Public Notice - North Dakota Department of Public Instruction Accountability Addendum Request to the U.S. Education Department

On behalf of the State of North Dakota, the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction (NDDPI) will submit an Accountability Addendum to the state ESSA plan regarding the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

Due to the significant disruptions brought forth by COVID-19, the United States Education Department (USED), over the past two years, has provided states with the opportunity to apply for flexibility through the use of an Addendum to the state’s ESSA plan.

On December 17, 2021, states once again received notification of an opportunity to complete an Addendum to make one-year changes to the accountability process. North Dakota is requesting flexibility in two areas:

• Academic Achievement Goals (page 5: a.1): North Dakota proposes shifting the timeline forward by two years for its academic achievement goals.

• Identification for School Improvement (page 7: d.2.C): North Dakota proposes to identify both TSI and CSI schools in the fall using 2021-2022 accountability data. If the addendum is approved, all identified schools will begin their first year of either Targeted or Comprehensive Support and Improvement, even those identified in prior years.

This flexibility allows the department to revise our state accountability system, school identification and exit from improvement status, school support and improvement, and state and local report cards – all of which were impacted by COVID-19. 

The USED requires states to provide all interested parties in the state with notice and a reasonable opportunity to comment on this submission. We provide this statewide notice by sending an email over the distribution lists, posting information in the Weekly Blast, including an article in the NDDPI February newsletter, and posting the Addendum on the NDDPI website for three weeks.

A copy of the Accountability Addendum is available for review on the NDDPI website.

If anyone would like to comment on the Addendum submission, please send written comments to Laurie Matzke by February 18, 2022, or call (701) 328-2284.