Over the several decades that standardized test results have been
used as an accountability measure, few have questioned the assumption that these tests provide evidence that actually reflects school quality and that can promote school improvement.
If assessments are going to be
used as accountability measures, reliability (the degree to which a test can be depended on to produce consistent results repeatedly), and validity (the extent to which a test accurately measures the result that it is intended to measure), become critically important.
Not exact matches
In contrast, Polikoff's public comment on draft ESSA
accountability rules drew heavily on a large empirical literature
as it argued against a federal mandate for states to
use proficiency rates
as measures of school performance.
In «Graduation Rates Are Insufficient
As An
Accountability Measure,» Chad Aldeman looks at some problems with using highs school graduation rates for accountability purposes and presents data showing the large variation in college - going rates at schools with the same gra
Accountability Measure,» Chad Aldeman looks at some problems with
using highs school graduation rates for
accountability purposes and presents data showing the large variation in college - going rates at schools with the same gra
accountability purposes and presents data showing the large variation in college - going rates at schools with the same graduation rates.
States could also create entirely separate
accountability systems for alternative schools, weighting existing
measures differently (e.g. placing less emphasis on proficiency and placing more emphasis on academic growth) and
using different indicators, such
as high school completion rates instead of cohort graduation rates.
Colorado has implemented 15 Quality Standards for Online Programs which are
used as a
measure of
accountability.
The
measure is conceptually similar to the growth
measures currently
used in some state
accountability systems, such
as student growth percentiles.
Together, these two changes —
measuring performance levels
using a performance index with
as many categories
as possible and weighting growth more heavily than status — will go a considerable way toward improving the design of
accountability policy and reducing unintended consequences.
However, the problem with NCLB
as it is currently enacted is not the
accountability requirements but the
measure used to assess
accountability, high - stakes testing.
We analyzed the data in the context of seven additional
measures related to principals «assessments of the districts «focus on
accountability — through such items, e.g.,
as Our district has explicit targets beyond NCLB targets, and The district
uses student achievement data to determine PD needs and resources.
Data collection by School Nurses may be
used by their districts for
accountability measures, such
as the chronic absenteeism rates required in the Every Student Succeeds Act and Ohio's school quality indicator.
Assessment information
used in
accountability must focus on those areas deemed most important, not only those areas that are easiest to
measure with inexpensive tools, such
as standardized tests, though such tools have a place in the
accountability process.
Districts should be key drivers within comprehensive
accountability systems by supporting continuous improvement, tracking additional
measures of school quality and student success,
using these
measures to inform local decisions about resources and supports, and serving
as laboratories of innovation for the state;
School performance
measures are
used just
as much by officials to monitor standards and ultimately Progress 8 is an
accountability measure.
KNOWLEDGE BRIEF 15 by Stephen Raudenbush Student scores on standardized tests are
used as measures for teacher
accountability, but, arguably, helping children score well on an achievement test is of little value in itself.
For example, while we have ample evidence of unintended consequences of test - based
accountability —
as well
as evidence of some potential benefits — we know less about the consequences of
using value - added
measures to encourage educators to improve.
Accountability Measure Examples (PDF) are possible metrics spanning a range of domains such as academic learning, social - emotional learning, school culture and climate, and access and opportunity that could be used in accountab
Accountability Measure Examples (PDF) are possible metrics spanning a range of domains such
as academic learning, social - emotional learning, school culture and climate, and access and opportunity that could be
used in
accountabilityaccountability systems.
Yet, even
as the United States begins implementing SEL across its educational system and shifting from high - stakes, strictly test - based
accountability, SEL experts debate whether we can accurately
measure and assess these skills and competencies — and if so, whether we should
use those results to gauge school quality.
Accountability should be enforced where the necessary resources are provided and the tools
used to
measure success or failure are well developed, appropriate to the task, and
used to inform instructional decisions.School Choice School choice is appropriate within the public school system
as long
as equal opportunity and access are ensured without discrimination on the basis of race, gender, socioeconomic status, or disability.
A host of factors — lack of
accountability for school performance, staffing practices that strip school systems of incentives to take teacher evaluation seriously, teacher union ambivalence, and public education's practice of
using teacher credentials
as a proxy for teacher quality — have produced superficial and capricious teacher evaluation systems that often don't even directly address the quality of instruction, much less
measure students» learning.
Yet, questions remain about what
measures are reliable and valid for
use as accountability metrics and how to best incorporate them into
accountability systems.
