Among these doses of unpleasant reality, they also offer compelling case studies of success in the most unlikely of places. Let me get straight to the point. Accountability for learning equips teachers and leaders with the ability to transform educational accountability policies from destructive and demoralizing accounting exercises to meaningful and constructive classroom, school, and district decision-making.
The “A-Word”: Why People Hate Accountability and What
In addition, a student-centered system includes a balance of quantitative and qualitative indicators—the story behind the numbers. Although student-centered accountability is not easy, it is infinitely more rewarding than the prevailing model of test scores, threats, intimidation, and poisoned morals.
Accountability Essentials dentifying and Measuring
In the context of schools, the essence of holistic accountability is that we must consider not only effect variables—test scores—but also cause variables—indicators of instruction, curriculum, parent involvement, leadership decisions, and a host of other factors that influence student achievement. Another group of students could benefit from a radical improvement in the frequency and specificity of teacher feedback.
The Accountable Teacher
How would you describe the actions of each of the professionals in this case study? Much of the data on the Richardson data walls would be invisible in a typical liability report.
Teacher Empowerment Bottom-Up Accountability
The logical flaw in the reasoning of most accountability systems is that some students who earn good test scores do so for reasons that have much more to do with the characteristics of their families. Some of the most notable critics of school testing argue the opposite of the “good test scores = good education” formula.
A View from the District
If we stop the analysis here – as many commentators on accountability and assessment have done – the picture is indeed bleak, with the intrinsic motivation of teachers consigned to the dustbin of history. Over the course of many sessions—the most effective schools made time for collaboration very often and in some cases did so every day—teachers narrowed their differences by agreeing on certain characteristics of acceptable student work.
The Policymaker’s Perspective
Some of the most important amendments to the law were authored by Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton. With the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act, education policymakers at the state level have an unprecedented opportunity to have a profound impact on school quality and equity.
Putting It All Together
Standards, Assessment, and Accountability
When we follow the first approach, we have accepted the logic of the 'normal distribution' or the bell curve. In the early days of the standards debate, it was an article of faith among bell curve proponents that comparison yielded accuracy.
A Sample Comprehensive Accountability System
Executive Summary
The district's comprehensive accountability system is the result of the work of the Accountability Task Force, a group commissioned by the Board of Education and the Superintendent of Schools. The comprehensive accountability system supports the Board of Education's goals, including student achievement, safe schools and community involvement.
Accountability System Structure
Thus, the comprehensive accountability system does not offer a "one size fits all" approach to education, but instead requires each school to determine the practices and programs that best meet the needs of its students. In addition, the superintendent and the board of education will have the opportunity to evaluate the extent to which each school is using available data from the comprehensive accountability system to achieve its improvement goals.
The Accountability Task Force
However, how these goals are achieved and the indicators chosen to reflect school strategies will vary widely from school to school. As Level 1, 2 and 3 results will be published each year, school leadership teams across the system will have the opportunity to observe which Level 2 practices have been most effective in achieving the Board's goals and will have the opportunity to make adjustments to their indicators level 2 each year.
Changes from the School Improvement Planning Model
Furthermore, limiting the reporting of school-based indicators to only five metrics will effectively result in fewer data points than most schools reported previously under the previous school improvement model. Although many teachers expressed fear that accountability meant they would be fired or disciplined for low test scores, that was not the case in the previous system, nor is it the case in the new system.
Principles of Effective Accountability
Compatibility: Is the accountability system compatible with the rewards and incentives already in place in the county. Specification: Does the accountability system set out clear ideas about what is expected and what needs to be done to help students achieve (descriptive and descriptive).
Accountability System Architecture
Fairness: Is the accountability system structured so that everyone knows the rules of the game, that the rules are applied consistently, and that everyone has the opportunity to play by the same rules. Second, "What are the variables in school that cannot be described numerically?" This gives each school the opportunity to describe the triumphs and tragedies of students, staff and the surrounding community, along with a rich description of the school's cultural and organizational environment.
Accountability System Reporting
While some schools may want to use Tier 2 indicators to reflect their measurements of school-based writing programs, other schools will use Tier 2 indicators to reflect their unique programs of parent involvement, community involvement, student extracurricular activities, behavior, and discipline programs. , technology integration, or other combinations of academic and support programs. First, "How does the information from Level 1 and Level 2 fit together?" The school chose specific Tier 2 indicators in the belief that these activities would improve Tier 1 measurements, and the narrative would explain the extent to which those expectations were met.
