New Jersey Department of Education

Title I, Part A Carryover and Waiver

For each fiscal year, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act as reauthorized by the Every Student Succeeds Act limits the amount of Title I, Part A local educational agency carryover funds that may remain available for obligation or expenditure.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Federal Funding Flexibility Waiver

As a result of the ongoing challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) submitted requests to the U.S. Department of Education (USED) to waive the requirement that limits NJDOE’s ability to grant to LEAs a waiver of the 15 percent Title I, Part A carryover limitation in section 1127(a) to once every three years.

Title I, Part A Fiscal Year	Waiver Request	Waiver Approval
FY 2019−20	COVID-19 Fiscal Waiver Request	USED 2019-2020 NJ Fiscal Waiver Approval
FY 2020−21	COVID-19 Fiscal Waiver Request	USED 2020-2021 NJ Fiscal Waiver Approval
FY 2021−22	COVID-19 Fiscal Waiver Request	USED 2021-2022 NJ Fiscal Waiver Approval

Note: LEAs that received a FFY 2021 (Grant period 2021-2022) carryover waiver from NJDOE will not be eligible to apply for a carryover waiver from NJDOE again until FFY 2024 (Grant period 2024-2025).

For more information about the Federal Funding Flexibility Waivers, please refer to the Uses of Federal ESEA Funds during Mandated COVID-19 School Closure web page.

Approved ESSA State Plan Waivers and Addendum Related to COVID-19

The United States Department of Education (USED) has approved the New Jersey Department of Education’s (NJDOE) waiver requests and Addendum request for temporary flexibility in implementing components of the state’s ESSA accountability system and the process for identification of schools in need of the most comprehensive and targeted supports due to COVID-19.

Request	Approval Letter	Associated Broadcast
2019-2020 waiver of statewide assessment, accountability, and reporting requirements	March 27, 2020 USED Approval Letter	April 30, 2020 broadcast
2020-2021 waiver of accountability, school identification, and related reporting requirements	March 26, 2021 USED Approval Letter	February 19, 2021 broadcast
2022 Addendum for the Consolidated State Plan due to COVID-19	April 22, 2022 USED Approval Letter	February 16, 2022 broadcast

The associated broadcast for each request outlines the flexibilities that were requested and how the approved request impacts reporting and school accountability under ESSA.

FY 2019 Federal Performance Review Report

To support continued implementation of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the United States Department of Education (USED) conducted a Performance Review of the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE)’s compliance with federal fiscal requirements in October 2019.  

The primary goal of the review was to ensure that implementation of ESSA provisions related to school accountability, school improvement, and programmatic and fiscal rules for Titles I, II, III, and V is consistent with the fiscal, administrative, and program requirements contained in the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (Uniform Guidance:  2 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 200); the Education Department General Administrative Requirements (EDGAR); and the ESEA. 

The final performance report issued by USED in April 2020: Final Performance Report

The complete listing of the required actions and their status to date: 2020 Federal Performance Report – Required Actions

Required actions taken to meet USED requirements: Changes to the Calculation of the Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate (ACGR) Fact Sheet.  Additional information regarding the ACGR is available on the Special Education webpage.

On August 9, 2017, the U.S. Department of Education approved New Jersey's ESSA State Plan.

Thank you to the many New Jersey families, students, educators and community members who participated in the development of New Jersey's ESSA State Plan.  Your involvement ensured the plan was developed by New Jersey and for New Jersey. The collaborative development process enabled the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) to create a plan that focuses on equity for all students, deep support for the schools that need it most, and the promise that all children attend a school providing the support and skills they need to thrive throughout their K-12 experience and far beyond.

A short overview of New Jersey's ESSA State Plan can be found here.

Input from stakeholders before, during and after the drafting of the plan was received in a variety of ways, including, but not limited to:

• Over 5,300 survey responses;
• An ESSA Stakeholder Focus Group with over 80 invited education and community organizations
• More than 90 meetings organized or attended throughout the state including four listening and learning sessions, during which NJDOE met with more than 140 attendees;
• Over 400 districts represented at in-person ESSA technical assistance sessions;
• Direct communication with individuals representing more than 160 communities throughout the state.

The New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) is committed to hosting discussions and receiving feedback from a diverse group of stakeholders as we work to make policy decisions that reflect the values of New Jersey communities.
We continue to receive a great deal of input on how we can expand and diversify our outreach in the education community.

As a result, we have developed the ESSA Accountability Stakeholder Focus Group. The purpose of the group will be to help the Department share and receive feedback on materials designed to clarify aspects of The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and better understand stakeholder priorities that will inform existing ESSA working groups. Previously invited organizations are listed here. If you would like to see your organization represented in the ESSA Accountability Stakeholder Focus Group, please contact essa@doe.nj.gov.