The Importance of Guiding Principles in Education
A North Star for Assessment and Accountability Design
The importance of guiding principles cannot be overstated. In the complex world of education, where we design and build systems for assessment, accountability, or teacher evaluation, guiding principles serve as a north star that helps us navigate intricate processes and conflicting priorities. In this post, I’ll explore how guiding principles are essential in shaping these systems and ensuring they meet their intended goals.
The Complexity of Educational System Design
How complicated is it to build educational systems? It’s so complex that many have compared it to rocket science—and often find it to be even more challenging (check out these pieces by Charlie DePascale, Ryan Fuller, and Douglas Green, for example).
Given this complexity, how do we ensure that we’re targeting the outcomes that matter? It starts with knowing where we want to go—a concept often referred to as beginning with the end in mind (thank you, Covey). While goals help define the short and long-term outcomes, guiding principles lay the groundwork by expressing the conditions and manner in which these systems should be designed to achieve those goals.
Complexity is Everywhere
To illustrate, let’s step out of the education world for a moment. Raising a family, for example, is no less complex. I have five kids, ranging in age from 6 to 14, and in our household, we simplify expectations with just two guiding principles:
- Respect yourself.
- Respect others.
These two principles inform everything from chores to social interactions to academic efforts. Similarly, in the education space, guiding principles can help us manage the complexity of system design by providing a clear framework for decision-making.
Guiding Principles in Education
At the Center, we often collaborate with states on complex design work, such as developing comprehensive assessment systems, accountability systems, or teacher evaluation systems. While these systems are interrelated, states and their task forces often take different approaches. These differences make it all the more important to establish and adhere to guiding principles as a common thread throughout the design process.
Below are some lessons I’ve learned from working with states as they design these complex systems.
Designing assessment systems. Assessment systems are fundamentally about collecting coherent evidence demonstrating that students acquired the knowledge and skills necessary for success after K-12 education. Before diving into design, however, we must ask: What information do we value? Do we prioritize absolute performance in subjects like math and English/language arts, or do we value growth and higher-order thinking skills? Perhaps it’s a blend of these, along with the ability to transfer skills to new contexts. Two example guiding principles for assessment system design might be:
- Prioritize measuring higher-order thinking skills alongside foundational knowledge.
- Ensure that the design process includes representation from diverse stakeholder groups, particularly those who can relate to the students’ experiences.
Designing accountability systems. Accountability systems aim to provide a meaningful measure of school quality, but this can’t be achieved without first defining what “school quality” means. Guiding principles here should focus on both the definition of school quality and the operational aspects of the system. Consider these sample guiding principles:
- Define school quality by balancing growth metrics with absolute achievement to capture a holistic picture of student success.
- Ensure that system outputs, like school ratings, are directly linked to actionable support mechanisms so that data lead to meaningful improvements.
By thinking about these principles early on, we can avoid common pitfalls—like focusing solely on outputs without considering how the data will be used to drive improvement.
Designing teacher evaluation systems. Teacher evaluation systems vary widely depending on the goals set by a state or district. Whether focusing on student performance or qualitative measures, guiding principles must be grounded in research and, ideally, be actionable. Here are two examples of possible guiding principles:
- Base evaluations on a combination of student growth and qualitative evidence, avoiding an over-reliance on any single measure.
- Design the system to be adaptable, recognizing the diversity of instructional contexts across different schools and classrooms.
Knowing how a system should be used and in what context we hope it will thrive are critical to forming guiding principles.
Key Lesson Learned: Who’s at the Table?
A critical lesson from our work with states is the importance of inclusivity in defining guiding principles. We can’t just state what we value; we must ask: who is at the table to define what we value in assessments, accountability, or teacher evaluations?
Representation matters. And it goes beyond attending to racial, ethnic and geographic diversity. Inclusion means ensuring that participants reflect the lived experiences and perspectives of the student populations these systems are meant to serve.
Above All Else, Keep it Useful
In a previous blog, I discussed the importance of building good technical documentation, concluding that utility is paramount. The same applies to guiding principles in system design. They must be useful—grounded in a state’s context, mindful of users, clearly scoped, and inclusive.
To that end, here’s a final checklist to consider when developing guiding principles:
- Context: Ensure that your guiding principles align with the realities of the system’s environment, avoiding impractical expectations.
- Users: Understand who is defining the principles, who is building the system, and who will ultimately use it.
- Scope: Be clear about the system’s purpose and duration—is it a temporary solution or a long-term framework?
- Inclusion: Critically assess who is involved in developing the guiding principles and ensure that a wide range of voices are represented.
I invite you to share your own experiences: How have guiding principles helped in your system design efforts, or where have they fallen short? Let’s continue the conversation and find ways to improve our processes for everyone involved.