New School Accountability System in California: Focusing on California Accountability Model and School Dashboard

Abstract

The federal government of the United States (US) has promoted the creation of state standardized tests and school accountability systems since the 1980s and they are inseparable in the US. For example, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, which established penalties for schools and required a powerful accountability model including school evaluations in each state, and the Race to the Top program under the Obama administration, which only furthered the policy.

The No Child Left Behind Act was changed to the Every Student Succeeds Act in December, 2015; in 2017, this act remained identical to that in 2015. Based on this information, we do not distinguish what type of effect the law has had on local educational agencies and schools. However, researchers have considered that the Every Student Succeeds Act changes the power of the sates’ governments. The Every Student Succeeds Act could be a notable turning point in an era of standardized testing and accountability models.

This paper focuses on the school accountability system in the US, especially the states’ new standardized tests and a school accountability model called the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP). The CAASPP program comprises two main parts. The first comprises the three new state standardized tests: summative assessments (SAs), the California Science Test (CAST), and Standards- based Tests in Spanish (STS). The second includes the new school accountability model called the California School Dashboard. The CAASPP program is a new system that was implemented in January 2014 and was replaced by the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) program.

The new tests, namely SA and CAST, have adopted computer adaptive tests and performance tasks; thus, those tests are based on the item response theory and the principle of authentic evaluation. In contrast, the new accountability system, that is, the California School Dashboard, has the following features: multiple measures, a focus on equity, and support for local decision-making, and continuous improvement in schools. The purpose of this paper is to clarify the California School Dashboard.

This paper employs the following structure. First, a systemic overview of the California School Dashboard is conducted by considering an overview of the two types of indicators: state and local. Additionally, it refers to accountability reports that comprise the “California Model Five-by-Five Grid Placement Reports” and “California School Dashboard Report,” including the “Equity Report,” “Status and Change Report,” “Detailed Report,” and “Student Group Report.” Second, this paper provides concrete examples, such as the Santa Rosa City Schools and Piner High School, based on the use of the California School Dashboard and previously conducted interview surveys. Third, after considering the aforementioned information, this paper examines the prospects for the new school accountability system in California.