Momentum : A Newsletter of the ARCC             September 2017 
Greetings!
States in the Appalachian region have a lot to celebrate these days! From submission and/or approval of their Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) plans, to praise from national policy organizations, the states we serve are receiving recognition for their hard work. In this quarter's newsletter, we take a break to learn more about some of these successes.

Public Hearings Held in Virginia on School Accreditation  

This summer, the Virginia Board of Education conducted a series of public hearings to obtain feedback from families, educators, and community members on expectations for graduating students, how schools are accredited, and the conditions and needs of the Commonwealth's public schools. ARCC staff documented the proceedings from the hearings with a set of summary reports highlighting the feedback and issues raised by participants, and suggested next steps for the Board's consideration. 

Kentucky Encourages Innovative Practice in Rural Schools 

In 2002, Kentucky passed a new law (KRS.158.649) which requires schools to identify and deal with persistent gaps in student achievement. Recently, the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) asked the Appalachia Regional Comprehensive Center (ARCC) to help develop systems that would enable schools and districts to use research-based innovative practices to improve instruction and student achievement. The ARCC continues to help KDE's Rural and Low-Income Schools program find ways to encourage rural districts to adopt innovative practices. 

The Data Quality Campaign Reports on West Virginia 

Time to Act 2017, the new report from the Data Quality Campaign (DQC), looks at how states have addressed DQC's previously released policy recommendations and proposes steps to ensure that data supports all students. The report features West Virginia as one "Bright Spot":

West Virginia is TRANSPARENT AND EARNS TRUST by proactively and clearly communicating its data privacy practices to the public. ...

Tennessee Publishes Annual Report on Education 

Tennessee Succeeds: 2017 State of Education in Tennessee reports on the state's progress in education during the past year through a series of infographics. Highlights include the fact that 43 percent of Tennessee's third graders now score as proficient in reading, and improved NAEP scores rank Tennessee in the top half of states on three out of six tests.

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Publications & Webinars

Looking for commentary about the role of the SEA under ESSA? Concerned about student data privacy? Seeking new resources on early learning and state policies? Learn more about resources on these and other topics. 

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