Career Readiness & ESSA

Last updated May 2019

Congress passed the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in 2015, which replaced the George W. Bush-era No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and reauthorized the nation’s primary K-12 education law. ESSA has placed a spotlight on career readiness as part of state accountability systems. Under ESSA, a great deal of flexibility and latitude is afforded to states, including in accountability systems, where they are now tasked with defining and measuring what success looks like for their students. States must track progress against three required indicators and at least one optional indicator, such as “postsecondary readiness.” New state accountability systems must set measurable goals for local districts as well as identify appropriate interventions when goals and benchmarks have not been met. In September 2018, the U.S. Department of Education approved Florida's consolidated state ESSA plan, the 50th state to be granted approval.  

Research & Resources

Chamber Resources

• U.S. Chamber Foundation - Career Readiness: A Business-led Approach For Supporting K-12 Schools (Sept. 2016).
• U.S. Chamber Foundation - Measuring Career Readiness (Dec 2016).

Research

• EdWeek - Approved ESSA Plans: Explainer and Key Takeaways From Each State (Oct 2018).
• CSG - Building Career Readiness (Sept. 2016).
• NCSL - Every Student Succeeds Act: Information and Resources (Sept 2018).

Journalism & Opinion

• Daarel Burnette II (Ed Week) - What Is ESSAs New School-Spending Transparency Requirement, and How Will It Work? (Aug 9, 2018)
• Alyson Klein (Ed Week) - What's in Store for States on Federal ESSA Oversight (Sept. 25, 2018).