Reshaping Assessment and Accountability in 2021 and Beyond
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Reshaping Assessment and Data about system
May 2021 • National Association of State Boards of Education
performance will continue
Accountability in 2021 and Beyond to lie at the heart of school
improvement.
COVID-19 gave the country a crash And they are in crisis. Schools and Bonnie O’Keefe, Andrew Rotherham,
course in public health data. It under- districts have been struggling to reach and Jennifer O’Neal Schiess
scored the value of data that can support and educate students safely. Students
well-informed, timely action in a crisis. who were disproportionately under-
The experience with virus testing, contact served before the pandemic—including
tracing, and vaccine distribution illustrat- low-income students, students of color,
ed the dangers of decision making with English learners, and students with
insufficient information. Even when the disabilities—are experiencing more severe
news is bad, it is always better for those educational setbacks now. Although it
in charge—and the public—to know the may change as the public health situation
truth. Good data are just as important for changes, the education crisis is unlikely to
education systems in crisis. end anytime soon. Its effects will almost
www.nasbe.org 7certainly outlive the medical part of this crisis in to prior or subsequent years.2 Consequently,
the United States. any analysis of trends would need to come with
As state and local education leaders, includ- caveats. Detailed performance information or
ing state boards of education, contemplate growth data may also be limited.3 For these
the future, they should identify the data that reasons, states should consider how to present
parents, educators, and leaders need in order to results in new ways and combine test results
act. Systems of assessment and accountability with a variety of other metrics that reflect the
State leaders must must evolve to meet that need, and state leaders unique learning circumstances of 2021.4 As
beware the dangers must beware the dangers of acting without the in any other year, state test results are just one
of acting without the right information. set of data points that parents, educators, and
right information. In February, the U.S. Department of leaders should consider about student learning
Education issued guidance to states that they and school conditions in order to reflect on the
could not wholly waive assessments this spring, past and make informed decisions for the future.
as some states had hoped to do.1 This guidance What might come next, beyond 2021?
balanced the critical importance of transparent Longtime opponents of standards-based
information on student learning amid this crisis accountability and assessments are pushing to
and offered states substantial flexibility to adapt permanently remove the best sources of data
testing to the current moment: about student performance and progress. Robust
n waivers from the accountability requirements state systems of assessment and data-driven
to identify lowest-performing schools and school improvement efforts are still vitally
implement status quo school accountability important, and state and federal leaders should
consequences and 95 percent test participa- not give in to pressure to dismantle them. But
tion requirements; and this multiyear disruption may nonetheless
create an opportunity to reshape assessment and
n test design and administration flexibility,
accountability systems in a productive way.
including options to shorten tests, push
State boards should lead the way toward new
testing to the fall, administer tests remotely, or
systems of assessment and accountability. In
broaden the test window.
the past, accountability and assessment systems
Assuming the Biden administration holds attempted to do too much for too many. The
states to a meaningful standard in the waiver most valuable focus for these systems moving
process, this approach creates the conditions forward will be high-quality instruction, and
for states to successfully administer low-stakes, resources and support for the schools and
modified assessments that give educators, students that need them most.
parents, and leaders useful data on student
National Association of State Boards of Education • May 2021
performance with which to make decisions.
With a pause on accountability, no student or
A Short History of Accountability
school should be penalized for the circum- Early iterations of nationwide accountability
stances of the pandemic. These waivers could policy under the Improving America’s Schools
start an important conversation about how Act and the subsequent No Child Left Behind
to modify and refocus state assessments and (NCLB) in 2001 brought unprecedented trans-
accountability for long-term success. parency to reading and math performance and
As always, there is a risk that districts, advo- graduation rates for individual students and
cates, or states will misuse or misinterpret 2021 subgroups, shining a spotlight on persistent
test data, creating unwanted educational conse- equity and achievement gaps for students of
quences in an already stressful time. Although color, low-income students, English learners,
2021 tests could be a valuable source of infor- and students with disabilities. NCLB focused
mation on student learning, among many other school intervention efforts on the lowest
sources, state boards and state superintendents performing schools and largest achievement
should set cautious expectations for educators gaps, as primarily defined by math and reading
and the public about test results. Substantially proficiency rates. It also prompted states to over-
modified or shortened state assessments, or haul their standards to align with college and
those given remotely, may not be comparable career readiness.
