The Connection

When I was a student, I learned that taking tests, and doing well was more important than anything. I learned the tricks for how to take tests well. I viewed them as puzzles. I may not have known which answer was right based on one question, but based on the answer options for some other questions, and eliminating a few of the definitively wrong choices, I could figure it out. And I didn’t actually need to remember content from one test to the next - I could cram right before, and then reserve my mental energy for other more interesting endeavours. And let’s be clear, with everything being about the test, did I really need to show up for most of my classes at all?

This is not a structure that promotes learning. Whether students fear the tests and find them challenging, or dismiss them as a game like I did, no one is actually focused on the content or how to apply learning to solve problems. Teachers too feel like their hands are tied by the tests, preventing them from nurturing and following student interests. The entire education system cannot continue to revolve around these tests, but we do need to be able to show that each and every student in the public school system is equitably served.

Shifting to Whole Child Accountability

What If…

We evaluated students based on not just test scores, but also performance tasks, demonstrations of learning, engagement, and mindsets? And we evaluated schools based on their professional culture and how they choose to allocate resources?

Then…

We would create incentives in the K-12 system that support:

  1. Social Emotional Learning: “whole child” education, integrating social and emotional supports, as well as mental health supports, meaningfully into the learning experience.

  2. Workforce Readiness: teaching the types of “21st century skills” that are relevant for the workforce, including critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, communication, digital literacy, flexibility & adaptability, initiative & self-direction, social & cross-cultural interaction, productivity & accountability, and leadership & responsibility.

  3. Authentic Learning: innovating at the classroom level to create more engaging learning experiences that do not just teach facts but help students apply knowledge to solving real-world problems.

  4. Leading Indicators: looking at school-based strategic decisions, evaluating them, and intervening as needed before changes negatively impact student outcomes.

Not a Pipedream

Colorado’s Student-Centered Accountability Program (S-CAP) has made significant steps in this direction.

  • State Board of Education Support: a unanimous resolution was passed by the State Board of Education in June 2015 in support of the new approach to accountability. The board directed the Colorado Department of Education to support the project.

  • Research Practice Partnership: they have formed a partnership with UC Denver for the design of tools and data processes to support System Support Reviews and evaluate the validity, reliability and impact of the new accountability system.

  • District Participation: S-CAP is a proud Network Improvement community of the Colorado Rural Education Collaborative (CREC) with 10 districts currently participating and expectations to grow to 30 districts in the next two years.

  • Legislative Support: SB 19-204 passed in spring 2019, providing an avenue for obtaining state dollars to further support the expansion of the program

  • Implementation: districts have been actively engaged in the new accountability approach for the last two years, with positive feedback from their local communities, and are actively working to pool resources to create reporting systems and other supports for program growth and effectiveness.

Interested in bringing a solution like this to your community?