While students are preparing to come back to school, education advocates have been busy, as this summer has proven to be a challenging few months for equity in public education. Decisions like moving education civil rights programs and protections for students with disabilities out of the U.S. Department of Education (ED) may have garnered more media attention, but at the same time, ED has signed off on a series of waiver requests that will allow states to change how they use federal funding and evaluate school quality, often in ways that will harm the most traditionally underserved students.

Although most states are using this freedom in ways that are harmful, one isn’t: the District of Columbia.

D.C.’s request to waive federal rules governing assessments and school accountability under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) is a time-limited, responsible request that will ultimately improve the quality and integrity of its accountability system for all students, families, and schools.

The D.C. public school system is undergoing a significant change: implementing an updated statewide assessment system that provides more precise information about student progress, provides teachers timely feedback and robust instructional resources aligned to what students need to meet high standards. Educators and families have long advocated for better tools to understand and accelerate student learning, and this transition is a step toward that goal.

But this kind of transition creates real challenges.

Most importantly, it disrupts the ability to measure student growth over time, which is a key part of D.C.’s accountability system and an essential indicator of student progress. Without dependable growth data, school ratings may not accurately reflect what’s happening in classrooms, particularly in schools where students are making progress but have not yet reached proficiency.

That’s not just a data problem. It’s an equity problem.

Instead of releasing school ratings based on incomplete data, D.C. has requested a one-year pause from the Department of Education to pause school ratings and new identifications of schools needing improvement. School ratings are only meaningful if they are trustworthy. Moving forward without reliable growth data risks producing misleading information. When school accountability systems rely on incomplete or unstable information, the consequences are felt by students, teachers, and schools. Families, educators, and policymakers may be left with an incomplete or misleading understanding of whether students are learning, meeting academic standards, and receiving the support they need.

Even with a pause in rating D.C. public schools, key aspects of the accountability system would remain in place:

• Schools already designated for support will continue receiving interventions and federal school improvement funding.
• D.C. will continue publicly reporting available student performance data, and families will receive individual reports on their child’s performance on the new assessment.
• Educators will have the opportunity to adjust to the new assessment.

In short, the essential elements of accountability — support, transparency, and ongoing improvement — remain firmly in place.

The Department of Education should approve this request and set a clear example for how states can use ESSA flexibility to strengthen, not weaken, accountability.

For more information on which states have requested ESSA waivers, visit ESSA Waiver Watch.