| Question: |
What is the Accountability
Report? |
| Answer: |
Formerly referred to as the School Report Cards,
the School Accountability Report (SAR) is produced by the Colorado
Department of Education to provide a report of a school's performance
to the public, to educators and lawmakers. This is the third
year of the SAR. |
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| Question: |
What is included in the
School Accountability Reports? |
| Answer: |
The school accountability reports rates schools according
to student performance on the Colorado Student Assessment Program
(CSAP) and ACT tests. The state assigns the following performance
ratings to individual schools: excellent, high, average, low
and unsatisfactory.
For the first year, schools were rated on a normal bell curve.
The top 8 percent of Colorado Schools were rated excellent; 25
percent of schools were rated high; 40 percent of schools were
average; 25 percent were low and the bottom 2 percent were unsatisfactory.
In year 2, the ratings use a bell curve for new tests and performance
targets for the other tests. Because there were no new tests
in 2003, only the performance targets were used for the calculations.
Other items in the report include information about staff,
student/teacher ratios, teacher experience and information about
the school environment, safety and discipline, student attendance,
and comparison of performance to 10 geographically close schools.
Excellent schools receive the John Irwin Schools of Excellence
Awards. Schools with unsatisfactory performance ratings are directed
by local school boards to submit improvement plans to the State
Board of Education.
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| Question: |
Do CSAP tests cover all
subject areas? |
| Answer: |
No. The tests cover reading and writing in grades
3-10, math in grades 5-10, and science in grade 8. The English,
reading, and math subscores of the Colorado ACT are included
for 11th grade. |
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| Question: |
How will we know how schools are performing
in other subject areas? |
| Answer: |
Other subject areas are not included on the school accountability
report. However, the State Board of Education has adopted accreditation
rules that require schools to report student achievement results
in other content areas. |
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| Question: |
What do educators think about the accountability
reports? |
| Answer: |
CSAP results are not the only measure of how well a school
or district is doing. Schools administer other tests and forms
of assessment to gauge student progress for CSAP subjects and
for other subject areas. Some other examples are the ITBS, Individual
Reading Inventories for the Literacy Act, and students participating
in Advanced Placement (AP) courses and exams. Many of our students
planning to continue in higher education also take the SAT. All
high school juniors in the state of Colorado are required to
take the ACT. The report does not address the contribution of
a supportive home environment that goes beyond the scope of the
classroom. |
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| Question: |
If we are concerned about our school's
grade or rating, how can we find out more about what our school
is doing? |
| Answer: |
- Visit principals, teachers or attend your School Accountability
Committee meetings and ask to see the school's action plan.
- Ask to see reports on some of the district tests or other
forms of assessment.
- Ask your school for a copy of its improvement plan.
- Ask your district for a copy of its annual report for other
performance indicators.
- Visit your school to see what is offered and to obtain a
sense of the school's environment.
- Get involved in your school.
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