Projects & Clients:
Members of the Massachusetts Office of Accountability and an advisory group had been working for several months on a proposal for the accountability system that is part of the Education Reform Law. They wanted to validate their psychometric measures and design scheme. The Massachusetts Department of Education contracted with the Center to review the proposal and its associated educational and policy issues and make recommendations.
Staff from the Center conducted a review of the proposal. A main area of the Center's focus was the proposed school performance rating processes. The Center held in-depth discussions with the Office of Accountability, reviewed the goals and issues, and analyzed extensive sample data to determine how each of elements would impact the ratings. The Center then provided recommendations for final selection of elements of the rating system.
As a result of the work on the proposal, the Center produced Example of Calculating School Achievement and Improvement Labels and Consequences, a document that enables school and district administrators to calculate their own accountability ratings.
Contact:
Juliane Dow, Director, Office of Accountability and Targeted Assistance Massachusetts Department of Education Malden, MA
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