8This approach produced some meaningful minimize interventions.8 For example, in some
gains in student outcomes on measures such states a school could earn the lowest possible
as math proficiency and high school gradua- rating for multiple years before getting any addi-
tion rates.5 While the focus on standards and tional support or being required to do anything
data moved results in the right direction, the differently.9
implementation and application of that focus Modest but measurable progress on many
created new problems. NCLB's narrow set of student achievement metrics stalled during
success measures led some schools to implement NCLB’s later years, and these concerning
poor pedagogy or narrow what students were student performance trends have continued
taught in favor of tested subjects.6 Its system of under ESSA. Average math and reading scores
school-level interventions was at once flexible among middle and elementary school students
enough for some states to do little to improve have been essentially flat, while gaps between
schools but also restrictive enough to get in the low-income and higher income students have
way of efforts by ambitious states.7 All of this, grown.10 For example, in the early years of
plus general reform fatigue, prompted Congress NCLB (2003–11) average fourth grade math
to increase flexibility for states when the Every scores rose,11 but they plateaued around 2011
Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) replaced NCLB in (figure 1), with slightly widened differences
late 2015. between higher income and lower income
ESSA retained most of NCLB’s annual testing students (as measured by free- and reduced-
and reporting requirements but gave states price lunch status). Under ESSA, this plateau has
much more flexibility in how they designed continued, and the hoped-for benefits of state- Only one in three
and implemented accountability for schools. level flexibility have not yet materialized.
It thus created a much more varied account- Flat achievement and persistent or widening
American high school
ability landscape. A few states created their gaps also appear in other grades and subjects.12
seniors in 2019 was
own rigorous accountability systems, but many As a result, only one in three American high proficient in reading,
others took the opportunity ESSA offered to school seniors in 2019 was proficient in reading, and fewer than one
create opaque quality measurement systems and and fewer than one in four was proficient in in four was proficient
in math.
Figure 1. Fourth-Grade NAEP Math Scores, 2003–19 (average scale scores)
260
255 254
253 253
252 252
May 2021 • National Association of State Boards of Education
250
250 249
248
AVERAGE SCALE SCORES
245 244
242
241 241
240 240 240 240
240 238
235
235
230
230 229 229 229
228
227 227
225
225
222
220
215
Source: National Assessment
of Educational Progress, Data
210 Explorer.
2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017 2019
Non-FRL National Average Free and Reduced Lunch
www.nasbe.org 9math, a decline from the preceding four years.13 in all schools and second on intervening to
These trends cannot establish causal links change outcomes for the lowest performing
with federal policy changes, but these metrics schools and most underserved students. This
suggest that current policies and systems meant kind of system would set out a clear, succinct
to close achievement gaps and improve student set of high-level performance, progress, and
performance are not translating into better equity indicators to guide state actions. Beyond
student outcomes. those indicators, assessments and accountability
Both NCLB and ESSA tried to serve multiple would focus on what schools need to support
stakeholder groups, whose needs are often in effective, responsive instruction. Consequently,
tension: State and federal policymakers want assessment systems must be fast, flexible, and
a high-level understanding to guide resource embedded within high-quality curricula, and
and policy decisions and interventions. Schools accountability systems must value continuous
and districts want faster, more detailed infor- improvement and growth.
mation to guide action in schools and to direct Such accountability systems could take the
resources to respond to problems when they form of more streamlined end-of-year assess-
arise. Parents want to know how their children ments, with other progress-monitoring assess-
are performing and want to understand what ments embedded into the school year. Parents
is happening inside their schools and districts. and state leaders would still get the high-level
information they need, but these systems would
State boards should When states try to do all these things within
prioritize getting information to educators in a
one framework, often no one has their needs
focus first on directing fully met. timely manner so they can act on it in close to
accountability Politicized debates have mostly focused on real time.
resources and energy removing the very data sources that educa- Reliable, comparative information on student
toward supporting tors, leaders, and the public use to understand learning remains essential for state leaders to
effective instruction in student performance and growth. Yet we already monitor educational equity and quality. The
biggest potential trade-offs to faster, more flex-
all schools. know what education looked like before the
ible assessments are possible threats to precision
introduction of rigorous state assessments and
accountability systems: It was on the whole less in measurement or comparability. These are
equitable, less transparent, and lower perform- risks that assessment designers and researchers
ing. A revised framework for accountability can anticipate and investigate. And states could
should keep the best components of prior offset these concerns with additional sources of
assessment and accountability systems, learn nonacademic school performance data, sampled
from experience, and respond thoughtfully to end-of-year assessments, or both, as well as new
students’ needs in the foreseeable future. tools or frameworks to present data appropri-
National Association of State Boards of Education • May 2021
ately for different audiences.
