Holding States, Districts, & Schools Accountable for Student Opportunities & Performance

Not too long ago, students from low-income families, students of color, English learners, and students with disabilities — who had long gone underserved in our nation’s schools — were invisible, hidden behind averages. But in 2002, federal legislation changed all that by requiring that each state have robust systems of standards, assessments, and accountability to help ensure that all students — regardless of their race, family income, home language, or disability status — get the education they need and deserve. In 2015, building on that earlier legislation, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) challenged states to refine their accountability systems to incorporate multiple measures that could help identify schools and students that needed additional resources and support.

As states implement ESSA, Ed Trust continues to urge state and district leaders to go beyond compliance to serve all their students. From statewide assessments to transparency in data reporting, we offer resources and analyses that help education advocates push for strong, equity-focused accountability and improvement systems in their states.

• Trends in State ESSA Plans
• 5 Things to Advance Equity in State Accountability Systems School Improvement and Reporting

• School Spending Beyond Compliance
• Schools Might be Closed but Families Still Deserve Data on Student Learning
• NAEP Results Make it Clear States Must Have Transparent College and Career Readiness Data

• What’s in the Every Student Succeeds Act: Assessments
• Why Parents School Leaders and Advocates Shouldn’t Underestimate the Power of Statewide Assessments
• Why Assessments Matter Data Quality is Essential for Education Equity
• Why Statewide Assessments Matter Parents Need to Know how Their Children are Doing
• Why Parents School Leaders and Advocates Shouldn’t Underestimate the Power of Statewide Assessments

• School Improvement Under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
  • The School Improvement Process
  • Evidence for School Improvement
  • Early Interventions for School Improvement
  • Escalated Interventions
  • Expanding Access to Early Childhood Programs
  • Recruiting, Equitably Assigning, and Retaining Strong Teachers for School Improvement
  • School Leadership
  • Rigorous Learning for All Students
  • Ensuring a Positive School Climate and Culture
  • Resource Allocation Reviews: A Critical Step to School Improvement
  • A Guide to Advocating for Equity in Diverse Schools
• Equity Oriented State Leaders: 9 Ideas for Stimulating School Improvement Under ESSA
• Strategies to Solve Unfinished Learning
  • Targeted Intensive Tutoring
  • Expanded Learning Time
  • The Importance of Strong Relationships
  • Promising Practices: Smart State Strategies for Building Intensive Tutoring Systems

• The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA): What’s in it What Does it Mean for Equity
• An Introduction to School Accountability Under ESSA
• School Improvement Under the Every Student Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
  • Evidence for School Improvement
  • Early Interventions for School Improvement
  • Escalated Interventions
  • Expanding Access to Early Childhood Programs
  • Recruiting, Equitably Assigning, and Retaining Strong Teachers for School Improvement
  • School Leadership
  • Rigorous Learning for All Students
  • Ensuring a Positive School Climate and Culture
  • Resource Allocation Reviews: A Critical Step to School Improvement

• Equity Focused School Rating Systems
  • Overview
  • Ensuring That All Groups of Students Matter in School Ratings
• Equitable School Performance Indicators
  • School Discipline
  • Social-Emotional Indicators
  • Advanced Coursework
  • College-Prep Course Sequence Completion
  • Chronic Absenteeism
  • Individual Student Growth
• Setting Goals for Accountability
• New Accountability for English-Learner Outcomes in ESSA Plans
  • Supporting English-Learner Outcomes with ESSA