Ushering in a New Era of Accountability

By Rachel Wise, District 3, Nebraska State Board of Education (March, 2015)

The State Board of Education moved forward this month on two very important steps for Nebraska schools. The first step was to authorize the Commissioner of Education to submit a waiver from certain No Child Left Behind (NCLB) requirements. NCLB is the accountability system imposed by federal law. I wrote an article last July on this topic urging the U. S. Congress to do its job and, with a new Congress in place, one would hope for action. However, in the case of reauthorizing ESEA—currently known as NCLB—there seems to be “talk” but still no real action!! Because Congress has not reauthorized ESEA—action that should have occurred in 2007—it is time to pursue the NCLB waiver. The Commissioner of Education will submit a waiver request to support our schools that are still saddled with an unrealistic federal accountability system and start negotiations with the U. S. Department of Education to allow Nebraska to establish a system of accountability that is clear, transparent and a system that benefits Nebraska’s children, families and communities!

Before I continue, I again urge you to contact your Congressional representatives to encourage bipartisan collaboration on the reauthorization of ESEA. We may be moving forward with the NCLB waiver request, but I believe my colleagues and I are on the same page—reauthorization of ESEA needs to occur!

The other important step taken by the State Board of Education was to approve four levels of school classification for Nebraska’s a new accountability system, AQuESTT—Accountability for a Quality Education System, Today and Tomorrow. AQuESTT was developed as a result of the Nebraska Quality Education Accountability Act, state legislation passed last year.

Under AQuESTT this first year, student growth and improvement on state tests as well as high school graduation rates, will be the primary indicators used to classify each school and district as Excellent, Great, Good or Needs Improvement. Within the Needs Improvement classification, the three schools in greatest need of assistance to improve will be designated as priority schools. The Nebraska Department of Education will develop intervention teams to help improve student achievement for priority schools and will share those strategies and interventions with all Nebraska schools.

The AQuESTT tenets and examples of possible future indicators include:

• College and Career Readiness: rigorous curriculum and alignment with state standards as well as student participation in career education and/or college courses while in high school
• Assessment: competency-based assessment or adaptive assessment
• Educator Effectiveness: percent of classes taught by appropriately endorsed staff, a formal evaluation process to monitor and to ensure effective instruct
• Positive Partnerships, Relationships and Student Success: engagement of families and communities as well as individual learning plans for students
• Transitions: improvement in school attendance, reduction in dropout rates and improved achievement for highly mobile students
• Educational Opportunities and Access: number of instructional units available to students, expanded enrichment opportunities, including programs before and after school and in the summer, access to early childhood programs and digital learning.

The State Board will continue to refine AQuESTT and seek additional input on from individuals across the state.

This article represents my personal view, not that of the State Board of Education or my role as president. Feel free to contact me at rachel.wise@nebraska.gov. Search the Nebraska Department of Education website at www.education.ne.gov to learn more about education in our state.

Rachel Wise