A New Vision of Accountability Several states have taken steps toward this
kind of approach by piloting more flexible
and Assessment assessments that can be administered in pieces
As schools attempt to move forward from throughout the school year. This way, teachers
COVID-19, it is already abundantly clear that and school leaders get results faster, and tests
millions of students lost significant opportuni- are not such a disruptive end-of-year event. One
ties for learning and endured multiple desta- example is New Hampshire’s performance-based
bilizing events in their time outside school assessment and accountability pilot. The state
walls.14 These opportunity gaps are very likely streamlined standardized tests and supple-
to affect student learning but not in evenly mented them with assessments designed and
distributed ways. And we know that curricu- administered by local educators, integrated into
lum and classroom instructional practices are teaching and learning. All this work is aligned
among the biggest in-school factors that deter- with the states’ curricular and standards-based
mine student learning. emphasis on deeper learning.15 However, this
For these reasons, state boards should focus work is complex and can take time, espe-
first on directing accountability resources and cially under current policy structures: The New
energy toward supporting effective instruction Hampshire pilot has grown and evolved over
10more than five years but has not yet rolled out to it is worth noting that education is an outlier. In
the whole state. most areas of American life, we balance choice
A stronger emphasis on instructional and public regulation to protect the public inter-
State intervention
improvement would require most states to amp est while also harnessing the benefits and signal- could improve on
up their typically hands-off role in curriculum ing of a choice-driven system. At a minimum, current practice by
and teaching practices. For example, Louisiana’s state boards focused on equity should examine incorporating a stronger
humanities exam pilot, which combines social who has the ability to vote with their feet on focus on district-level
studies and English language arts content and educational options and who does not. policies and practices.
is administered in pieces throughout the school
year, would not be possible if the state had not Role of State Boards
already invested substantially to create its own
State boards can advance a new vision of
ELA curriculum, now in use by 75 percent of the
assessment and accountability in several ways.
state’s school districts.16
Perhaps most important, board leaders can
The biggest risk of this kind of approach is
clarify the role and mission of boards as it
that, even with high-quality curriculum and
faster, more flexible assessments, students relates to improving outcomes for students.
in some schools or subgroups might not be State boards serve different functions in differ-
making sufficient progress to achieve college ent states and have very different contexts.
and career readiness by the time they graduate. Depending on the state, they also have varying
ESSA creates a floor for states, but state boards, powers and responsibilities relating to assess-
governors, state education chiefs, and state ment, accountability, curriculum, and standards.
legislators should exceed that floor, interven- Some are highly politicized, while others see
ing aggressively with an eye toward equity for themselves primarily as advocates for schools
underserved students. rather than regulators who base their decisions
One way in which state intervention could on evidence and equity. This role confusion can
improve on current practice is by incorporat- cloud board decision making. A good regulator
ing a stronger focus on district-level policies seeks to protect the regulated from counterpro-
and practices. One big weakness of school-level ductive or ill-considered regulations but never
improvement plans is that most school leaders loses sight of its fundamental role to protect the
do not control staffing, budget, enrollment public interest.
policies, and curriculum—huge factors that Boards can also take specific steps. The first
constrain or enable improvement. States can is advocacy and communication with other
correct for this by monitoring performance and education leaders at the state and federal level.
equity indicators at a district level and requir- Past federal administrations' interpretations of
May 2021 • National Association of State Boards of Education
ing that district-level policy changes be part of ESSA would not allow for full implementation
improvement actions. of an assessment and accountability frame-
Finally, another important form of account- work like the one described above. It seems
ability is where families opt to send their chil- likely, however, that the Biden administration’s
dren to school. In the past year, family choices approach will differ from that of its predeces-
have come to the forefront as COVID presented sors, which might bode well for more state
wholly new options, risks, and benefits for flexibility, especially around assessments, in the
families to weigh. Families have made choices coming years.
to send their children back into classrooms, State boards could have a powerful voice in
continue virtual learning, homeschool, or switch this process, especially if they add theirs to those
school systems. As in the past, families with of state and district superintendents, educa-
more economic resources had more choices. tors, legislative leaders, civil rights advocates,
State and local policy should ensure that all parent advocates, and other critical stakeholders.
families have an accurate picture of the educa- Together, these groups can set a vision that will
tional options available to them and an equitable make assessment and accountability more effec-
chance to make decisions for their children. tive and durable, without backing away from
Litigating the merits of various school choice underlying principles of equity and transpar-
structures is beyond the scope of this article, but ency. They can also jointly communicate to the
www.nasbe.org 11public that assessment results are a valuable Testing,” Curriculum Associates, press release, October
5, 2020.
source of information but not the sole determi-
Very different nant of school quality and student success. This
3Ishtiaque Fazlul et al., “Bridging the Covid Divide: How
approaches are nuance, on which the vast majority of education
States Can Measure Student Achievement Growth in the
Absence of 2020 Test Scores” (Washington, DC: Thomas
possible, even under stakeholders agree, has often been lost in polar- B. Fordham Institute, January 13, 2021).
current federal law, ized arguments to abolish or uphold standardize
4See, for example, Andrew Ho, “A Smart Role for State
Standardized Testing in 2021,” Sound and Fury blog
but they require time, testing. (Washington, DC: FutureEd, March 23, 2021), https://
www.future-ed.org/a-smart-role-for-state-standardized-
resources, and careful State boards must also maintain or adopt
testing-in-2021/.
rigorous college- and career-ready standards
implementation. and approve, incentivize, or adopt high-quality
5Thomas Dee and Brian Jacob, “The Impact of No Child
Left Behind on Student Achievement,” National Bureau
curricular materials and resources, if that is of Economic Research Working Paper #15531 (November
2009); Douglas Harris, “Are America’s Rising High School
part of their purview. The multiyear process to Graduation Rates Real—or Just an Accountability-Fueled
reshape curriculum and instruction from the Mirage?” Brown Center Chalkboard blog (Washington,
state level in places such as Louisiana and New DC: Brookings Institution, March 2, 2020).
