What Is School Accountability? Untangling Definitions, Purposes and Possibilities
If accountability is to serve its purposes well, we need to imagine it as a necessary component of a broader system.
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Choosing a Growth Model: Far More Than Technical Factors
Nearly all states use a measure of student growth in their accountability systems. But how should they choose a model? Our new paper provides guidance.
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Teaching & Assessing 21st Century Skills: A Focus on Student Agency
Agency—the ability to control one’s own thoughts, processes and actions—is a key skill for students to master. But assessing that mastery is challenging.
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Subtraction in Assessment and Accountability (Re)Design
Resisting our urge to add design layers to assessment and accountability systems—and subtracting instead—can produce better solutions.
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We’re Better Together!
Collaboration defined our work in 2024 and is at the heart of the Center’s philosophy. When we push one another to hone our ideas, we reach new heights.
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Right-Sizing ESSA Accountability
States can create an accountability mix that right-sizes federal requirements and their own priorities, by blending or separating the two.
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How Do State Leaders Want to Change the Every Student Succeeds Act?
ESSA is widely criticized, but our new survey shows that most assessment and accountability leaders favor few changes.
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Is Your Accountability System Working the Way It Should?
Few states evaluate their systems to see if they’re working well. We examined one state’s consistency in identifying the right schools for support.
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The Importance of Guiding Principles in Education
Education systems like accountability and assessment are complex, so it’s essential to create a set of principles that serve as a north star in their design.
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Moving Education From Accountability to Shared Responsibility
Shifting from an accountability mindset to reciprocal responsibility could transform the way schools, districts and states work toward improvement.
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Strengthening Ties Between Accountability and School Improvement
Do school accountability systems support effective school improvement practices? If not, where is the system breaking down and how can we fix it?
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What We’re Up To: Center Presentations at NCME and AERA
Our associates are giving many fascinating presentations at the assessment field’s two big spring conferences, NCME and AERA. Here’s a quick rundown.
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You Can Get the Accountability System You Want (Part 2)
States complain that ESSA bars them from getting the accountability systems they really want. We present three examples of systems that show otherwise.
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Issues That Loom Large for K-12 Assessment and Accountability:
2023 was a busy year for assessment and accountability. Scott Marion recaps the year’s key issues and looks ahead to questions that loom large for 2024.
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Threats to the Validity of Accountability Systems, Part 3:
In this three-part series, we explore key aspects of system design that need to be properly balanced. In this last post, we explore formative vs. summative feedback.
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Threats to the Validity of Accountability Systems, Part 2:
In this three-part series, we explore key aspects of school accountability design that need to be properly balanced. In Part 2, we examine precision vs. actionability.
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Threats to the Validity of Accountability Systems, Part 1:
In this three-part series, we explore key aspects of school accountability design that need to be properly balanced. In Part 1, we examine simplicity vs. complexity.
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You Can Get the Accountability System You Want (Part 1)
States can have the school accountability systems they value by minimizing the footprint of the Every Student Succeeds Act.
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