School Report Cards: Considerations and State Examples Va Board of Education Committee on School and Division Accountability Feb Laurie McCullough Executive Director, VaASCD Chair, Accountability Subcommittee of the SOL Innovation Committee

Sources: Rating States, Grading Schools, Aug Report of the Education Commission of the States Key Elements for Accountability, 2010 Report from CCSSO ASCD Policy Positions Innovation Committee discussions And MANY THANKS to Melany Stowe! 1.Report card considerations: PurposeContentDesign 2. Features and examples of report cards

Purpose Student measures: To assess progress toward important learning goals. Educator measures: To target professional development needs. School measures: To support improvement and inform the public.

Content: HB 1672 / SB 727 No later than July 1, 2016, the Board of Education, in consultation with the Standards of Learning Innovation Committee, shall redesign the School Performance Report Card so that it is more effective in communicating to parents and the public the status and achievements of the public schools and local school divisions in the Commonwealth. The Board, in redesigning the School Performance Report Card, may consider (i) the standards of accreditation, (ii) state and federal accountability requirements, (iii) state- mandated assessments, (iv) any alternative assessments developed or approved for use by the relevant local school board, (v) student growth indicators, (vi) student mobility, (vii) the experience and qualifications of school staff, (viii) total cost and funding per pupil, (ix) school safety, and (x) any other factors that the Board deems necessary to produce a full and accurate statement of performance for each public elementary and secondary school and local school division in the Commonwealth.

Content: Two questions 1.What should we measure and how? – Ex: College and Career Readiness state test scores? nationally-normed test scores? % of students who are test takers? 9 th graders on track for graduation? graduation rate? – Ex: School Climate student surveys? staff surveys? discipline incidents?

Report Card Data Collection Teacher Licensure Pupil-Teacher Ratio Salary Information “Counts” for accreditation: Test data Grad Rates Etc. Test data in “off”years Strengths and OFIs Family Engagement Content: Two questions Content: Two questions 2. What gets measured vs. what gets reported?

9 Socioeconomic & demographic data Growth of highest achievers Class size Attendance rate What Could Be Reported? 9 th Graders on track to graduate Student survey results Parent & community involvement % taking higher level coursework Revenues Expenditures School climate Counseling, support services Health and wellness programs

Design: Interpreting and Communicating Things like A rating or estimate of school quality. Comparisons to……..state averages or composites? peer groups? Format for ease of use. Annual static snapshot or dynamic interface?

Design: Interpreting and Communicating

Online Accessibility Ability to Print Emphasis of Ranking (if any) Peer Rankings within State Graphics Explanations Ability to Drill Down Tabs (Dashboard) Design: Interpreting and Communicating

Stars (3) ECS Database & Online Research Currently 30 Different Rating Systems # A-F ? Number Variations (9) Colors (1) None (5) Letters (13) Descriptors (18)

Sample Descriptors Excelling, Progressing, Transitioning, Review, Focus, and Turnaround (Connecticut) Recognition, Continuous Improvement, Focus, Priority, Superintendent’s Zone (Hawaii) Exemplary, Exceeds Standard, Meets Standard, Approaches Standard, Academic Warning (Kansas) Distinguished, Proficient, Needs Improvement, Progressing School (Kentucky) Reward, Celebration Eligible, Continuous Improvement, Focus, Priority (Minnesota) Accredited with Distinction, Accredited Provisionally, Accredited, Unaccredited (Missouri)

Fully Accredited, Provisionally Accredited-Graduation Rate, Accredited with Warning, Accreditation Denied, Conditionally Accredited (Virginia) Exemplary, Very Good, Good, Fair, Struggling (Washington) Exceeding Expectations, Meeting Expectations, Partially Meeting Expectations, Not Meeting Expectations (Wyoming) Accredited with Distinction, Accredited Provisionally, Accredited, Unaccredited (Missouri) Exceeds Standards, Meets Standards, Below Standards (Nebraska) Reward School, Good Standing, Local Assistance Plan, Focus, Priority (New York) Sample Descriptors

Recommend that the Board of Education and the General Assembly revise the Standards of Accreditation to add accreditation ratings which 1) recognize the progress of schools that do not meet the accreditation benchmarks but have significantly improved their pass rates, and 2) recognize schools that did not meet accreditation benchmarks but have demonstrated significant growth for the majority of students. Innovation Committee, Interim Recommendation

August 2014 Report: Rating States, Grading Schools Education Commission of the States (ECS) RESEARCHERS Are the report cards easy to find? PARENTS Are they easy to understand? EXPERTS What indicators are essential for measuring performance?

Top Three According to Researchers Easy to understand Did not like printable (pdf) version Arizona Good use of graphics Data points are explained well Use of tabs Noted “data coming” Ohio Good use of graphics Links to data drill down Inclusion of survey results Illinois According to ECS researchers, based upon the following criteria: findable, readable, understandable, and graphics. 8 Report Cards Ranked Above Average in all 4 Categories: Arizona, Delaware, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maine, and Ohio

Ability to explore data District of Columbia Fast facts Clear graphics Illinois Parents also ranked the following report cards above average: Delaware, Arkansas, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Note: There were inconsistencies: one parent ranked a report card excellent (5) and another ranked the same report card unacceptable (1). According to ECS selected parents, based upon the following criteria: easy to read, useful, provides sufficient data. Top Two According to Parents

2 1. Student Achievement 5 Essential Indicators from Experts According to ECS Report 2. Student Academic Growth 3. Achievement Gap Closure 4. Graduation Rates 5. Postsecondary and Career Readiness 23 states currently include these 5 indicators, including Virginia.

Louisiana: Interesting Features A snapshot, but shows improvement One static page, with access to backup data Jena High School in LaSalle Parish

Ohio: Interesting Features Madison South Elementary A-F system (2015) Achievement vs. Progress Early Literacy Madison South Elementary

Illinois: Interesting Features ILLINOIS REPORT CARD No rating system, yet highly ranked by parents in ECS study. User survey 1 ½ minute video Mather High School