ESSA Equity Toolkit | Texas Education Agency

Toolkit for Federally Required Texas Equity Plans

“To reach the goal of every Texas student prepared for success in college, a career or the military, districts must ensure all students have access to the most effective teachers. Title I, Part A, Sec. 1112(b)(2) of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) requires all local educational agencies (LEAs) that receive Title I funds to create plans describing how they will decrease gaps as it relates to low-income students and students of color being taught by inexperienced, out-of-field, and ineffective teachers at higher rates than other students.”

The Texas Equity Toolkit has been designed to mirror a continuous improvement process with the hope that this structure allows for three things to occur:

The equity planning process fits within a district's annual continuous improvement process

The district's continuous improvement process results in increasing equitable access

The districts already comfortable with the continuous improvement process can interact with the toolkit just in those places where it provides a benefit to them

Notifications

Newly Identified Cohort B 24-25 LEAs

For the 2024-25 school year, newly identified Cohort B LEAs will be required to submit equity plans. If an identified LEA had a past Equity Plan, the LEA should review their past plan locally, consider opportunities for revision, and implement the identified strategies accordingly using the updated Equity Plan template.
View Equity Plan Template
The agency will notify an LEA based on the identification of significant gaps in student growth for low-income students and students of color, by December 2024. Only LEAs with equity gaps greater than 10 percent will receive a notification. If your LEA receives a notification, your LEA has equity gaps greater than 10 percent and your LEA will be required to submit an Equity plan to the agency in 2024-25.

Currently Identified Cohort A 23-24 LEAs

Current Cohort A 23-24 LEAs will continue to implement the LEA ESSA Equity Plan developed during the spring semester of the 23-24 school year. ESC Equity Leads will check in on the progress of LEA Equity Plans every 3-4 months.

General Information

Districts that are identified may be eligible for priority points in various funding/grant programs through TEA (GYO, Principal Residency Grants, Mentorship Allotment, Teacher Leadership grants, etc.) to provide further support in closing equity gaps.
The Texas Equity Toolkit website supports the creation of equity plans under this process. ESC Equity teams can provide training on the equity planning process to interested districts.
For further clarification on equity gap calculations download the Equity Gap Calculation document.
View Equity Gap Calculation Document