Accountability System

The Key Question

How can Alaska's accountability system be used to focus on what matters most, better understand what is working well, and determine where we need to make improvements so that all students succeed?

ESSA Highlights

Each state plan shall describe a statewide accountability system that:

ESSA § 1111(c)(4)(A)

Long-Term Goals

Establishes ambitious State-designed long-term goals, which shall include measurements of interim progress toward meeting such goals:

• Long-term and interim goals
• For all students and each subgroup
• Academic achievement on summative assessment
• Graduation rate
  • Four-year
  • “Extended-year” at state’s discretion
• Progress toward English language proficiency

ESSA § 1111(c)(4)(B)

Required Indicators

Except for the indicator described in clause (iv) below, annually measure, for all students and separately for each subgroup of students, the following indicators:

1. Academic achievement
   • Grades KG-8
     • Based on required annual assessment and long-term goals
   • Grades 9-12
     • Based on required annual assessment and long-term goals
2. Student Growth
   • Grades KG-8
     • Based on student growth or another measure that allows for meaningful differentiation
   • Grades 9-12
     • Optional. Based on required annual assessment
3. Graduation rate
   • Grades KG-8
     • N/A
   • Grades 9-12
     • Four-year rate, extended-year rate at State’s discretion, and based on long-term goals
4. Progress in achieving English language proficiency
   • Grades KG-8
     • Progress for ELs in grades 3-8
   • Grades 9-12
     • Progress for ELs in testing grade(s)
5. School quality or student success
   • Grades KG-8
     • One or more measures
   • Grades 9-12
     • One or more measures

ESSA § 1111(c)(4)(C)

Differentiation

Establish a system of meaningfully differentiating, on an annual basis, all public schools in the state, which shall:

• Include all students and each subgroup
• “Substantial weight” to indicators (i) through (iv)
• School quality [indicator (v)] should not have an outsized impact
• “Include differentiation of any such school in which any subgroup of students is consistently underperforming”

ESSA § 1111(c)(4)(D)

Identification of Schools

Based on the system of meaningful differentiation, establish a state-determined methodology to identify:

• At least the lowest-performing five percent of Title I schools
  • Include all students and each subgroup
  • Schools failing to graduate 1/3 of students (less than 67 percent)
  • Additional categories at state’s discretion

ESSA § 1111(c)(4)(E)

Annual Measurement of Achievement

Annually measure the achievement of not less than 95 percent of all students, and 95 percent of all students in each subgroup of students.

• Include at least 95 percent of students in the denominator.
• Explain how this feature will be incorporated into the accountability system.

ESSA § 1111(c)(4)(F)

Partial Attendance

In the case of a student who has not attended the same school within a local educational agency for at least half of a school year, the performance of such student:

• May not be included in system of differentiation
• Shall be included in results on Report Cards
• Implications for graduation cohorts

Alaska's Current Situation

Long Term Goals

• Annual measurable objectives (AMOs)
  • Six years
• Same subgroups
  • May now include results for a former EL student for up to four years
• Alaska calculates four and five year rates
• Current graduation rate target is 90 percent for all students and subgroups
  • All but one student for schools with fewer than ten students
• Title III district accountability for ELs

Required Indicators

1. Academic achievement
   • Grades KG-8
     • Based on annual summative assessment (ASPI 35%)
   • Grades 9-12
     • Based on annual summative assessment (ASPI 20%)
2. Student Growth
   • Based on annual summative assessment (ASPI 40%)
3. Graduation Rate
   • Based on four- or five-year rate (ASPI 20%)
4. Progress in achieving English language proficiency
   • Title III district accountability, not in ASPI
5. School quality or student success
   • No current measures

Differentiation

• ASPI
  • Weighted indicators
  • Separate calculations for grades KG-8 and grades 9-12
  • Does not consider consistent underperformance

Identifications of Schools

• Priority schools
  • Designated for three years
  • At least five percent of Title I schools in the state
• Focus schools
  • Designated for two years
  • At least ten percent of Title I schools in the state
• Reward schools
  • Highest performing
  • High progress

Annual Measurement of Achievement

• Participation rate requirement
  • 95% of students enrolled on first day of testing
  • All but two if fewer than 40 students are enrolled
• Participation is not an indicator in ASPI
  • Untested students are counted as Not Proficient if the participation rate requirement is not met

Partial Attendance

• Alaska uses the full academic year (FAY) student
  • Continuously enrolled between October 1 and the first day of testing
• Implications for:
  • AMOs
  • School progress ASPI component
• Shift from FAY to half of year is particularly noteworthy

To learn more about Alaska’s current Accountability systems, visit our Accountability page.

Considerations for the Future

• Long-term goals (Assessment, graduation rate, EL progress)
• Indicators and weighting
• School quality/student success indicator
• Linking gap closing to differentiation
• How to identify schools
• Factoring participation into school accountability
• Minimum number of students for reporting
• Possible inclusion of indicators not required by ESSA – what else is important to Alaska?

Resources

Documents and tools that support stakeholders to build knowledge of the timeline and requirements of ESSA.

• ESSA Accountability: Alaska’s Current Reality & Provisions Handout by DEED (pdf)
• Accountability Grid: ESSA and ASPI by DEED (pdf)