State Accountability System, ESEA Flexibility Resolution
Adopted on February 23, 2012
WHEREAS, the State Board of Education believes that all students deserve an excellent and equitable education and that there is an urgent need to strengthen a system of continuous improvement in student achievement for all schools and districts; and
WHEREAS, the Legislature charged the State Board of Education with responsibility and oversight for creating a state accountability framework to provide a unified system of support for challenged schools, with increasing levels of support based upon magnitude of need, and using data for decisions; and
WHEREAS, the State Board of Education has developed an Achievement Index utilizing fair, consistent, and transparent criteria for the purposes of recognizing schools for exemplary performance, improvement, and closing gaps; and
WHEREAS, the State Board of Education believes the state accountability framework needs to be a part of the revisions made to the basic education funding system and that the Legislature will need to provide the State Board of Education, the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, and local school boards with the appropriate legal authority and resources to fully implement the new system.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the State Board of Education supports the Superintendent of Public Instruction’s application to the United States Department of Education for flexibility from the current Elementary and Secondary Education Act accountability system; and
THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the State Board of Education will collaborate with the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction to build a unified system of federal and state accountability using multiple measures, English language learner data, disaggregated subgroup data, and student growth measures.
About the State Board of Education: The State Board of Education provides advocacy and strategic oversight of public education. The board is comprised of 16 members: five are elected by school board directors, seven are appointed by the Governor, two serve as student representatives, and one serves as a private school representative. The Superintendent of Public Instruction is also a member.