Connecticut鈥檚 state board of education approved a Wednesday that factors in several indicators other than just test scores and simple graduation rates,.
Among them: post-graduation career preparedness, college enrollment, the percentage of chronically absent students, physical fitness, and access to arts. In addition, the indicators include three ways of measuring graduation rates such as whether freshmen are on track to graduate and the four- and six- year graduation rates.
Each indicator is given a value, and schools are ranked on an index based on the amount of points accumulated, according to the Courant.
The former accountability system was criticized by school district officials as only giving a 鈥渟napshot鈥� of a moment in time.
鈥淥ur new accountability system will tell a deeper, truer story of how well a school is preparing its students for success in college, career and life,鈥� Commissioner of Education Dianna Wentzell . 鈥淭he new system moves beyond test scores and graduation rates to provide a more holistic, multifactor perspective of district and school performance. It also shows where we need to invest more time and resources to help kids in the greatest need and where we can celebrate and share school success stories.鈥�
Also, as part of the new accountability system, the state categorizes schools as 鈥渆xcelling,鈥� 鈥渢urnaround,鈥� or 鈥渇ocus鈥� schools.
While states have more flexibility in the coming years to create their own school and teacher accountability systems under the recently signed Every Student Succeeds Act, or ESSA, some鈥攊ncluding California and Alaska鈥攁lready are in the process of revising their systems in ways that may or may not satisfy the law. The U.S. Department of Education has not yet said what it will regulate on, when regulations will be finalized, and when state accountability plans will be due and approved.
California board members, for example, are considering a plan that would evaluate schools based on several indicators, but would not include an index performance rating.
Alaska board members are considering an accountability system that would give more power to principals and superintendents to evaluate teachers, according to former Commissioner Mike Hanley.
In a , posted on the Connecticut Education Department鈥檚 website, administrators said that state鈥檚 revised system was built with the new regulations with the new law in mind.
鈥淚n fact, Connecticut鈥檚 new accountability system is well aligned to the requirements for accountability indicators under ESSA,鈥� the post says. 鈥淲e are still awaiting guidelines from the federal government on exactly what the new legislation means for Connecticut once the state鈥檚 Elementary and Secondary Education Act waiver expires and the new law takes effect.鈥