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School Accountability

So much of what schools are talking about right now are report cards. They seem to be getting a great deal of media coverage these days. In all fairness, school report cards are not really new. In fact, the legislation that requires states to report on specific areas in their schools has been around for decades, in fact almost a century. You may not know this but public school accountability can be tied back to the first Supreme Court ruling that called for equity in our schools, Brown vs. Board of Education. That first monumental step that called for everyone to have equal access to quality education regardless of skin color, is the beginning of our nation’s quest to ensure that all students in every state, town, community or territory have equal access to a high quality education that prepares them to contribute to our society.

There is quite a bit of controversy over school accountability this year, and rightfully so. Communities have a right to know whether or not their public school system provides an education that provides rigorous curriculum and ensures that students are progressing in the curriculum. Families should have the right to select the community they live in with complete understanding of the performance of the school district in comparison to the surrounding areas. School accountability allows for taxpayers, families, legislators and educators to be informed of the status of the education of the next generation. For that reason, accountability systems occur in states across this nation and even exist internationally. If we do not measure the work of schools, great inequities develop not only in education, but also in workforce development and eventually our economy.

School accountability measures can and have already had a positive impact on our society. Public schools in this nation offer educational opportunities to all students and that factor contributes to the power of our nation. While Ohio struggles through a transitional period in the evolution of its accountability system, there is great potential for the students of Ohio to be engaged in the highest quality educational opportunities possible. While there are more bugs to work out and the system is still in its infancy, the new accountability measures for the state of Ohio could lead to graduates that are the most skilled problem solvers, the most effective critical thinkers, and the most technologically savvy employees of the future. As citizens of Ohio we need to recognize the great potential in high quality education.


I am particularly excited about the transition to a new accountability measure for programs that provide services to students with special needs. Every year, school districts receive a report on the performances of their special education programs, now known as their Special Education Ratings. As in past years, measures of procedural compliance are the basis of the 2015 ratings. Additionally, this year’s report previews new measures of results for students with disabilities. Though the changes will not take effect until 2017, this year’s report includes both the actual rating (procedural compliance only) and projected rating (a combination of two scores, procedural compliance and students’ results) to show the impact of the new measures on the annual rating. Greenville City Schools has received a rating of “Meets Requirements” for the 2015 rating. This is great news! According to ODE’s rating, “The district rating evaluates the implementation of federal requirements, also called compliance measures.” This compliance measure includes several indicators including special education proportions, special education discipline rates, category proportion, evaluation timelines, and transition planning. We have received the highest rating in compliance in these areas thanks to all the hard work of intervention specialists and teams of educators that work with students with disabilities in our district. I am proud to be a part of this team.

Included with this year’s rating was a projected rating that projected how Special Education accountability will be reported with the changes to the special education rating system that will be coming in 2017. According to the ODE website, “Measures of procedural compliance are historically the basis for Special Education Ratings. Starting in 2017, these ratings also will include measures of results for students with disabilities.” This change will result in ratings that include measures of performance for students with disabilities. This rating includes Math Proficiency Rate, Reading Proficiency Rate, and Third Grade Reading Proficiency Rate. The state has developed targets for math and reading proficiency rates for students with disabilities. According to ODE, “These targets were established with the State Advisory Panel for Exceptional Children to reflect annual improvement over the current statewide proficiency rates for students with disabilities and are different from the targets used to calculate annual measurable objectives (AMO) for the Local Report Card.” Over the next several years, the state targets are going to be increasing, thus raising the bar for students with disabilities to achieve their highest potential.


Below are the targets for future years for these indicators.

Indicator/ School Year

13-14

14-15

15-16

16-17

17-18

18-19

Math Proficiency

45.6

46

46

46.5

48

50

Reading Proficiency

55.9

56

56

57

58.5

60

3rd Gr. Reading

55.9

56

56

57

58.5

60

These changes pose challenges to the ways we provide services to students with disabilities.  As we collaborate with students, teachers and families to provide individualized services to students with disabilities, it is important to encourage high expectations and work toward ensuring that all students have access to the same curriculum as their peers.  Recent research indicates that there are many benefits to including students with disabilities into general education classrooms. More inclusive practices are the answer to increased achievement for all students.  These shifts do not come easy though, merely changing schedules and moving students is just a first step, we also need to plan for services and provide support to students and teachers.  Teachers, students and families will need to keep communication open and collaborate to ensure that the needs of all students are met.  This challenge may seem daunting, but the payoff for students is priceless.