregivers in their child’s success
Supporting parents and caregivers in their efforts to support their own child’s learning is critical to
addressing the impact of lost instructional time and increasing student success. Strong family-school
partnerships can promote children’s literacy, better prepare students for learning and improve student
academic achievement and health.xxiv Positive family-school partnerships also benefit parents as they
can increase awareness of community resources available to the family.xxv Under the interim final
requirements for the ARP ESSER program, issued by the Department on April 22, 2021, school districts
must engage in meaningful consultation with stakeholders, including students and families, and provide
the public the opportunity to provide input on spending plans and plans to safely return to in-person
learning and continue services. This consultation, and the opportunity for the public to provide input,
can strengthen partnerships with families and within communities. Parents and guardians play a critical
role in their child’s success and there are several steps districts and schools can take to engage and
support families.
a. Engaging and communicating with parents and caregivers
Students – and educators – benefit when families are engaged in their schools. For families and schools
to form this essential partnership, schools should communicate goals and information with families and
welcome, and be responsive to, their feedback. To be most effective in support of student success,
communication should go in both directions – schools should share information with families, and
families should be encouraged to share feedback with schools. School reopening planning should
include students and parents with many perspectives, including families of students of color, families of
students with disabilities, families with multilingual learners, families who have transportation access
and functional needs, advocates for students in foster care, and families experiencing homelessness.
When educators and school staff can more fully see their student’s lives, they are better able to build
authentic relationships and partnerships with families, leading to improved support for student
success.xxvi
Personal outreach is a promising way to engage and reengage students and their families. For example,
no matter the reason for their absences, school district officials should work quickly to locate and
reengage students who have been chronically absent or disengaged and should do so in a non-punitive
manner. In this outreach, school leaders should use one-on-one conversations with students and
families – conducted in the family’s home language with translation or interpretation support and in
accessible formats for individuals with disabilities – as much as possible to allow families (and students)
to openly voice any concerns they may have, including personal information about individual students. If
families do raise questions or concerns, or share feedback, school leaders should ensure that they
provide a timely, respectful, and collaborative response.
Districts are thinking creatively about how they can design these outreach strategies. One example is
Hillsborough County Schools in Florida, which had more than 7,000 students who were not enrolled in a
school district school, program, or home school at the start of the 2020 school year. The district sent
social workers on a door-knocking campaign to homes, hotels, motels, and shelters (this outreach could
also be done by other staff or trusted members of the community); created social media pages in
Spanish to reach their majority Latino student population; and shared COVID-19 dashboards on their
website to help parents make informed decisions about sending their children back to school. District
leaders also held virtual community meetings, further establishing transparency that promoted trust. By
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December 2020, Hillsborough County Schools had located 6,700 of their students in effort to get them
enrolled and back in school.
b. Expanding home visits
Home visits can be helpful tools for schools and families, as they provide opportunities for educators
and families to build trust and communicate about students’ interest and well-being. These should be
done safely, including through masking and distancing. One study showed that schools with high trust
levels among parents, teachers, and school leadership are more likely to experience improvement in
math and reading achievement than schools where trust levels among these groups are lower.xxvii
Another study found positive behavioral, academic, and parent involvement outcomes for students who
received a home visit.xxviii
To facilitate trust, schools may decide to expand existing home visiting programs and focus particularly
on the students most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. One example is the Dallas Independent
School District (DISD), which in early 2021 expanded its Home2Home Visit Initiative, a home visitation
program, to several schools with predominantly Black student populations. During home visits, teachers
engaged with families on the interests and goals of students, while focusing on building trusting
relationships between schools and families.
c. Sharing data and resources with families to support student learning
Parents, caregivers, and other family members play important roles in students’ academic progress and
growth, as they often reinforce and extend learning at home or in their communities.xxix Districts and
schools can use ARP ESSER funds to invest in parent and caregiver training in educational practices, or
provide tools specifically designed to facilitate or extend at home learning, particularly targeting families
of students most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Facilitating feedback loops between families,
schools, and districts – for example through parent and caregiver surveys – can ensure that policies and
practices are continually responsive to the families and communities they serve.
