- Target:
- District of Columbia Residents Interested in Education
- Region:
- United States of America
The Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) has proposed a framework for school accountability. In order for that proposal to be forwarded to the U.S. Department of Education, the State Board of Education must endorse it. The State Board will vote on the subject Wednesday.
Last week, the State Board held its public hearing on the subject -- around 30 people testified in opposition, one in favor.
Democrats for Education Reform (DFER) which spent over $260,000 through an independent election committee to influence the last DC election cycle while receiving $275,000 from Alice Walton of Arkansas, posted an appeal from 50 people to approve the proposal as is.
If the proposal is not approved on Wednesday, stakeholders can work together to craft something that makes sense and has broader support. Such a proposal can be provided to our schools this summer before the school year and submitted to the Department of Education in September for formal approval.
There is no reason to rush. Measure twice, cut once.
We as parents, educators and advocates believe OSSE and the Board can do better with the District submission to the federal government for the Every Student Succeeds Act.
We believe the heavy emphasis on testing in just two subjects in NCLB and continued here with ESSA in DC has actually denied our most at risk students in elementary and middle school the benefits of a full education including social studies, science and the arts, in fact making them less prepared for citizenship and college and career.
The current draft with a summative single metric star rating is unfairly biased toward schools serving students who arrive already scoring high.
Transparency and accessibility for parents would be enhanced by more information on a dashboard.
By narrowing the indicators to test scores, attendance and re-enrollment we are missing an important opportunity to include discipline data and indicators of the learning environment which are vital to the success of our young people.
We urge the State Board not to rush to embrace a rubric that has failed to garner broad-based support and that squanders an important opportunity to improve the way we evaluate schools and create appropriate incentives for school improvement.
The State Board should withhold its support Wednesday and we should use the coming months to craft a proposal that can work for our families and communities.
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