Washington — U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos today announced the approval of New York's consolidated state plan under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).

"New York's plan met the requirements of the law, and so I am happy to approve it," said Secretary DeVos. "This plan should not be seen as a ceiling, but as a foundation upon which New York can improve education for its students."

Allowing states more flexibility in how they deliver education to students is at the core of ESSA. Each state crafted a plan that it feels will best offer educational opportunities to meet the needs of the state and its students.

The following are some of the unique elements from New York's approved plan as highlighted by the state:

• Incentivizes districts to increase opportunities for all high school students to engage in advanced coursework through inclusion of an advanced coursework completion measure in its accountability system.
• Facilitates the ability of districts to address inequities in access to effective teachers by strengthening mentoring/induction programs, targeting professional development, or improving career ladders.

"New York's ESSA plan reflects more than a year of collaboration with a comprehensive group of stakeholders to develop an inclusive plan that ensures our core focus is on promoting equity and increasing the success of all students," said New York Commissioner of Education MaryEllen Elia. "We are pleased that the U.S. Department of Education has approved the plan so that we can accelerate our efforts to implement these initiatives that are critical to educating students across the state."