Schools should share information with parents and caregivers on how students are doing and resources
to support their success. Schools should use a variety of approaches to ensure that they reach all
families on a consistent basis.xxx Communication should be provided in native languages spoken by
families and through a variety of formats accessible to individuals with disabilities including individual
emails, texts, and calls from teachers and school leadership; school-level posts on school websites; all-
school emails and texts; and home visits (as previously described). Schools should also periodically
assess whether their communication strategies are effective and make any adjustments based on that
analysis and on any feedback from families.
For parents to effectively use the information, schools need to communicate clear recommendations for
how they can support their student through academic and enrichment activities. Schools can leverage
the lessons learned from the pandemic that support families in effectively using technology in
supporting their children. For example, schools can provide digital literacy training for families. Schools
should be thoughtful and realistic about what parents are able to do, particularly for families that have
encountered hardships during the pandemic. For example, the National PTA developed the Four ‘I’s for
Family Engagement, which offers guidance for schools to develop an inclusive approach through
meaningful consultation and building relationships. The PTA recommends taking an individualized
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approach to family and community engagement and integrating efforts with the broader educational
system.
Data about student performance should be shared in plain language, using visual representations as
feasible and in accessible formats for individuals with disabilities. Specific, actionable tips for families
should be included along with the data to help them to understand student strengths and needs and
how best to support them. Schools and districts can increase access to information, building family
capacity to support students, including through a website that provides high-quality, standards-aligned
materials for families to use.xxxi
Schools can consider making parent consultation available in-person or virtually and providing times
that are both within and outside the regular school day and on weekends. For students with
individualized learning plans, schools can ensure that their families have contributed to their
development and that the plans are used as tools for families to engage with their student’s learning.xxxii
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IV. Using high-quality assessments to support student learning
COVID-19 has impacted each student and their access to educational opportunity differently. Some
students could not access online content due to lack of access to broadband or technological devices.
For others, COVID-19 may have impacted their family’s health and economic well-being. Further, the
inequities in student access to educational opportunities that existed prior to COVID-19 have likely been
exacerbated. As students continue to return to in-person learning and we work through the impact of
the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important for educators and parents to know where students are in their
learning and what is needed to support their success. These efforts can be aided by high-
quality assessments that provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate their thinking; are
aligned with state standards, grounded in the content students are expected to learn, and instructionally
relevant; and provide educators and parents the information they need to effectively support student
success. ARP ESSER funds can be used to administer and use high-quality assessments that are valid and
reliable, to accurately assess students’ academic progress, and assist educators in meeting students’
academic needs, including through differentiating instruction.
We also know that COVID-19 has had a traumatic impact on many students, demonstrated by increased
anxiety and mental health needs (as previously described). Communications with students about where
they are in their learning should not be made in ways that further contribute to that trauma or anxiety
or feelings of failure or self-doubt. As we work to better understand where students are and what is
needed to advance their progress, educators should take an asset-based approach that supports student
growth across a learning progression. It is important that as educators and parents share information
related to student performance with students, it is done in a way that communicates high expectations,
recognizes where students are, and describes the kinds of support that will be provided to support their
continued growth. Assessments should not be used for punitive purposes, such as remediating or
tracking students into low-level, and less challenging and less engaging courses and content. The
Department also encouraged states and school districts to consider other steps within their purview to
further reduce the stakes of assessments administered in the 2020–2021 school year, such as excluding
their use from students’ final grades, grade promotion decisions, educator evaluations, and local school
ratings.
a. The role of diagnostic and formative assessments
Diagnostic and formative assessments can provide information to educators and parents as to where
students are performing relative to their grade level and how students are progressing over time, and
can build educator capacity for evaluating where students are in their learning progression. When
designed and used effectively, diagnostic assessments can play an important role in guiding teaching
and learning and support and enhance curriculum mapping. For example, diagnostic and formative
assessments can support teaching and learning when they are designed to--
• Treat students’ current understanding as assets to be leveraged in future learning;
• Make students’ thinking visible;
• Assess student learning along multi-grade continuums and learning progressions, including
grade-level performance;
• Use performance-based approaches and connections to curriculum to directly support teaching
and learning along learning progressions in culturally and linguistically responsive ways; and
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• Include clear interpretation guidance so teachers will understand how to support students and
so students understand and continue their progress.
