Education Week - April 16, 2014 - 31

Many States Left Key NCLB-Waiver Flexibility on Table
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
issue of Educational Researcher. "On the other
hand, collecting new measures can be expensive,
can be time consuming. There's also a
lack of creativity in these state offices."
But there are exceptions, researchers found.
Kentucky will incorporate principal- and
teacher-evaluation results into school ratings
starting in the 2015-16 school year. New
Mexico includes the results of a classroom
survey taken by students. And Oregon factors
in students who are "on track" in 6th grade,
measured by rates of chronic absenteeism.
"We need to make sure we are attending
to those things that are most important,"
said Rob Saxton, the deputy superintendent
of public instruction for the Oregon Department
of Education, speaking at a panel on
multiple measures at a meeting last month
of the Council of Chief State School Officers
in Washington.
But states vary widely on what they see as
important, based on their decisions in crafting
accountability systems as part of the federal
waiver process.
Attendance, especially in elementary school,
is a popular nontest indicator among those
waiver states looking to use alternative measures
in weighing schools. So is advanced
coursetaking, especially participation in AP
classes or the International Baccalaureate
program.
Three states-Kentucky, South Dakota,
and Alabama-factor the rate of highly ef-
fective, or ineffective, teachers in each school
into a school's rating (based on the states' new
teacher-evaluation systems), according to the
USC-led research. Nevada seems to be the only
state to use remediation rates in the state's
higher education system as part of its high
school accountability system.
And across the spectrum, states using mul-
tiple measures rarely attached more than 30
percent of a school's grade to nontest factors,
the data show.
Much Needed Leeway
The NCLB waivers-first rolled out in 2011
by the U.S. Department of Education-provided
much-needed flexibility from the constraints
of the outdated law, the current
version of the Elementary and Secondary Education
Act. In classrooms across the country,
there was growing concern about narrowed
curricula that focused too much on math and
reading, the core subjects the NCLB law addressed.

"I think under No Child Left Behind, there
was far too much focus on a single test score
and on the proficiency cut score, those bubble
of students around that narrow bar," U.S. Secretary
of Education Arne Duncan said at a
U.S. Senate education committee hearing on
waivers last year. "What we wanted to put in
place were multiple measures and the focus
on growth and gain, so there weren't incentives
to teach a narrow band of students, but
to help every child."
While all of the federally approved accountability
systems under waivers incorporate student
growth, and not just absolute proficiency
rates, Mr. Duncan's hope that more states
would incorporate multiple measures hasn't
been fully realized.
Even in states that incorporate multiple
measures, the state chiefs say the priority-as
it should be-is on capturing student achievement
and growth. And test scores are the easiest
way to do that.
In 2012, Oklahoma tried to elevate other
factors, such as a school climate survey and
measures of parent and community engagement,
and made them worth 33 percent of a
school's grade. But district and school leaders
balked when the first report cards came
out in 2012, criticizing the new system for
penalizing them due to factors they couldn't
control.
For the 2013-14 school year and beyond,
these so-called "whole school" factors are
merely bonus points. Among those, however,
is a fairly unusual indicator: the graduation
rate of low-performing 8th graders.
Kerri White, an assistant superintendent
for educator effectiveness, said Oklahoma's
data system shows that before entering high
school, students struggling the most in 8th
grade are most likely to drop out. The state
wanted to offer bonus points in its accountability
system to high schools for successfully
graduating that group of students.
"We really wanted to give them an incentive
to focus on those kids," Ms. White said. "We're
trying to find what the leading indicators are
for academic achievement. Test scores are a
lagging indicator."
SCHOOL YARDSTICKS
Despite being offered flexibility from the U.S. Department of
Education, fewer than half of the states with No Child Left
Behind Act waivers elected to go beyond traditional test scores,
participation rates, and graduation rates in their school
accountability systems. Among those that did, here's a list of
other measures being used.
Self Audits in Kentucky
Kentucky is one of two states that incorporates
program reviews into school grades.
In Kentucky, this is a self-audit schools do
of their programs and curriculum, worth 20
percent of a school's grade. It asks schools
questions such as: How well does the principal
engage parents? Does the school offer
high-quality arts programs? Do teachers have
access to relevant professional development?
College
entrance
State
ALABAMA
ALASKA
COLORADO 4
FLORIDA
HAWAII
IDAHO
INDIANA
KENTUCKY
LOUISIANA
MARYLAND
MASSACHUSETTS 4
NEW MEXICO
NEVADA
OKLAHOMA
OREGON
PENNSYLVANIA
SOUTH DAKOTA
WISCONSIN
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
Dropout
rate
exam scores/
participation
4
4
4
4
4
High school
advanced
coursetaking

Schools must provide evidence to the state
for their answers, which are then subject to a
state education department audit as a checkand-balance.

"We wanted to make sure our schools and
districts offered a balanced curriculum," said
Kentucky Education Commissioner Terry
Holliday. "We had schools eliminating art and
music and P.E."
In addition to program reviews, the state
grades high schools on their students' ACT
scores. And once the state's new teacher-evaluation
system is fully operational, the percentage
of effective (or not effective) teachers in
each school will count in the rating system.
Mr. Holliday said state officials studied
whether to include dual enrollment and success
in Advanced Placement courses as indicators
of college readiness, but found it didn't
alter the school ratings. Down the road, however,
Kentucky is eyeing an additional measure:
the success of high school graduates in
college.
"It's not just all on the colleges to make
sure students succeed," Mr. Holliday said. "We
think our high schools ought to carry some responsibility."

Even in states that embrace multiple mea-
sures, such as New Mexico, state leaders say
test scores must remain the most important
part of a school accountability system.
"Our best way of measuring students'
achievement is through assessment," said
New Mexico's education chief, Hanna Skandera.
"But you have to be thoughtful. There is
a role and a place for assessments."
In New Mexico's A-F grading system, its
multiple measures are accounted for in up to
five bonus points for schools, out of a grading
scale of 100. Schools get bonus points for the
results of student surveys, attendance, reduction
in habitual truancy rates, and collegeand
career-readiness indicators in high school.
And although the state may tweak its grading
system here and there, Ms. Skandera said she
doesn't foresee any big changes.
"We want a consistent bar," she said. "The
richness of what we are able to capture is resoundingly
better than anything we've ever
had before."
Middle school
advanced
coursetaking
Attendance
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
College-going rates, ACT readiness in middle school
Dual enrollment
Middle school passing rate on ACT "EXPLORE" exams, school program reviews
College-going rate
Parent-student engagement, "opportunity to learn" student survey results,
dual enrollment
Remediation rate in Nevada colleges, advanced diplomas granted
Number of students "on track" in 9th grade
4
4
School climate
Rate of academically "on track" students
SOURCE: Researchers Morgan S. Polikoff, Andrew J. McEachin, Stephani L. Wrabel, and Matthew Duque; Education Week
EDUCATION WEEK | April 16, 2014 | www.edweek.org | 31
Teacher/principal
effectiveness
4
Career/industry
certification or
other indicator
Other
Locally chosen indicators, school program reviews
Participation and scores on ACT's WorkKeys work-readiness test

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Education Week - April 16, 2014

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