Submitted
In Teach Plus Indiana Policy Fellows’ new report, “Measuring What Matters: Recommendations for a More Comprehensive and Equitable Accountability Framework for Indiana’s Schools,” the organization outlines a data-informed vision for a next-generation accountability model – one that goes beyond standardized test scores to reflect the full scope of what it takes for students and schools to succeed.
“Multiple measures are essential because school performance is incredibly complex,” Teach Plus Indiana Executive Director Rachel Hathaway said. “Indiana is already moving toward a new framework that includes multiple indicators and the Graduates Prepared to Succeed (GPS) dashboard, which is an important step forward. Our report proposes additional measures to make that new framework stronger by ensuring the A–F grade that families rely on is not only clear and accessible but also backed by the depth of data we need to track student progress, whether that means targeting interventions for individual students or understanding how the whole system is performing.”
For the past several years, Indiana schools have operated without official accountability grades, leaving families, educators, and communities with limited insight into school performance and progress. The new report comes at a time when the state is finalizing a new accountability framework and the teachers’ recommendations are aligned with the Indiana Department of Education’s (IDOE) design priorities of transparency, student-centered, academic and skills focused, while being data driven.
Teacher-driven solutions for Indiana’s future
In “Measuring What Matters,” Fellows recommend a framework that builds upon Indiana’s current system while adding new indicators that better reflect school climate, student opportunity, and long-term success. Historically, indicators have included student performance, individual student growth, reduced achievement gaps, and college and career readiness.
Additional indicators Teach Plus Indiana Policy Fellows propose are:
- Chronic absenteeism – The percentage of students who miss 10 percent or more of the school year for any reason, excused or unexcused.
- Suspension and expulsion rates – The percentage of students removed from school for disciplinary reasons, either temporarily (suspension) or permanently (expulsion).
- Strength of diploma – A measure of the rigor and value of the diploma earned, based on the number of graduates completing advanced coursework or meeting college- and career-ready benchmarks.
- Postsecondary outcomes – The percentage of graduates who enroll in college, enlist in the military, or enter the workforce within a set time after graduation.
- Teacher retention rates – The percentage of teachers who remain employed in the same school or district from one year to the next.
About Teach Plus
The mission of Teach Plus is to empower excellent, experienced, and diverse teachers to take leadership over key policy and practice issues that affect their students’ success. Since 2009, Teach Plus has developed thousands of teacher leaders across the country to exercise their leadership in shaping education policy and improving teaching and learning for students. Learn more at teachplus.org/in.