76% of Americans think parents are the most important factor in determining whether students learn in school.

impact

VOL. 6 ACCOUNTABILITY

Reading for spiritual reflection

by Cameron Mason Vickrey

Naomi was a woman in trouble. After her husband and two sons died, her future was hopeless. In those days, about one hundred years before the reign of King David of Israel (11th century BCE), a woman without close male relations had no way to support herself. Naomi resolved to return to her homeland, Judah, and hope for goodwill. But one of her daughtersin-law, Ruth, would not leave her. Because Ruth was still young, custom said she could have returned to her mothers house and found a new husband and begun a

new life. But Ruth felt committed to her deceased husbands mother and vowed to stay with Naomi. Together they would nd a way to thrive. Ruth was not satised to let the tradition of the day hurt her mother-in-laws future. She knew she had an opportunity to break the mold and do something good. This training segment is about the Accountability process that our state puts our schools through. It is important to remember, though, that the schools and the state of Texas cannot and will not be held accountable on their own. The biggest motivator for holding our

schools accountable isYOU. Each one of us has a responsibility to hang in there, the way Ruth hung in there with Naomi through very difcult times. Change happens most effectively at a grassroots level. We as citizens, parents, neighbors and faith community members, have a responsibility to take action and hold each other accountable to take action. A blogger for the Washington Post describes the importance of grassroots organizing for change to happen in our society:
continued...

Who will lead? The eld of grassroots organizing offers us a simpler answer: We will. And we're already doing it. Who will x health care? Everyday people -- organized through their churches and schools and small businesses -- wrote and won universal health care in Massachusetts. They didn't wait around for the federal government to lead. After more than a year of house meetings, they put their best ideas together in a bill. Then they used their large numbers drawn from every corner of society to push legislators to do the right thing. Their coalition is called the Greater Boston Interfaith Organization. Who will x education? The Harlem Children's Zone is a constellation of everyday folks holding each other accountable -- from birth to preschool through high school -- to educate their children to achieve more than society might expect.

Decent wages? We can learn from organizing in Baltimore that led to passage of the rst "living wage" ordinance -- ensuring that every city worker lives above the poverty line. It's no wonder that everyday people, united across race and class, can lead better than anyone else. Who knows our problems better than we do? Who knows better the solutions? And who else will refuse to be derailed by the press, the pundits, or the need to be re-elected? Why is grassroots organizing necessary? Because in a democracy no one can govern us as well as we can govern us. And no one will. We have a responsibility to adopt an attitude like Ruths: a seless willingness to serve and to work for a greater good. Make the harder choice and do something that really matters. Realize that the future of our schools and Texas education system depends on each one of us.

It is difcult, often impossible, to raise healthy children in a disintegrated community. Without local institutions that draw families and young people together around common interests and activities even the most heroic child-rearing is likely to fail. Conversely, by gathering and organizing members of the community around activities of common interest particularly the healthy development of children even the most devastating conditions can be reversed.
The Harlem Childrens Zone Business Plan 2001-2009

questions
for discussion. Use the space below each question to record your thoughts and the thoughts of others in your Action Group. Post responses on your Action Groups page at DallasFACET.org.

do you think standardized testing is the best way to measure student performance?

how can a teachers performance be accurately measured?

what role should parents play in holding schools accountable?

volume SIX

Accountability

Part 1: Student Testing and Data Collection

children are learning everything they need to be learning. There is a part of the TEA that is

The Texas Education Agency has been a leader in student data collection in the US. The TEA was one of the rst state education programs to adopt a system to report student data called the Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS). This system was used to collect student data and school data from the school districts to be able to see if the programs in place were effective. The Texas system actually became a model for certain parts of the NCLB program. NCLB emphasizes accountability through data: this means that the numbers that the school leaders and district leaders receive can help determine if the schools are really doing their jobs of educating our children. The TEA is responsible for aggregating data from all the schools and districts in the state. They put together all of the numbers from the test scores of all the students to be able to see if our

called the Division of Accountability Research that decides whether or not the measurements used to test students are effective. Another part of the TEA is called the Student Assessment Division, which makes, gives, scores, and analyzes all of the state-wide tests like: State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) formerly the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS), this exam tests a students mastery of the state curriculum. The STAAR test will be longer, more rigorous, and more difcult than the TAKS test. The Texas English Language Prociency Assessment System (TELPAS) - this exam measures progress that students who have limited English skills make.

