WASHINGTON -- U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos today announced that all consolidated state plans submitted by 34 states and Puerto Rico under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) for the fall deadline were found to be complete and ready for peer review.

“Today marks another key step in implementing ESSA,” said Secretary DeVos. “The Department worked closely with each state to ensure their plans were ready for peer review. I commend the chief state school officers, governors and stakeholders in these states for their efforts and for embracing ESSA's flexibility to craft plans that will help meet the unique needs of their students.”

The state plans now proceed to the staff and peer review process, through which experts and stakeholders will examine them to ensure compliance with the standards established in ESSA. The District of Columbia and 16 states submitted their plans by the spring 2017 deadline.