Commentary
Accountability & Testing
Beware of faulty claims about Ohio’s Quality Counts ranking
Education Week just released its 22nd annual report and rankings of state education systems.
Commentary
Accountability & Testing
A plan to simplify and balance Ohio’s school report cards
Today, Fordham released a new report suggesting changes to Ohio’s school report cards to help parents and taxpayers get the best information about the performance of their schools and districts. This is the preface to that report.
Report
Accountability & Testing, ESSA, Governance
Rating the Ratings: An Analysis of the 51 ESSA Accountability Plans
The Every Student Succeeds Act grants states more authority over their accountability systems than did No Child Left Behind, but have they seized the opportunity to develop school ratings that are clearer and fairer than those in the past?
Commentary
Accountability & Testing
Fordham is your one-stop shop for state report card data and analysis
You have no doubt seen numerous media stories regarding the recent release of school report card data in Ohio. As supporters of a robust accountability system, we urge you to pay attention to the stories and the ongoing discussion. The success of our public schools (charter and district) in doing the vital work with which they are entrusted must be assessed, reported, and analyzed.
Report
Accountability & Testing, Charter Schools, Teachers & School Leaders
Teacher Absenteeism in Charter and Traditional Public Schools
Research confirms what common sense dictates: Students learn less when their teachers aren’t there. According to multiple studies, a ten-day increase in teacher absence results in at least ten fewer days of learning for students.
Commentary
Accountability & Testing
Watch out for unfair comparisons between charter and district schools
As Ohio’s annual report cards are released this week, Fordham is gearing up to dive into the data and explore what it means about K-12 public education in the Buckeye State.
Commentary
Accountability & Testing
Three things to look for when Ohio releases school report cards this week
The Ohio Department of Education is expected to release report cards for the 2016-17 school year by the end of this week. Like an annual checkup with a physician, these report cards offer valuable information on the academic health of Buckeye schools and students.
Commentary
Accountability & Testing
Superintendent DeMaria and the “kids who don’t care”
As part of the most recent state budget, Ohio lawmakers created alternative graduation pathways for the class of 2018 in response to widespread fears on the part of district administrator
Commentary
Accountability & Testing
Why all high school diplomas are not created equal
Confronted with the paradox of a simultaneous rise in high school graduation and college remediation rates, researchers from The Alliance for Excellent Education examined diploma pathways across the country for evidence as to how well they match college or career expectations.
Report
Accountability & Testing, ESSA
Rating the Ratings: Analyzing the First 17 ESSA Accountability Plans
The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) grants states more authority over their school accountability systems than did No Child Left Behind (NCLB)—meaning that states now have a greater opportunity to design improved school ratings. Rating the Ratings: Analyzing the First 17 ESSA Accountability Plans examines whether states are making the most of the moment.
Commentary
Accountability & Testing
Graduation option hurts students in long run
This blog originally appeared as an editorial in today’s edition of the Columbus Dispatch.
Commentary
Accountability & Testing
Beware of fake policy solutions
When I was growing up, “fake news” was the black-and-white photograph of the infamous bat child. Staring back at me in the supermarket check-out line, it was easy to spot—the line demarcating fiction from reality was as recognizable as the red and yellow tabloid headlines.
Commentary
Commentary
Accountability & Testing
Go for growth: How Ohio lawmakers can fix the school grading system
In its version of the state budget bill, the Ohio House included language that would place more weight on student growth measures when calculating charter sponsor ratings.
Commentary
Accountability & Testing
State board's graduation fix falls woefully short
Note: This blog originally appeared in a slightly different form as a guest commentary in the Cleveland Plain-Dealer.
Commentary
Accountability & Testing
GUEST COMMENTARY: Is a 10th grade education too high a bar for an Ohio diploma?
By Tom Gunlock
Podcast
Accountability & Testing
The great choice-accountability debate
On this week's podcast, Checker Finn, Alyssa Schwenk, and Brandon Wright discuss the ongoing debate about whether school accountability is best done via the parent marketplace or state assessments. During the Research Minute, Amber Northern examines whether struggling students are more likely to leave charter schools than traditional public schools.
Commentary
Standards, Accountability & Testing
Some immodest advice to the Ohio graduation requirements work group
NOTE: The Thomas B. Fordham Institute occasionally publishes guest commentaries on its blogs. The views expressed by guest authors do not necessarily reflect those of Fordham.
Report
Accountability & Testing, Governance, Teachers & School Leaders
Undue Process: Why Bad Teachers in Twenty-Five Diverse Districts Rarely Get Fired
Countless studies have demonstrated that teacher quality is the most important school-based determinant of student learning, and that removing ineffective teachers from the classroom could greatly benefit students.
Podcast
Accountability & Testing
The PISA-TIMSS edition
On this week’s podcast, Checker Finn, Robert Pondiscio, and Alyssa Schwenk discuss America’s performance on two recent international assessments, TIMSS and PISA. On the Research Minute, Amber Northern examines a U.S. Department of Education guide on how to teach writing.
Report
Accountability & Testing, ESSA, High Achievers
High Stakes for High Schoolers: State Accountability in the Age of ESSA (Part II)
Eleven weeks ago, in High Stakes for High Achievers: State Accountability in the Age of ESSA, the Fordham Institute reported that current K–8 accountability systems in most states give teachers scant reason to attend to the learning of high-achieving youngsters.
Podcast
Accountability & Testing
The high achievers edition
On this week’s podcast, Mike Petrilli, Alyssa Schwenk, and Robert Pondiscio discuss states’ neglect of high achievers and how ESSA might prompt them to do better. During the research minute, Amber Northern reports on the good news about narrowing socioeconomic gaps in kindergarten readiness.
Report
Accountability & Testing, ESSA, High Achievers
High Stakes for High Achievers: State Accountability in the Age of ESSA (Part I)
No Child Left Behind meant well, but it had a pernicious flaw: It created strong incentives for schools to focus all their energy on helping low-performing students get over a modest “proficiency” bar. Meanwhile, it ignored the educational needs of high achievers, who were likely to pass state reading and math tests regardless of what happened in the classroom.
Commentary
Podcast
Accountability & Testing
The Steph Curry edition
On this week’s podcast, Mike Petrilli and Alyssa Schwenk refute the idea that CTE is at odds with college, critique draft ESSA regulations’ neglect of high-achievers, and discuss a New York City lawsuit alleging the city’s schools are unsafe. During the Research Minute, Amber Northern explains charter high schools’ effects on long-term attainment and earnings.
Report
Accountability & Testing, Standards
Evaluating the Content and Quality of Next Generation Assessments
Evaluating the Content and Quality of Next Generation Assessments examines previously unreleased items from three multi-state tests (ACT Aspire, PARCC, and Smarter Balanced) and one best-in-class state assessment, Massachusetts’ state exam (MCAS). The product of two years of work by the Thomas B.
Podcast
Accountability & Testing
The NAEP is falling edition
Petrilli and Pondiscio discuss the fallen NAEP scores, debate the meaning of Obama’s pledge to reduce testing, and ponder school dress codes. Amber takes a look at NAEP’s alignment with Common Core math.
Commentary
Charter Schools, Accountability & Testing
Lincoln Chafee quotes about education
Commentary
Accountability & Testing
Four lessons from the opt-out debate
Test refusals may force reformers to rethink their priorities. Robert Pondiscio
Commentary
Accountability & Testing
Trust, but verify
The era of judging New York City Schools on academics is over. Robert Pondiscio
