Returning more responsibility to states for making education policy was the central premise (and promise) of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Shortly after the bill passed in December 2015, states set to work on plans for using ESSA to shape policy in their states. Their assumption was that the federal government would provide some regulatory "guardrails" to guide that work. In April and September, states will file comprehensive plans for how they will spend federal funding under the ESSA. Although state education agencies (SEAs) have the primary responsibility for developing and filing the state plan, many state boards of education have statutory authority for carrying out elements of the plan, and most will take a formal vote on their plans before they are sent to the U.S. Department of Education. This NASBE Policy Update lays out seven big questions board members should have answered before they vote.