6Bellwether Education Partners, “Non-Tested Subjects:
Hampshire show that very different approaches Evidence of Curriculum Narrowing,” in chapter 2 of The
are possible, even under current federal law, Learning Landscape (Washington, DC, author, 2017);
but they require time, resources, and careful Thomas S. Dee, Brian Jacob, and Nathaniel Schwarz, “The
Effects of NCLB on School Resources and Practices,”
implementation. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis 35, no. 2 (June
Assessment and accountability alone will 2013): 252–79.
not deliver the school improvements students 7E.g., Brian M. Stecher, Georges Vernex, and Paul S.
Steinberg, “What Can We Learn from the Implementation
need, and significant changes in accountabil- of No Child Left Behind?” research brief (Santa Monica,
ity and assessment will intersect with many CA: RAND, 2010); Kerstin Carlson Le Floch, “Did
other factors. For example, how should school School Improvement Grants Work Anywhere?” blog post
(Washington, DC: AIR, May 11, 2017), https://www.air.
choice and enrollment systems use information org/resource/did-school-improvement-grants-work-
from assessments to communicate to parents anywhere; “In Need of Improvement: NCLB and High
Schools,” policy brief (Washington, DC: Alliance for
effectively and equitably? And how can parents
Excellent Education, November 2007).
and students play a key role in defining school 8Chad Aldeman et al., “An Independent Review of ESSA
quality based on a variety of academic and State Plans” (Washington, DC: Bellwether Education
nonacademic factors, and partner on plans Partners and the Collaborative for Student Success,
December 2017), https://bellwethereducation.org/
for school and systemic improvement? Other publication/independent-review-essa-state-plans.
critical factors—equitable school finance, 9“When Equity Is Optional: How State Choices Affect
teacher and leader preparation, and profes- School Ratings and Identifications for Support Under
ESSA” (Washington, DC: Alliance for Excellent
sional development, for example—also shape Education, 2020).
student outcomes and school quality. However,
National Association of State Boards of Education • May 2021
10Kalyn Belsha, “Reading Scores Fall on ‘Nation’s Report
well-designed assessment and accountability Card’ While Disparities Grow between High and Low
Performers,” Chalkbeat, October 30, 2019.
systems can help states, educators, parents,
11Dee and Jacob, “Impact of No Child Left Behind.”
and others better understand how students are 12Michael Hansen et al., “2018 Brown Center Report on
progressing and make decisions with the best American Education: Trends in NAEP Math, Reading,
information available. and Civics Scores” (Washington, DC: Brookings
Institution, June 27, 2018).
State boards can lay the groundwork now for
13Sarah D. Sparks, “Even before Pandemic, National Test
reexamining, revising, and rolling out changes Finds Most Seniors Unready for College Reading, Math,”
to current accountability and assessment Education Week, October 28, 2020.
plans that will bring states closer to a stronger, 14Hailly T. N. Korman, Bonnie O’Keefe, Matt Repka,
“Missing in the Margins: Estimating the Scale of the
revised vision for accountability and assess- COVID-19 Attendance Crisis” (Washington, DC:
ment in the future. Bellwether Education Partners, October 21, 2020).
15Scott Marion and Paul Leather, “Assessment and
1U.S. Department of Education, “U.S. Department of Accountability to Support Meaningful Learning,”
Education Releases Guidance to States on Assessing Education Policy Analysis Archives 29, no. 9 (February,
Bonnie O’Keefe is associate Student Learning During the Pandemic,” press release, 2015), https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.v23.1984.
partner at Bellwether Education February 22, 2021, https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/
Partners, Andrew Rotherham 16Louisiana Department of Education, “Louisiana’s
us-department-education-releases-guidance-states-assessing- Innovative Assessment Pilot National Update,” presenta-
is co-founder and partner, and
Jennifer O’Neal Schiess is a student-learning-during-pandemic. tion, August 15, 2019, https://www.louisianabelieves.com/
partner on Bellwether’s policy and 2“New Data from Curriculum Associates Quantifies Impact docs/default-source/assessment/national-update-on-
evaluation team. of COVID Learning Loss; Raises Questions about At-Home la's-innovative-assessment-pilot.pdf?sfvrsn=9e849d1f_4.
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