Research shows that students learn by building on prior and current knowledge rather than just
collecting isolated facts and skills. Diagnostic and formative assessments are important because they can
provide timely information and identify specific aspects of student understanding relative to learning
progressions that can help educators better understand where students are on a coherent continuum of
learning. This information can help teachers tailor instruction to build student understanding to the next
concepts and skills on that progression—meaning, the ideas and skills that have clear conceptual
connections to students’ current understanding and lie just beyond where students are currently
performing. This approach is often referred to as the “zone of proximal development,5” which ensures
that students develop gapless conceptual understandings needed to support future learning. This
approach can result in increased student achievement relative to grade-level standards and college-and
career-ready expectations for all students and can be particularly supportive for multilingual learners.xxxiii
For example, diagnostic assessments can be designed to provide multiple opportunities for teachers to
individually assess students, including through performance tasks and guided interviews that connect
student performance to strengths, areas for growth, and personalized learning pathways. Data can be
used to inform individualized learning plan documents on what each student needs to learn next and in
ways that enable teachers to differentiate instruction. Teachers can then “scaffold up” to provide
students with the support they need to engage with grade-level content. Many districts are using these
kinds of diagnostic assessments that incorporate learning progressions to understand students’ current
knowledge, skills, and abilities, and support teachers in their instructional planning.
Technology can be an important tool for educators regularly administering formative assessments and
adapting instructions based on the results. This is especially true when technology embeds formative
assessment and enables authentic and enriching learning experiences. To avoid using technology in a
way that emphasizes routine drills focused on repetition with lower levels of adult support, leaders
should set standards for digital learning, and provide educators ample professional development on the
effective use of technology. Additional strategies for the effective use of technology, are included in
Volume 2.
b. The role of summative assessments
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) requires states to administer statewide
annual assessments in mathematics and reading or language arts in grades 3 through 8 and at least once
in grades 9 through 12. Science assessments must be administered at least once during grades 3 through
5, grades 6 through 9, and grades 10 through 12. These assessments must be developed and
administered following national professional testing standards, including ensuring the accessibility of
the assessments and that they are free from bias. Annual assessments may include projects, portfolios,
and extended-performance tasks.
5
The “zone of proximal development” refers to “the space between what a learner can do without assistance and
what a learner can do with adult guidance or in collaboration with more capable peers.” See
https://www.wested.org/resources/zone-of-proximal-development/ for this definition and the role in supporting
English learners.
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The Department remains committed to supporting all states in assessing the learning of all students.
Data on student learning obtained through high-quality summative assessments can help identify where
opportunity gaps are persistent and have been exacerbated—particularly during the pandemic—and,
along with other data, can help states direct resources and support to close those gaps. In guidance
provided to states in February 2021, the Department emphasized the importance of flexibility in
administering assessments in the 2020–2021 school year as a result of the pandemic and supported the
use of assessment data as a source of information to help parents and educators target resources and
support, rather than for accountability purposes.
Statewide assessment data provides a snapshot of student performance for educators, state and district
leaders, and families that can be used to provide additional insight into how funds and other resources
can be distributed to support students, educators, and parents/caregivers. For example, states can use
data from these assessments to inform how they target funding from the 5 percent ARP ESSER state set-
aside to address the academic impact of lost instructional time. Participation and performance data
from annual statewide assessments is required under the ESEA to be reported by student subgroup and
can provide critical and comparable information to educators, state and district leaders, and families on
the share of students who participated in the assessments and who did not participate by student
subgroup and the impact of lost instructional time on student achievement across the state.
The Department encourages states, when posting state assessment results for the 2020–2021 school
year, to prominently and in plain language provide information about the context of the data, including
its limitations as a result of the pandemic. For example, in a situation where participation rates are low,
uneven across student groups, or both as a result of the pandemic, the results should include clearly
worded context that such data are incomplete and, where applicable, are not representative of the
make-up of the state, district, or school population. As always, assessment data should be viewed
alongside other important measures of student outcomes and opportunity to learn data to provide a
more complete perspective on resources, support, and student success (examples of opportunity to
learn indicators are included in Volume 2). As previously mentioned, the Department also encourages
states and school districts to consider other steps within their purview to further reduce the stakes of
assessments this year, such as excluding their use from students’ final grades, grade promotion
decisions, educator evaluations, and local school ratings.
c. Performance-based assessments
Diagnostic and summative assessments can include performance assessments and can be seamlessly
integrated into teaching and learning processes. Performance assessments offer one way to develop
useful information about how well students understand important concepts and can also be embedded
into instructional lessons to support student learning. When well-designed, performance assessments
can provide extensive and nuanced evidence of student abilities, including meaningful insight into
student thinking and performance. States and districts could also provide rubrics and supports for
teachers around developing learning goals, interpreting student performance, and next steps based on
the information provided from these assessments.
