do What you think?
Mrs. Bright is getting a huge bonus ($5,000) this year. Her fourth graders moved from an initial 3.1 grade eqivalency score in math at the start of the year to 5.0 at the end. Mr. Bummer works in another school across town. He had similar gains with his students but he is receiving the same small pay increase (1%) that all the teachers in his building are receiving. Fair? Where would you want to work? Why?
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Slide 1 of 8
Accountability as a Barrier to Effective Education
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Barriers to Effective Education
Equity Accountability Mobility Obsolescence
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What is accountability?
In general? In education?
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Who should be held accountable?
Teachers? Principals? Parents? Students? Local School Board? Community/ community leaders? Politicians?
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Accountability: good or bad?
What are advantages to having accountability in education?
What are disadvantages?
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Slide 2 of 8
Current lack of accountability:
good teachers are promoted one step each year bad teachers are promoted one step each year
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How should teachers be held accountable? And rewarded?
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How should students be held accountable?
What grades should they be expected to get? Rewards? Standards-based knowledge or creativity more important?
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How can teachers help students be accountable for their own learning? Ideas? DWA's predictions Assessment FOR Learning
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School Accountability
In 2007, School accountability = test scores
Under NCLB, all students in grades 3-8 and in one grade in high school must be tested once a year in reading and mathematics. Students are expected to score at the "proficient" level or above on state-administered tests by 2014 and to make "Adequate Yearly Progress" toward that goal until then.
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NCLB (2001)
Subgroups of students, including low-income, black, Hispanic, special needs students and English language learners, also must meet AYP standards. If they not, do the entire school is deemed to have failed. 95 percent of students must take the test; average daily attendance in a K-8 school must be 92 percent; and 70 percent of high school students must pass the Grade 10 MCAS tests A school that fails to make AYP for two consecutive years is labeled "in need of improvement." After two years, sanctioned schools must give parents the choice of sending their children to another school in the district, with transportation costs paid out of Title I dollars. After five years, a school faces "corrective action." After seven years, a school must be "restructured," with options including state take-over, conversion to a charter school, management by a private company, or other unspecified "major restructuring."
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Slide 3 of 8
Current accountability and testing
typical post hoc documentation of success (or failure) confusion of test scores and standards confusion of test frequency and standards testing to make professional judgment unnecessary
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Needed standards of accountability and testing
testing to confirm professional judgment not bypass it grades given as predictors not measures of achievement (DWA; JJK unconvinced; one grade idea) remediation provided to overcome weaknesses
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What would you do?
Stacey does poorly on a major class assignment. She is very upset and asks to be able to do the assignment again. What is your decision? Why?
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Slide 7 of 8
Needed standards of accountability and testing (cont.)
consequences for good and bad performance there is no right to a bad education (communities should be accountable) mobility is a barrier to accountability
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Slide 8 of 8
Confusion of efficiency and effectiveness
Not independent concepts To be efficient you must first be effective at the same goal Efficiency a proper goal only after effectiveness is achieved
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"Work smart NOT hard"
Favorite Dwight-ism Ideas for doing so on the quiz?
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