 End of Course (EOC) - this exam is used as a nal exam for secondary-level courses like algebra I and II, biology, chemistry, physics, English, and history. These will become part of the graduation requirements starting with the freshman class of 2011-2012. Some people criticize the student data that is collected each year for the entire student population in the state. These critics think that the most important data to collect is data that follows each individual student throughout their academic career. This type of data is called longitudinal data. The TEA has a new system called the Texas Student Data System (TSDS) that will track individual students data. This system will even be able to alert teachers and administrators about students who are at risk of dropping out so that early interventions can be utilized.

Another part of accountability is

Part 2: Teacher Accountability

Teachers are the people that are directly educating our children, so it is important to make sure that they are delivering a high quality education. There are several ways that the school districts keep track of a teachers effectiveness. The Classroom Effectiveness Index (CEI) - Dallas Independent School District uses CEI to measure the amount of academic progress a student has made after one year with a specic teacher. The CEI is based on students test scores. But, the CEI does not only depend on whether or not a student has passed a test. It compares the students level of performance with other similar students in the district, meaning that the students have the same demographic characteristics and had similar scores on the same tests in the previous year. Some teachers do not like the CEI because it has been used to determine whether or not their contracts are renewed for their schools.

testing teachers themselves in addition to the students. Teachers must pass certain tests to be able to teach their specic subjects. The TEA decides what tests teachers need to take in order to be certied to teach. You can nd a list of these tests at this address: http:// www.tea.state.tx.us/WorkArea/ linkit.aspx? LinkIdentier=id&ItemID=21475003 91&libID=2147500388. In addition to testing for certication, teachers also have to participate in routine professional development. Training before and during each school year keeps up their teaching skills, makes them aware of new information that the students need to know, and gives them new methods of teaching or testing. Performance based pay DISD is implementing programs to reward highly effective teachers and principals for creating, reaching, and maintaining high standards of student achievement.

A school that is not meeting Adequate Yearly Progress standards can still be in operation for 6 years until some action is taken against it.

The incentive program includes three awards: The Principal Incentive Award Provides a monetary incentive for a school principal when their students perform at high academic levels, The Targeted Impact School Incentive Award - Allows performance pay for principals and teachers at certain campuses that are selected, and The Achievement Incentive Award - An all inclusive award system that considers all factors needed to have the best staff possible at a campus. CEI levels for teachers are used to determine whether or not an employee of the school can participate in the Performance Pay Program.

monitoring. This system is a large automated data system that gives annual reports on school districts and charter schools. Generally, the data is used for overall evaluation of school district program effectiveness. The annual reports are also used in evaluating performance for several special programs like national Title programs under the NCLB Act that allow certain schools to get funding for improvements. The TEA gives school accountability ratings each year for every school in every district in order to set standards for student achievement. The ratings allow recognition of high levels of achievement and performance and identify campuses and school districts that need improvement. This way, the TEA can identify schools that need to make changes and can help with those changes.

rates. Schools can get certain ratings by meeting absolute standards or by making signicant progress towards the standards. In past years these ratings were based off of TAKS Texas Projection Measures. TPM are data collected that predict how individual students or groups of students are likely to perform in the next grade after receiving the appropriate instruction. TPM is controversial because some think that since projected measures do not use the students actual scores on tests the schools ratings were boosted statewide. In fact, in the 2009-2010 school year, 245 schools were rated Unacceptable with the TPM, but without TPM, 603 would have fallen into the Unacceptable category. The TEA has decided to discontinue the use of TPM starting in 2011. It is likely that a lot of schools will have lower ratings because of this, which is a concern for many school administrators. But others feel that this change is necessary because without TPM learning and progress can be more accurately measured.

