Accountability

Accountability Resources

The Center for Assessment partners with education leaders to design, refine, and evaluate accountability systems that balance equity, transparency, and technical rigor. Grounded in research and best practices, our work ensures these systems address local priorities while meeting high standards for validity and utility. We provide thought leadership on reimagining accountability frameworks to better support educational equity, improve outcomes, and enhance stakeholder trust. Whether building new systems or optimizing existing ones, we collaborate to create solutions that drive meaningful, sustainable improvements in schools and student learning.


Recent Accountability Projects

Accountability Documentation

The New Mexico Public Education Department is developing technical documentation of the state’s accountability system. The goal of this work is to increase transparency and ensure year-to-year consistency in implementation of the accountability business rules.

Setting Accountability Performance Standards

The Arkansas Department of Education is designing a process to establish new standards for the state’s school accountability system. It will consider a school’s performance across multiple prioritized measures and allow grades to be reported for overall school performance and for two or more priority indicators.

Modeling Growth In Delaware

In state accountability systems, it is important that each indicator provide valuable and independent information about schools. A team from the Center—Senior Associates Will Lorié and Damian Betebenner and Executive Director Scott Marion—is working with a Delaware advisory group to investigate ways to model student academic growth.


Recent Accountability Blog Posts

Considerations for State Leaders in the Design of School Accountability Systems Under the Every Student Succeeds Act

This brief provides an overview of the school accountability requirements under the Every Student Succeeds Act and outlines a process […]
February 14, 2016

Two Sides of the Same Coin: Competency-Based Education and Student Learning Objectives

This brief describes the potential coherence and efficiencies that can be gained by integrating competency-based education models and student learning […]
January 28, 2015

Assessment Transition and Implications for Accountability

Chris Domaleski and Erika Hall present a framework for developing a transition plan for state accountability systems when new assessments […]
February 16, 2014

2013 Reidy Interactive Lecture Series

Assessing College and Career Readiness: 2015 and Beyond September 26th-September 27th Day 1 Beyond the Common Core: Patrick Kyllonen Measurement […]
September 27, 2013

States’ Proposals to Change Accountability Systems With Federal Waivers

This paper provides an overview of state differentiated accountability systems in response to federal ESEA waivers. It includes illustrations of […]
August 18, 2013

Promoting Equity in State Education Accountability Systems

An exploration of new approaches to accountability design proposed by states in responses to federal ESEA flexibility requests. The opportunities […]
October 31, 2012

2012 Reidy Interactive Lecture Series

Evaluating the Evaluators: Evaluating Educator Evaluation Systems Thursday, September 13th Agenda Time Topic 8:30am Welcome and IntroductionsBrian Gong, Center for […]
September 14, 2012

The Wyoming Comprehensive Accountability Framework: Part 1

This report documents the framework and design of Wyoming’s educational accountability systems. It was produced by the Wyoming Select Committee […]
January 31, 2012

Student Growth Percentiles and Shoe Leather

Professor Bruce D. Baker recently published a critique of The Colorado Growth Model and its use of Student Growth Percentiles […]
September 29, 2011

A Survey of Approaches Used to Evaluate Educators in Non-Tested Grades and Subjects

This paper provides the results of scan of states’ and districts’ approaches to evaluating educators in non-tested subjects and grades.
June 1, 2011