College in High School Alliance

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Every Student Succeeds Act

In 2015, Congress passed the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) to replace No Child Left Behind (NCLB) as the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) governing federal funding and accountability for K-12 education. The new law includes a number of provisions that directly impact dual or concurrent enrollment and early college high schools, including being included in states’ accountability systems and allowable uses of funding at both the state and local level.

To help states and school districts understand the opportunities available under ESSA, CHSA has published two major resources:

 How to Scale College in High School: A State Policy Guide for Implementing Dual Enrollment and Early College Designs Under the Every Student Succeeds Act.

This handbook provides a full summary of the provisions in ESSA that impact dual or concurrent enrollment and early college high school, as well as opportunities for states to take advantage of those provisions, and examples of exemplary programs.

ESSA State-by-State Analysis: Strategies for Incorporating College in High School Programs into the Every Student Succeeds Act.

    • How is your state talking about college in high school programs like dual enrollment and early college high school in its ESSA State Plan? Find out with this state-by-state guide.

In addition, we have released several shorter fact sheets related to ESSA and its opportunities for supporting college in high school programs like dual enrollment and early college:

As states have published an updated their state plans, CHSA has also provided public feedback letters during open comment periods. These letters include: Alabama, Alaska, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.