Well-designed performance assessments can provide students with culturally and linguistically
responsive ways of demonstrating progress, while poorly executed assessments can be damaging to
students’ progress. One example of how a district is using a performance assessment in a culturally and
linguistically responsive way is the Chicago Public School’s Curriculum Equity Initiative, which includes a
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performance-based assessment system as part of the district-wide approach to culturally responsive and
equitable teaching and learning. This includes an assessment system, with performance tasks, that is
free from bias and reflects diverse communities, cultures, histories, and contributions. The system
includes diagnostic and formative assessment supports as part of curriculum resources and a
comprehensive data system that allows teachers to use performance-based assessments throughout the
district to assess student progress over time. The Department’s Regional Educational Laboratory
Northeast and Islands (REL NEI) also offers an online course for educators on using performance-based
assessments.
d. Using assessments as part of understanding students’ social and emotional needs
Assessment practices can also be designed to help educators better understand students’ social and
emotional needs. For example, formative assessment practices can include student discourse prompts
and reading, writing, and oral reflections and activities that include elements that are centered on
students’ experiences, perceptions, and identities. A blog series by the National Center for the
Improvement of Educational Assessment describes some key activities states can take to include social
and emotional learning as part of balanced systems of assessment. Another resource is RAND’s SEL
Assessment Finder, a web-based tool that provides information about assessments of interpersonal,
intrapersonal, and higher-order cognitive competencies. District practitioners can use the tool to explore
design features and intended uses of available assessments. Free resources also include the Washoe
County School District Social and Emotional Competency Assessments that measure the self-reported
social and emotional competencies of students in grades 5-12 and are available in Spanish.
Districts can also lead the development of these kinds of assessments themselves. For example, the
CORE districts in California worked with partners to develop the Rally Platform for Student Success that
enables districts and schools to consider comprehensive assessment data from multiple sources over
time, together with well-being and learning conditions surveys, student reflections, and teacher notes.
The Rally Platform includes predictive modeling of student performance based on a holistic picture of
students’ experience and is used to support instructional planning and connecting students to
appropriate available resources.
e. Supporting educator assessment literacy and development
In addition to supporting high-quality assessment instruments designed for student learning and
growth, states and districts should provide educators with professional learning opportunities to build
their assessment literacy. Assessment literacy refers to the knowledge, skills, and process associated
with designing, selecting, implementing, scoring, and/or using high-quality assessments to improve
student learning. Several examples of how to support educators include:
• In Oregon, the Building Educator Assessment Literacy (BEAL) project focuses on building
educator capacity for using assessments through scoring Smarter Balanced performance tasks
and reflecting on implications for teaching and improving student performance. Following BEAL
trainings, 92 percent of educators reported having a better understanding of how to use
curriculum-embedded performance assessments in their classroom, and 84 percent of
educators reported that the professional development approach supported deeper
understanding of the state standards.
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• The National Education Association (NEA) has created a micro-credentials site with certification
banks on a wide variety of topics to make it easier for educators to access professional learning
opportunities. This includes the Assessment Literacy stack, which includes six micro-credentials
for educators to develop their knowledge and skills to utilize meaningful assessment practices.
• The Stanford Center for Assessment, Learning, and Equity (SCALE), the Center for Assessment,
2Revolutions, and others offer free courses and modules focused on classroom-based
assessment literacy and performance assessment activities.
Districts such as Chicago Public Schools and San Francisco Unified School District are leveraging ongoing
and embedded professional learning opportunities to focus on student work analysis from performance
assessments and data deep-dives from other assessment sources to connect assessment literacy directly
to teachers’ classroom activities. In New Hampshire, the Performance Assessments for Competency
Education (PACE) initiative centers teacher professional learning for performance assessment
development, implementation, and scoring.