Part 3: School Accountability

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) works to hold schools accountable at the district, region, and state levels through performance based

Each school gets a rating of Academically Unacceptable, Academically Acceptable, Recognized, or Exemplary each year. These ratings are based off of results from the state standardized tests and completion and drop-out

In the 2009-2010 school year, 245 Texas schools were rated Unacceptable with the Texas Projection Measure, but without the Projection Measure, 603 would have fallen into the Unacceptable category.

The data from the accountability system for schools is used to create other reports and ratings like the Academic Excellence Indicator System (AEIS), School Report Card (which must be provided to each students family), and national accountability programs like Adequate Yearly Progress and the NCLB Report Card. As we can see, the national government also has a role in holding states accountable, but the individual states still have the freedom to make their own standards for achievement. Schools that receive Title I funding to improve the school must make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). If a school does not make AYP for two years, it is considered in need of improvement and is required to develop a two-year improvement plan for what the school needs to teach better. If the school fails to meet AYP for 3 years, it is required to offer free tutoring and other supplemental education services to struggling students. If the school fails to meet AYP for 4 years, corrective action must be taken which might mean a new staff or new curriculum. After 5 years of

failing to meet AYP, plans begin to restructure the school, and after 6 years of failing the plan is implemented. A school that is not progressing can still be in operation for 6 years until some action is taken against it.

are allowed to have a conference with a school administrator to resolve their complaints. Level One of the complaint process involves a student or parent ling a complaint form and requesting a conference with the principal or another administrator who has the power to x the problem within 10 school days of the problem being realized. Five days after ling the complaint, the principal or administrator has to set up a meeting with the student or parent. Seven days after the conference, the principal or administrator will make a written response to the issue. If the parent or student doesnt receive the aid requested at Level One, then the same process can be repeated with the Executive Director or the next appropriate administrator (Level Two). At Level Three the student or parent can submit a request for the Superintendent of Schools (or a designee) to review the complaint and set up a meeting if necessary. And at Level 4 the student or parent can appeal to the Board.

Part 4: Parents Role in Accountability

Parents have a responsibility to keep track of how their childrens schools and teachers are doing. If a parent has a concern, there is a complaint process that is laid out in the DISD policy online (http:// www.tasb.org/policy/pol/private/ 057905/). Some issues require a separate process for complaints, such as discrimination issues, child abuse or neglect, loss of credit because of attendance, expulsion of a student, disability placement, instructional materials, non-school materials, school uniforms, and others. If the complaint is not one of those listed above, students or parents

Discuss the pros and cons of the Texas Projection Measure. How will our schools ratings change now that this measure is not being used?

Break into pairs and discuss and the plan of action on schools that continually fail to meet AYP. Does it seem fair and effective? If you were in charge, what might you do differently?

Further Information
More about the student assessments that your children are and will be taking: http://www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment/about/ See more about the breaking news with Texas Projection Measures being taken out of school accountability: http://www.tea.state.tx.us/ index3.aspx?id=8351&menu_id=793 DISD policy manual: http://www.tasb.org/policy/pol/private/ 057905/ DISD school scorecards: http://www.dallasisd.org/scorecards/

good ideas? let others hear them on DallasFACET.org

Steps to Take Action

1. 2. 3. 4. Go to www.DallasFACET.org & create a New Account Take action on current Action Alerts Join an Action Group & take part in the online conversation on your groups blog Invite friends to join.

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.
The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

Ann Drumm, Melva Franklin, Maria Rojas Fernandez, Leslie Johnson, Shree Moffett, and Cameron Vickrey.
Work product of Dallas Faith Communities Coalition. Permission required for reproduction.

SPECIAL THANKS for the research and development of materials to

DFCC 2 011