In a Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) to Chief State School Officers on June 26th, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) highlighted key parts of Title I of Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) which requires states and districts to give parent some flexibility in choosing their child’s education when a student is attending a “lowest performing school” as defined and determined by the state’s accountability plan under ESEA. The DCL reminds states and districts that they must identify schools for support and improvement due to low performance, such as those with a comprehensive support and improvement (CSI) designation, those designated as targeted support and improvement due to consistently underperforming subgroups (TSI), and additional targeted support and improvement (ATSI). COPAA is monitoring ED’s guidance and communication with states regarding school choice to ensure that no federal ESEA [or IDEA funds] are used in ways not allowed or otherwise authorized by Congress under these and other laws.