Principals also play a critical role in these previously described efforts and should be fully supported by
states and districts as they work to implement these kinds of strategies. Principals and other school
leaders are responsible for developing and monitoring systems to ensure the quality of instruction and
student learning. Principals also play a critical role in the development and implementation of
assessment systems by supporting staff in using multiple forms of assessment, providing feedback, and
creating opportunities for students to demonstrate learning in an equitable, student-centered
environment. Principals can also monitor and adjust targeted interventions based on ongoing screening
and assessments, for example for students identified as multilingual learners or in need of additional
supports. Principals should also ensure that parents receive the information they need to support their
child’s success.
f. Department resources
Resources provided by the Department to support states and districts in addressing the impact of
COVID-19 on students, educators, staff, and families include:
• Frequently Asked Questions: Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Programs
Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Programs
• ED COVID-19 Handbook, Volume 2: Roadmap to Reopening Safely and Meeting All Students’
Needs
• Questions and Answers on Civil Rights and School Reopening in the COVID-19 Environment
• Frequently Asked ARP Homeless Children and Youth Questions and Answers
• Frequently Asked Questions: Using American Rescue Plan Funding to Support Full-Service
Community Schools & Related Strategies
• Safer Schools and Campuses Best Practices Clearinghouse
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Legal disclaimer
Other than statutory and regulatory requirements referred to in the document, the contents of this
document do not have the force or effect of law and are not meant to bind the public. This
document is intended only to provide clarity to the public regarding existing requirements under the
law or agency policies. Further, this document does not substantively address federal disability law,
which includes the requirement that schools provide certain educational and related services to
students with disabilities and take an individualized approach to providing specialized instruction
and related services, consistent with the student’s individualized education program (IEP) developed
under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) or 504 plan developed under Section 504
of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (504 plan), as appropriate. In addition, this document does not
substantively address other civil rights law such as the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Title
VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.
This document contains resources that are provided for the user’s convenience. The inclusion of
these materials is not intended to reflect their importance, nor is it intended to endorse any views
expressed, or products or services offered. These materials may contain the views and
recommendations of various subject-matter experts as well as hypertext links, contact addresses,
and websites to information created and maintained by other public and private organizations. The
opinions expressed in any of these materials do not necessarily reflect the positions or policies of
the Department. The Department does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness,
or completeness of any outside information included in these materials. For the reader’s
convenience, this document contains examples of potentially useful products, including
applications, as well as methodologies utilized by states and localities. Inclusion of such information
does not constitute an endorsement by the Department or the federal government, nor a
preference/support for these examples as compared with others that might be available.
Endnotes
i Verlenden JV, Pampati S, Rasberry CN, et al. Association of Children’s Mode of School Instruction with Child and Parent
Experiences and Well-Being During the COVID-19 Pandemic — COVID Experiences Survey, United States, October 8–November
13, 2020. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2021;70:369–376. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7011a1DOI:
http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7011a1external.
ii National Center on Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education. (2021, June 10). NAEP 2021 School Survey: Highlights
from April 2021 Results. Retrieved from:
https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/subject/about/pdf/2021_april_school_survey_dashboard.pdf.
iii Anderson, M. and Kumar, M. (2019). “Digital divide persists even as lower-income Americans make gains in tech adoption.”
Pew Research Center Fact Tank. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/05/07/digital-divide-persists-even-as-lower-
income-americans-make-gains-in-tech-adoption/; Rafalow, M. H. (2018). “Disciplining Play: Digital Youth Culture as Capital at
School.” American Journal of Sociology, 123(5), 1416-52. https://doi.org/10.1086/695766; and Reich, J., & Ito, M. (2017). From
good intentions to real outcomes: Equity by design in learning technologies. Irvine, CA: Digital Media and Learning Research
Hub.
iv U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of Justice joint Dear Colleague Letter, English Learner
Students and Limited English Proficient Parents, January 7, 2015. http://www.ed.gov/ocr/letters/colleague-el-
201501.pdf.
v Henderson, A. T., & Geller, J. Family and Community Engagement (n.d). Retrieved from:
https://steinhardt.nyu.edu/metrocenter/ejroc/family-and-community-engagement.
vi American Federation of Teachers. (2020, October 21). Educators Say COVID-19 Has Greatly Exacerbated the Grief Support
Crisis in Schools, According to New Survey. Retrieved from: https://www.aft.org/press-release/educators-say-covid-19-has-
greatly-exacerbated-grief-support-crisis-schools.
