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Next-Generation Accountability Systems
Measure what matters:
Designing and administering accountability systems is a core state responsibility with profound implications for advancing equity.
In 2011, states came together to establish a set of principles to guide the development and improvement of state accountability systems. According to these principles, state accountability systems will: drive school and district performance towards college- and career-readiness; distinguish performance in order to meaningfully target supports to the students most in need; provide timely, transparent data to spur action; and foster innovation and continuous improvement throughout the system. These principles continue to underlie much of what states are working to advance in their accountability systems today.
Public Reporting
States are committed to continuously improving reporting systems to provide more meaningful, actionable information.
Under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), states have an opportunity to reimagine the way in which they communicate information about school, district and state performance. State leaders want to move beyond just meeting compliance requirements in ESSA to develop much stronger reporting systems to ensure their school report cards are meaningful to stakeholders and support the goal of ensuring that every child has the opportunity to graduate ready for college, careers, and life. We are supporting states in achieving this goal through targeted state support, along with the creation of an online report card clearinghouse and a best practices resource states can use to improve state report cards. If you are interested in learning more about our reporting work, please contact Katie Carroll.
Accountability Systems under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
States have an opportunity to design systems that can advance college- and career-ready outcomes for all students.
ESSA maintains a strong focus on accountability and requires all states to have in place systems of accountability and supports that include annual accountability determinations for all public schools based on multiple indicators for the school overall and for certain subgroups of students. Beginning in the 2018-2019 school year, states will use their accountability system to differentiate among schools annually, identify schools that need additional support and work closely with district leaders to determine how they can best deliver that support. We worked states as they developed their state plans and will continue to support states as they implement and refine their state plans in future years. If you are interested in learning more about our supports, please contact Katie Carroll.
Indicators that Drive Change and Improvement
States are committed to using new and meaningful indicators in accountability, reporting, and diagnostic systems.
ESSA has provided states the opportunity to refine their state accountability and support systems. States are incorporating innovative measures into state accountability, reporting, and diagnostic systems that will inform school performance and improvement interventions. In future years, states will learn from and make decisions to support schools and districts based on these new measures which will lead to improved student outcomes.
We support states as they select and monitor the use of different measures in their state systems by working closely with state teams, facilitating cross-state collaboration and providing targeted resources. If you are interested in learning more about our supports on indicators, please contact Katie Carroll.
Accountability to Advance College-and-Career Outcomes for All Students
Accountability systems help us understand what is working well and determine where to make improvements so we can help all students
As states develop and implement their state plans under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), state leaders are seizing the opportunity to move from punitive accountability systems disconnected from support to systems that reflect a more seamless approach to collecting data, analyzing it, reporting it more clearly and using it to better target needed support. We supported states as they developed their state ESSA plans and will continue to support states as they implement their accountability systems to drive change and improvements that lead to college-and-career ready outcomes for all students. If you are interested in learning more about our supports, please contact Katie Carroll.
Create Accountability for Equity
Accountability impacts equity and chiefs are committed to measuring what matters to improve outcomes for all students.
One of the underlying purposes of a state accountability system is to ensure equity for all students by looking at whether every student is progressing towards college and career-ready outcomes. State leaders demonstrate their commitment to equity in their state visions, setting goals aimed at closing achievement gaps, understanding and reporting student achievement and progress as it relates to each subgroup, and using that information to determine how to best target supports to struggling schools and subgroups within schools. Our accountability principles and equity principles outline actions for states leaders to consider as they implement and refine their state accountability and support systems under ESSA.