Accountability System Design
Why do schools and districts need a new accountability system?
Every school and district has a story to tell about the work of students, teachers, parents, and school leaders. Unfortunately, the accountability systems that are created in response to federal and state requirements rely exclusively on lists of test scores. However important test scores may be, they do not provide a comprehensive view of the activities of a school or district. Moreover, a list of test scores fails to allow school leaders and policymakers to analyze the relationship between cause variables, such as teaching practices, curriculum, assessments, etc., and effect variables, such as student achievement indicators. Finally, only a comprehensive accountability system includes the important activities of central office departments, extracurricular activities, parent involvement, and many other influences on student achievement.
How can the The Leadership and Learning Center, formerly the Center for Performance Assessment, help?
The Leadership and Learning Center, formerly the Center for Performance Assessment, is the originator of the concept of holistic accountability and a leading authority on accountability system design. The Center’s accountability work has been used by hundreds of schools, including Norfolk Public Schools, winner of the Broad Award for the best urban school system in the United States. The Norfolk accountability system was specifically cited as a factor in the awarding of the Broad Prize.
How does the design system work?
The Center facilitates an Accountability Task Force appointed by the Superintendent. The Task Force, including representatives of stakeholders throughout the community, typically meets six to nine times in order to design a system that best meets the unique needs of the school system. The Center’s facilitator provides a synthesis of many community views and also offers technical expertise in the design and implementation of the accountability system.
How does the accountability system fit with strategic plans, building plans, state accountability laws, and other similar processes?
An effective comprehensive accountability system provides a framework that connects every initiative in the school system. The greatest weaknesses of most strategic plans and school improvement plans are that action plans are not monitored and implemented. A successfully implemented accountability plan will provide better focus for the school system, identifying which programs and initiatives are most closely related to student achievement. Properly implemented, the accountability system will save time for board members, administrators, and teachers by helping the schools to focus on the most important areas of instruction and leadership.
How can we be sure that the accountability system will be implemented at the classroom level?
The Leadership and Learning Center, formerly the Center for Performance Assessment, provide explicit links between professional development for teachers and administrators and district initiatives, including board and superintendent priorities and the district’s comprehensive accountability plan. Every professional development activity begins with a consideration of how all of the pieces fit together.
What is the research that supports the Center’s accountability model?
The ASCD publication Accountability for Learning: How Teachers and School Leaders Can Take Charge (2004) and the book Accountability in Action: A Blueprint for Learning Organizations (2nd edition) both provide research, case studies at the elementary, middle, and high school levels, and implementation guides for a comprehensive accountability system.
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