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

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.
December 13, 2023

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.
December 6, 2023

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.
November 15, 2023

2023 Reidy Interactive Lecture Series

Reflecting on and Improving Accountability Systems: Promises and Challenges Agenda Thursday, September 21st TimeTopic9:00amWelcome and Introduction to RILSScott Marion, Center […]
September 21, 2023

Improving Accountability Through Authentic Community Engagement

Systems work best when they’re shaped by authentic input from the people they serve, but states and districts make key mistakes in gathering feedback.
September 20, 2023

Does School Accountability Have to Be So Complicated?

We can build simpler systems. The trick is striking the right balance between complexity and simplicity.
September 13, 2023

The Path Forward for School Accountability: Practical Ways to Improve School Accountability Systems Now (Webinar)

Pressure to improve our school accountability systems is mounting. Criticism of accountability isn’t new, but it intensified in 2020, driven […]
August 3, 2023

School Accountability Is Broken 

It’s time to create school accountability systems that recognize the unique roles and responsibilities of states, districts and schools.
August 3, 2023

How to Improve School Accountability Now

We don’t refute calls for more sweeping reform, but we must take swift action to make school accountability work better right now.
July 6, 2023

Promoting Equity Through Accountability System Design

States can use accountability system design as a lever for equity in student outcomes and opportunities, but 5 common barriers get in the way.
June 28, 2023