When such assessments are
used for
accountability purposes they need to be validated
as appropriately
measuring the knowledge and skills they intend to
measure and verified
as being evaluated in non-biased, consistent ways.
State departments of education play an important role in defining expectations for students; how those expectations are
measured; and how information is
used to identify, intervene, and support schools and districts
as part of a coherent and «reciprocal» system of
accountability.
The tests would not be
used as a school
accountability measure.
Considering all this, some experts have gone so far
as to say that regardless of what ends up happening in the judicial system, the political momentum for
using test - based
accountability measures is all but over.
Schools are
measured as successes and failures
using distant measurements that are absent any locally understood input, and then they are threatened until those
measures rise — or the school is closed and frequently turned over to a private operator with absolutely no
accountability to local democratic institutions.
By allowing states to develop their own
accountability systems that can
use other approaches for
measuring outcomes such
as college completion rates.
Many principals mentioned they
use value - added
measures to place teachers in tested subjects and with students in grade levels that «count» for
accountability purpose... some principals [also
used] VAM [output] to move ineffective teachers to untested grades, such
as K - 2 in elementary schools and 12th grade in high schools» (p. 100).
Little mention is made of our reality here, however, given the real and deleterious effects we witness, for example,
as current teacher educators when we work with potential / future teachers who almost daily express serious concerns about joining a profession now with very little autonomy, not much respect, and a stark increase in draconian
accountability measures that will be
used to hold them accountable for that which they do, or do not do well.
Policies that
use standardized test scores
as the most important
accountability measure for schools, teachers or students, and / or expand the
use of standardized testing in our schools.
Even
as educators are integrating these more rigorous standards into their instruction, student and school performance continue to be judged
using No Child Left Behind's (NCLB) outdated testing regimen and
accountability measures.
Summative assessment at the district / classroom level is an
accountability measure that is generally
used as part of the grading process.
During the past 20 years, there has been a steady increase in the
use of standardized tests
as accountability measures (Linn, 2000; Madaus & Tan, 1993).
Although just one component of the greater
accountability system, school classification systems are a top priority for states.1
As states design these systems, much of their attention is focused on which indicators of school quality or student success they will
use for a more holistic
measure of school performance.2 According to ESSA, these new indicators may
measure one or more of the following: 3
«Multimetric
accountability systems should
use formative assessments, evidence of student learning, and progress toward personal growth objectives to
measure student and teacher success rather than rely on standardized test scores
as the primary reference point.»
As an
accountability measure, schools should undertake regular audits of course enrollments that analyze disparities in enrollment numbers among racial subgroups and that critically examine the criteria being
used by teachers and counselors to determine student readiness for advanced coursework.
As just posted on Diane Ravitch's blog, Randi Weingarten, the current president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), has (finally) expressed her full opposition against
using value - added models (VAMs), the statistical
measures of utmost interest on this blog, for teacher evaluation,
accountability, and merit pay purposes.
Using student - level data from Florida State the authors
measure the degree to which schools and teachers were «surprised» by the change in Florida's school grading system (A + Plan for Education) in the summer of 2002 — what they refer to
as an «
accountability shock.»
The current NCLB
accountability system, at least
as regards achievement,
uses multiple
measures in a conjunctive way.
Extreme caution should be given to
using this for any
accountability measures such
as Attainment 8, Progress 8 and the coasting
measures.»
But another purpose that states built toward was that if they wanted to
use PARCC
as part of an
accountability system, would it be a reliable
measure.
Transitioning to renewable energy, capitalizing on new financial mechanisms such
as green bonds and overhauling metrics
used to
measure the impact of businesses on society are all potential opportunities for savvy companies to get ahead of institutional investors, regulators and shareholders demanding more
accountability.
The juxtaposition between the heightened
accountability measures and the inability to confirm their efficacy highlights the immense challenge Facebook and other social media networks face
as they seek to prevent foreign nationals from
using their platforms to meddle in American politics.
Drawing on promising examples from several states,
as well
as from New York City and Alberta, Canada, the authors offer alternative approaches to developing, presenting, and
using a multiple -
measure accountability system.
Modelled after the Family Bridges program in Texas, this form of «reconciliation therapy» differs from traditional therapy by offering a directive intervention, founded on
accountability and with
measured milestones and practical suggestions,
using a psycho - educational approach
as opposed to therapy.