Using Outcomes Data to Hold High Schools Accountable for Student Success

Posted by on February 01, 2010

Facilitating information flow between K–12, higher ed, and the workforce

College- and career-readiness has become a focal point in American education, but a new report by Education Sector finds that most high school accountability systems fail to recognize college- and career-ready goals. Many districts rate schools solely on graduation rates and on student scores on basic-skills tests in a single year. Some states have added end-of-course or graduation exams, but these are often stymied by lawsuits or devalued by near-universal pass rates after re-takes and alternate routes. The report looks at various measures some states are taking to remedy this by building “powerful new data systems that track student progress after high school into the workforce and college, allowing vital information to flow between K–12, higher education, and workforce information systems.” Sixteen states are already reporting the college remediation needs of public high school graduates, according to the study, and can calculate the percentage of students in a specific high school’s graduating class in need of remedial coursework in college, who drops out of college, who earns successful grade point averages their freshman year, and much more. The report also suggests that states calculate the earnings of graduates who enter the workforce, broken down by occupation and industry sector.

See the report: http://www.educationsector.org/research/research_show.htm?doc_id=1134127