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This document has been formally rescinded by the Department and remains available on the web for historical purposes only.
vii Yard E, Radhakrishnan L, Ballesteros MF, et al. Emergency Department Visits for Suspected Suicide Attempts Among Persons
Aged 12–25 Years Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic — United States, January 2019–May 2021. MMWR Morb Mortal
Wkly Rep 2021;70:888–894. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7024e1DOI:
http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7024e1external.
viii Gordon, N. (2018, January 18). Disproportionality in Student Discipline: Connecting Policy to Research. Brookings. Retrieved
from: https://www.brookings.edu/research/disproportionality-in-student-discipline-connecting-policy-to-research/.
ix Pashler, H., Bain, P., Bottge, B., Graesser, A., Koedinger, K., McDaniel, M., & Metcalf, J. (2007, September). Organizing
Instruction and Study to Improve Student Learning: A Practice Guide. (NCER 2007-2004). Washington, DC: Institute of Education
Sciences. Retrieved from: https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/PracticeGuide/1.
x Korman, H., O’Keefe, B., & Repeka, M., (2020, October 21). Missing in the Margins: Estimating the Scale of the Covid-19
Attendance Crisis. Bellwether Education Partners. Retrieved from: https://bellwethereducation.org/publication/missing-
margins-estimating-scale-covid-19-attendance-crisis#Why%20aren’t%20students%20attending%20school.
xi Education in a Pandemic: The Disparate Impacts of COVID-19 on America’s Students, U.S. Department of Education, 2021,
www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/20210608-impacts-of-covid19.pdf.
xii F., K., and Kara Freise. “Student Homelessness: Lessons from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS).” SchoolHouse
Connection, 4 June 2021, https://schoolhouseconnection.org/student-homelessness-lessons-from-the-youth-risk-behavior-
survey-yrbs/.schoolhouseconnection.org/student-homelessness-lessons-from-the-youth-risk-behavior-survey-yrbs/.
xiii TNTP. (2018). The Opportunity Myth: What Students Can Show US About How School is Letting Them Down- and How to Fix
It. Retrieved from: https://tntp.org/assets/documents/TNTP_The-Opportunity-Myth_Web.pdf.
xiv TNTP. (May, 2021). Accelerate, Don’t Remediate: New Evidence from Elementary Math Classrooms. Retrieved from:
https://tntp.org/assets/documents/TNTP_Accelerate_Dont_Remediate_FINAL.pdf.
xv New Classrooms. 2020. Solving the Iceberg Problem: Addressing Learning Loss in Middle School Math through Tailored
Acceleration. Retrieved from: https://newclassrooms.org/solving-the-iceberg-problem/.
xvi National Center for Learning Disabilities. (2021, February 19). Promising Practices to Accelerate Learning for Students with
Disabilities During COVID-19 and Beyond. Retrieved from: https://www.ncld.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/2021-NCLD-
Promising-Practices-to-Accelerate-Learning_FINAL.pdf.
xvii Nickow, A., Oreopoulos, P., & Quan, V. (2020, July). The Impressive Effects of Tutoring on PreK-12 Learning: A Systematic
Review and Meta-Analysis of the Experimental Evidence. EdWorkingPaper: 20-267. Retrieved from Annenberg Institute at
Brown University: https://doi.org/10.26300/eh0c-pc52.
xviii Pashler, H., Bain, P., Bottge, B., Graesser, A., Koedinger, K., McDaniel, M., & Metcalf, J. (2007, September). Organizing
Instruction and Study to Improve Student Learning: A Practice Guide. (NCER 2007-2004). Washington, DC: Institute of Education
Sciences. Retrieved from: https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/PracticeGuide/1.
xix Garcia, A. & Davis, E. (2019, April 5). ESSA Action Guide: Selecting Evidence-Based Practices for Low-Performing Schools.