State and District Expectations
These test scores, along with data on student attendance and school safety, form the basis of the state's school performance report. Our district will meet this state requirement, but we plan to supplement each report with a report from the new Comprehensive Accountability System so that every parent understands not only what the state test results show, but also many other important activities at school. .
Tier 1: Systemwide Indicators
For example, while parents of high school students certainly want to know about the passing rate on the high school graduation exam, they will also want to know about student performance in Advanced Placement classes, student participation in extracurricular activities and other important accountability indicators that are not included in the state report card.
Introduction
State Test Scores
Both the SAT and the ACT provide indicators of student success in high school and also serve as the basis for comparisons of our high school students with their peers across the country.
Equity and Curriculum Indicators
Safe and Secure Learning Environment
These indicators identify the percentage of students in each school WITHOUT incidents of physical violence, possession of firearms, and possession of weapons other than firearms. Seeing the percentages of students not involved in disciplinary infractions can provide the public with a more accurate picture of school safety and organizational climate.
Community Engagement
The reason these Tier 1 statistics are important is that when counting instances of disciplinary infractions, the same student may account for multiple infractions.
Additional Tier 1 Indicators
Indicators in this area include the percentage of classes taught by teachers credentialed for those grades and the percentage of special education and gifted education positions filled by special education and gifted education credentialed teachers. Another level 1 indicator identifies the number of academic achievement-related professional development hours offered to and attended by staff members.
Disaggregation of Data
Tier 2: School-Based Indicators
Overview of Tier 2 Indicators
Tier 2 Menu and Alternative Indicator Selections
Data Collection and Monitoring for Tier 2 Indicators
Accountability Task Force Monitoring
How do our efforts in second-level indicators relate to visible changes in student achievement?". If some of our level 2 indicators are not working satisfactorily, how can they be modified.
Changes in Tier 2 Indicators
While these deliberations are not mandatory reports, the minutes of these meetings will reflect the extent to which the school leadership team is using data constructively to address the school's priorities and challenges.
Tier 3: School Narratives
Introduction
Second, what are the school climate factors that help put the quantitative data into context. This allows the school to account for triumphs and tragedies that have profoundly impacted students, faculty, and the community but are not readily apparent from a review of data on test scores, attendance, and graduation rates.
Format and Content of the School Narrative
Professional Development Plan
Introduction
School-Based Professional Development
Building Resources
Communication Plan
Introduction
In addition to the annual comprehensive accountability system report, we will use periodic community reports to highlight the constructive use of accountability to improve teaching and learning. In addition to using principals' meetings, the school system will use multiple communication tools, including the district's intranet, local public access television, parent-teacher organization meetings, and other community outreach.
School Reports
Community Report
State Report
Central Office Accountability System
Introduction
Departmental Performance Report
In addition, the department will submit a departmental narrative that parallels the District and School Tier 3 narratives. Elementary School Advisory Council Representative Middle School Advisory Council Representative High School Advisory Council Representative Special Education Advisory Council Representative Gifted Education Advisory Council Representative.
Academic Achievement 1.1 Reporting Format
State Test Scores
College Admissions Scores (High School Only)
Advanced Placement (AP) Scores (High School Only) Percentage of students taking AP classes, percentages of students in
Reading Scores
Attendance
Persistence
Promotion
Teacher Qualifications
Professional Development
Safety
Percentage of students scoring “proficient” or higher on school-based, criterion-referenced reading assessments. Percentage of students who are “proficient” or better at using two-column notes based on a school rubric for note-taking.
Tools for Developing and Implementing an
Challenges – What the accountability report tells us are the most challenging areas for our students. Strategies in our school – What do the school-based indicators tell us about the teaching strategies we used that were linked to our performance outcomes.
Contact Information for State Departments of Education and
Accountability for Student Learning, Iowa Association of School Boards, http://www.ia-sb.org/services/. Emerging Student Assessment Systems for School Reform, http://www.ed.gov/databases/ERIC_Digests/ed389959.html.
A method for measuring the effects of the system, school and teacher on the rate of student academic progress [electronic version]. The School Administrator, retrieved March 5, 2003, from. http://www.aasa.org/publications/sa/1998_12/contents.htm. The teaching gap: Why our schools are failing and what we can learn from Japanese and Chinese education. New York: Simon & Schuster. 2001).Student-involved classroom assessment(3rd ed.).
Index
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