Alternative Accountability Models

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (5) ◽  
pp. 618-641
Author(s):  
Kelly McMahon ◽  
Ashley Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Test Scores ◽  
School Quality ◽  
School Accountability ◽  
Accountability Systems ◽  
Accountability Measures ◽  
Urban Districts ◽  
Alternative Measures ◽  
Theories Of Change ◽  
New Strategies

The passage of ESSA in 2015 created a novel mandate for States to develop school accountability systems that use alternative measures of school quality beyond test scores. This created an opportunity for States to be innovative and make new forms of data available that could potentially lead to new strategies for improving schools. This study explored early experiments in alternative accountability measures in two urban districts. Drawing on interviews, documents, and observations gained through participant research, this study highlights the variable types of data the models made available to stakeholders and how those differences suggest different theories of change for improving schools. The findings highlight how different ways of specifying school quality point to different ideas about what schools should be responsible for improving.

scholarly journals The Promise and Pitfalls of Using Imprecise School Accountability Measures

2002 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 91-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas J Kane ◽  
Douglas O Staiger
Keyword(s):  
Student Performance ◽  
Test Scores ◽  
Grade Level ◽  
Financial Incentives ◽  
Small Schools ◽  
Market Value ◽  
School Accountability ◽  
School Level ◽  
Accountability Systems ◽  
Accountability Measures

In recent years, most states have constructed elaborate accountability systems using school-level test scores. However, because the median elementary school contains only 69 children per grade level, such measures are quite imprecise. We evaluate the implications for school accountability systems. For instance, rewards or sanctions for schools with scores at either extreme primarily affect small schools and provide weak incentives to large ones. Nevertheless, we conclude that accountability systems may be worthwhile. Even in states with aggressive financial incentives, the marginal reward to schools for raising student performance is a small fraction of the potential labor market value for students.

Beyond Test Scores: “School Quality or Student Success” in State ESSA Plans

2021 ◽  
Vol 123 (6) ◽  
pp. 1-36
Author(s):  
John Portz
Keyword(s):  
Student Success ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Test Scores ◽  
School Quality ◽  
School Level ◽  
Individual Student ◽  
Average Weight ◽  
High School Level ◽  
New School ◽  
Accountability Measures

Background The federal Every Student Succeeds Act requires states to develop accountability measures in five indicator areas, including the new “school quality or student success” category. States also provide relative weights for each indicator. Research Questions This new indicator is an opportunity to further develop multiple accountability measures beyond the common focus on test scores. How did states respond to this opportunity? Why did states respond differently? Research Design A review of state ESSA plans is followed by regression analyses to help explain the different weights given by states to accountability indicators. Findings The average weight assigned to this new indicator is 11% at the elementary level and 20% at the high school level. There is a strong preference for measures of student success rather than institution-based measures of school quality. States giving this indicator the greatest weight are most influenced by a tradition of policy liberalism and, to a lesser degree, NAEP scores. Conclusion Most states are taking a limited and cautious approach to this new indicator. They continue an emphasis on test measures and assessing individual student performance. In a smaller number of states, there is a more significant movement toward the use of multiple accountability measures.

scholarly journals Redesigning systems of school accountability: A multiple measures approach to accountability and support

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 ◽  
pp. 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Soung Bae
Keyword(s):  
Continuous Improvement ◽  
21St Century ◽  
School Quality ◽  
School Accountability ◽  
Opportunities To Learn ◽  
Accountability Systems ◽  
Multiple Measures ◽  
College Career ◽  
Continuous Support ◽  
State And Local

The challenges facing our children in the 21st century are rapidly changing. As a result, schools bear a greater responsibility to prepare students for college, career, and life and must be held accountable for more than just testing and reporting on a narrow set of outcomes aimed at minimum levels of competency. Thus, scholars, educators, and reform advocates are calling for a more meaningful next phase of school accountability, one that promotes continuous support and improvement rather than mere compliance and efforts to avoid punishment (Center for American Progress & CCSSO, 2014; Darling-Hammond, Wilhoit, & Pittenger, 2014). This paper reviews state and district level accountability systems that incorporate a multiple measures approach to accountability and highlights the following features that represent redesigned systems of accountability: 1) broader set of outcome measures, 2) mix of state and local indicators, 3) measures of opportunities to learn, 4) data dashboards, and 5) School Quality Reviews. The paper concludes with guidance for policymakers and practitioners on ways to support the development and implementation of a multiple measures system of accountability so that school accountability becomes synonymous with responsibility for deeper learning and support for continuous improvement.

scholarly journals Local Labor Markets and Child Learning Outcomes in India

2020 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Magda Tsaneva ◽  
Uttara Balakrishnan
Keyword(s):  
Labor Market ◽  
Test Scores ◽  
School Quality ◽  
Labor Demand ◽  
District Level ◽  
Education Spending ◽  
Education Outcomes ◽  
Market Opportunities ◽  
Primary School Age ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract This paper uses data from rural India to study the relationship between local labor market opportunities and child education outcomes. We construct a Bartik index as a measure of exogenous changes in district-level labor demand and find that an increase in predicted overall employment growth is associated with higher years of education and better test scores for both boys and girls of primary school age. The effects on test scores of older boys are smaller and less statistically significant. Older girls, however, do benefit from better labor market opportunities. We do not find evidence for changes in school quality or district-level investment. Instead, we find support for increases in household education spending, possibly because of overall higher wages, or re-allocation of resources.

