Promising Practices in Accountability: Report to the Chalkboard Project, Confederation of Oregon School Administrators, Oregon Business Association, and Stand for Children

In this report we synthesize promising practices in state accountability systems and identify states making progress by implementing these practices effectively. We compare those identified promising practices to Oregon’s accountability system and suggest strengths and areas for improvement. We conclude the report with suggested next steps and options for considerations that could help move the state toward an accountability system that incentivizes and supports the student achievement gains Oregon leaders want to see.

Two reports were particularly helpful in the development of this report: the Council of Chief State School Officers’ (CCSSO) Key Elements of Accountability Systems and Alissa Peltzman (of Achieve) and Chris Domaleski’s (of The Center for Assessment) Establishing a College- and Career-Ready Accountability System in Washington State: Leveraging Washington’s Education Reform Plan. State accountability systems that were examined include: Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Indiana, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Ohio and Texas. We also gathered input and perspectives from Oregon superintendents through the Confederation of Oregon School Administrators’ Vision/Policy Coordinating Committee, leaders of the Chalkboard Project, and interviews with key Oregon and national education leaders.