At the beginning of the 2018-19 school year, states across the country rolled out new school accountability systems in accordance with the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). ESSA takes a more holistic approach to school improvement than its predecessor, the No Child Left Behind Act (Darling-Hammond et al, 2016). Minneapolis Public Schools staff have used the flexibility afforded by ESSA to reimagine continuous school improvement in the district. By empowering school leaders to engage teachers, families, and students in a robust process of comprehensive needs assessment, strategic planning, implementation of evidence-based strategies, and progress monitoring, MPS has worked to build evaluative thinking and skills across the district. This session will outline our approach to turning ESSA compliance into an authentic opportunity for school communities to evaluate, and improve, their own work. It will also explore the successes and challenges we have faced along the way.