Status, Growth, and Perceptions of School Quality

2021 ◽  
pp. 016237372110305
Author(s):  
David M. Houston ◽  
Michael Henderson ◽  
Paul E. Peterson ◽  
Martin R. West
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
School Quality ◽  
Survey Experiment ◽  
Accountability Systems ◽  
Local Schools ◽  
Achievement Growth ◽  
Status Information ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Perceptions Of School

States and districts are increasingly incorporating measures of achievement growth into their school accountability systems, but there is little research on how these changes affect the public’s perceptions of school quality. We conduct a nationally representative online survey experiment to identify the effects of providing participants with information about their local public schools’ average achievement status and/or average achievement growth. Prior to receiving any information, participants already possess a modest understanding of how their local schools perform in terms of status, but they are largely unaware of how these schools perform in terms of growth. Participants who live in higher status districts tend to grade their local schools more favorably. The provision of status information does not fundamentally change this relationship. The provision of growth information, however, alters Americans’ views about local educational performance. Once informed, participants’ evaluations of their local schools better reflect the variation in district growth.

School Accountability

2018 ◽  
pp. 520-550
Author(s):  
Morgan Polikoff ◽  
Shira Korn
Keyword(s):  
No Child Left Behind ◽  
The United States ◽  
School Accountability ◽  
Unintended Consequences ◽  
Accountability Systems ◽  
Left Behind ◽  
Policy Choices ◽  
Accountability Policy ◽  
Improve Student Achievement ◽  
Every Student Succeeds Act

This chapter summarizes the history and effects of standards-based school accountability in the United States and offers suggestions for accountability policy moving forward. It analyzes standards-based accountability in both the No Child Left Behind Act and the Every Student Succeeds Act, and discusses the effects of accountability systems. The authors argue that school accountability systems can improve student achievement, but that unintended consequences are possible. How accountability systems are designed—the metrics and measures used and the consequences for performance—has both symbolic and practical implications for the efficacy of the system and the individuals affected. Synthesizing what is known about the design of school accountability systems, the authors propose policy choices that can improve the validity, reliability, transparency, and fairness of these systems.

scholarly journals The Right to Education Act: Trends in Enrollment, Test Scores, and School Quality

2019 ◽  
Vol 109 ◽  
pp. 232-238 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manisha Shah ◽  
Bryce Steinberg
Keyword(s):  
Educational Outcomes ◽  
Test Scores ◽  
School Quality ◽  
Household Surveys ◽  
Right To Education ◽  
Free Primary Education ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Education Act ◽  
The Right ◽  
National Trends

The Right to Education (RTE) Act passed in 2009 guarantees access to free primary education to all children ages 6-14 in India. This paper investigates whether national trends in educational outcomes change around the time of this law using household surveys and administrative data. We document four trends: (1) school-going increases after the passage of RTE, (2) test scores decline dramatically after 2010, (3) school infrastructure appears to improve both before and after RTE, and (4) the number of students who have to repeat a grade falls precipitously after RTE is enacted, in line with official provisions of the law.

Do Parents Value Changes in Test Scores? High Stakes Testing in Texas

2004 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela K. Dills
Keyword(s):  
Test Scores ◽  
School Quality ◽  
High Stakes Testing ◽  
College Entrance ◽  
High Stakes ◽  
Entrance Exams ◽  
Housing Value ◽  
College Entrance Exams ◽  
Improved Performance ◽  
Value Changes

Abstract Texas evaluates, accredits, and financially rewards schools based on student test scores. Test scores increased dramatically following this implementation of high stakes testing. This paper examines whether homebuyers valued these test score increases. The results show little or no relation between changes in test scores and changes in total housing value in a district. Strikingly, improved performance on college entrance exams is associated with increased total housing value. Using the college entrance exams as a benchmark, the results on the state test suggest that high stakes testing failed to increase perceived school quality.

Effects of High Schools on Their Students

1975 ◽  
Vol 45 (3) ◽  
pp. 273-324 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Jencks ◽  
Marsha Brown
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
High Schools ◽  
Test Scores ◽  
School Effectiveness ◽  
School Quality ◽  
Occupational Status ◽  
School Characteristics ◽  
Comprehensive High Schools ◽  
Social Composition ◽  
Using Data

Few people doubt that there are good and bad high schools, or that high-school quality is related in some way to high-school characteristics. Yet findings from studies of high-school effectiveness have not been consistent. Using data from Project Talent, Christopher Jencks and Marsha Brown show that earlier findings have been inconsistent because comprehensive high schools rarely have consistent effects on test scores, eventual educational attainment, or occupational status. Moreover, the authors find few relationships between high-school characteristics and any measure of high-school effectiveness. From these findings, they argue that,at least for whites, changes in high-school characteristics like teacher experience,class size, and social composition are unlikely to change high-school effectiveness,and that holding schools accountable for one outcome is unlikely to guarantee effectiveness on another. They also argue that the equalization of high-school quality would do little to reduce inequality among young adults, and that high schools should therefore concentrate on the elimination of intramural inequities.

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