K-12 Accountability: Proposed Changes To Dashboard Indicators

| Post By Susan Perkins Weston |

Kentucky’s new accountability system is being designed around a planned dashboard that will show how each school is doing on a set of indicators. In this post, I’ll share a quick list of how those indicators have been changed in the most recent (July 27) edition of the proposed regulation. For a little more detail, this PrichBlog one-pager describes the basics of each indicator as well as showing these changes. In upcoming posts, I’ll address the changes to the overall five star ratings approach that will combine these indicators, and share news on proposed goals for schools and groups. The Kentucky Board of Education will hold its second reading of the regulation on Wednesday, August 2, and you can download the full regulation here.

PROFICIENCY INDICATOR
Spins off science and social studies, but still addresses reading/writing and mathematics assessment results

Drops added credit for students who take assessment for a higher grade (but keeps .05 credit for apprentice, 1.0 credit for proficient, 1.25 credit for distinguished on assessment for grade in which students are enrolled)

SEPARATE ACADEMIC INDICATOR
Becomes a new indicator using science and social studies assessment results, with same 0.5/1.0/1.25 credit approach as the proficiency indicator

OPPORTUNITY AND ACCESS INDICATOR
Adds lack of behavior events and restraint/seclusion to school quality component (along with lack of chronic absenteeism)

Drops primary talent pool out of equitable access component

Specifies that essential skills (part of the high school rich curricula component) will be part of a Work Ethic Certification

Will require Kentucky Board of Education approval of measures “including the accumulation of credit”

ACHIEVEMENT GAP CLOSURE INDICATOR
For group comparison:

• Gives 1 point for each insignificant gap
• Uses highest scoring racial/ethnic group that is 10% of school enrollment (rather than just highest scoring group)

For goal comparison:

• Uses “current year’s annual target” as goal (but annual targets not established in regulation)
• Gives 2 points for at or above target, 1 point for up to 5 points below target

For whole indicator

• Counts group-to group component as 33% of total, group to target component as 67%

GROWTH INDICATOR (FOR ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOLS)
Includes value table of points to be given for each student’s current reading and mathematics performance compared to previous year

Calls for but does not provide value table for each English learner’s progress toward English language proficiency

TRANSITION READINESS INDICATOR (FOR ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOLS)
No changes for composite based on reading/writing, math, science, and social studies results

TRANSITION READINESS INDICATOR (FOR HIGH SCHOOLS)
Gives school credit for each student achieving readiness, career readiness and/or military readiness (which may mean one student can earn several credits for the school)

Gives 1.25 credit for “students obtaining specialized career pathways in state and regional high demand sectors as approved by Workforce Innovation Board,” with 1 credit for students obtaining “other readiness indicators”

GRADUATION INDICATOR (FOR HIGH SCHOOLS)
Adds four-year cohort rate (averaged with five-year rate)

INDICATOR RATINGS
Adds a "very low" rating option and changes "moderate" rating to "medium (keeping the low, high, and very high options from previous editions of the regulation)