Arlington, VA: American Institutes for Research. Retrieved from: https://www.air.org/resource/essa-action-guide-selecting-
evidence-based-practices-low-performing-schools.
xx Sahni, S. D., Polanin, J. R., Zhang, Q., Michaelson, L. E., Caverly, S., Polese, M. L., Yang, J. (2021, January). A What Works
Clearinghouse Rapid Review of Distance Learning Programs. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved from:
https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/Docs/ReferenceResources/Distance_Learning_RER_508c.pdf.
xxi Robinson, C. D., Kraft, M. A., Loeb, S., & Schueler, B. E. (2021, February). Accelerating Student Learning with High-Dosage
Tutoring. EdResearch for Recovery Design Principles Series. Annenberg Institute. Retrieved from:
https://annenberg.brown.edu/sites/default/files/EdResearch_for_Recovery_Design_Principles_1.pdf.
xxii
Edgerton, A. K. (2021, January 21). The Importance of Getting Tutoring Right. Learning Policy Institute. Retrieved from:
https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/blog/covid-getting-tutoring-right.
xxiii Weber, G. (2020, September 24). Addressing Teacher Shortages with Differentiated Staffing Models. American Institutes of
Research. Retrieved from: https://www.air.org/resource/addressing-teacher-shortages-differentiated-staffing-models.
xxiv Parents as Teachers National Center. (2019). Parents as Teachers: An Evidence-Based Home Visiting Model. Retrieved from:
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/56be46a6b6aa60dbb45e41a5/t/5e1e151806c01b2d7409fe18/1579029788073/906_EB
HVM_DigitalBook_2020.pdf.
xxv Stallman, T. M. (2014, March 13). Transforming our Roles as Co-Educators; A parents guide to meaningful engagement.
University of Washington Tacoma. Retrieved from: https://digitalcommons.tacoma.uw.edu/msw_capstones/15.
xxvi Alberty, M. (2021). Family Engagement Is Key for Student Success During COVID-19 Recovery and Beyond. Education Trust.
Retrieved from: www.edtrust.org/the-equity-line/family-engagement-is-key-for-student-success-during-covid-19-recovery-and-
beyond/.
xxvi Wright, K. et al., (2018). The Effects of Teacher Home Visits on Student Behavior, Student Academic Achievement, and
Parent Involvement. School Community Journal. Retrieved from:
https://www.adi.org/journal/2018ss/WrightEtAlSpring2018.pdf.
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xxvii Bryk, Anthony S & Sebring, Penny B. (2010). Organizing Schools for Improvement: Lessons from Chicago. The University of
Chicago.
xxviii Wright, K. et al., (2018). The Effects of Teacher Home Visits on Student Behavior, Student Academic Achievement, and
Parent Involvement. School Community Journal. Retrieved from:
https://www.adi.org/journal/2018ss/WrightEtAlSpring2018.pdf.
xxix Schaefer, E. (1972). Parents as Educators: Evidence from Cross-Sectional, Longitudinal and Intervention Research. Young
Children, 27(4), 227-239. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/42724014.
xxx National Center for Learning Disabilities. (2021, February 19). Promising Practices to Accelerate Learning for Students with
Disabilities During COVID-19 and Beyond. p.16. Retrieved from: https://www.ncld.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/2021-
NCLD-Promising-Practices-to-Accelerate-Learning_FINAL.pdf.
xxxi Education Trust. (2020, October 29). COVID19 Education Equity Guide: Graduation and College and Career Readiness.
Retrieved from: https://edtrust.org/resource/covid-19-education-equity-guide-graduation-and-college-and-career-readiness/.
xxxii Alberty, M. (2021, April 19). Family Engagement is Key for Student Success During COVID-19 Recovery and Beyond.
Education Trust. Retrieved from: https://edtrust.org/the-equity-line/family-engagement-is-key-for-student-success-during-
covid-19-recovery-and-beyond/.
xxxiii Billings, E., Walqui, A. Zone of Proximal Development: An Affirmative Perspective in Teaching ELLs. West Ed. Retrieved from:
https://www.wested.org/resources/zone-of-proximal-development/#.https://www.wested.org/resources/zone-of-proximal-
development/#.
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