i_coessacomm_2016a_2016-08-31t09:12:00z0 Hearing Summary

Date: 08/31/2016

09:12 AM -- Accountability



Representative Pettersen, chair, welcomed the committee and audience. She discussed the committee's schedule and welcomed the presenters. Phillip Lovell, representing the Alliance for Excellent Education, distributed copies of his presentation (Attachment A). He discussed growth and gaps, opportunities for equity, and state approaches to addressing these problems. He spoke about the Every Student Succeeds Act's (ESSA) requirements for intervention in low-performing schools, and targeted intervention. He told the committee about requirements to include subgroup performance in each indicator, and the state's ability to determine its own long-term goals. He also discussed assessment participation rates. Mr. Lovell responded to questions from the committee. He continued his presentation, speaking about school improvement which will now be determined by states, districts, and schools. He told the committee about how ESSA changes funding for school improvement and student services. He discussed Colorado's use of data and the requirements of ESSA. He said that in Colorado, disaggregated subgroups are only present in one indicator, and all minority students are lumped together. Mr. Lovell responded to questions from the committee. They discussed graduation rates, remediation rates, and low-performing high schools. He spoke about the percentage of minority students who take advanced placement courses and responded to questions about evidence-based approaches to supporting low-performing high schools. He also responded to questions about school choice. He continued his presentation, speaking about school quality and student success indicators. He said these indicators must be measurable, actionable, and meaningful. Mr. Lovell responded to questions from the committee.



Attachment A.pdf





09:54 AM



Paige Kowalski, representing the Data Quality Campaign, distributed her presentation to the group (Attachment B). She described her organization and spoke about the importance of quality data in making policy decisions. She described her child's experiences in District of Columbia public schools. She spoke about why data matters and the questions it can answer. She responded to questions from the committee. Ms. Kowalski continued her presentation, speaking about how data empowers parents. She described policy priorities around data, saying that data must measure what matters, that data must be easy to use, that the collection and retention of data must be transparent, and that policy makers must guarantee access and protect privacy. Ms. Kowalski responded to questions from the committee. She spoke about data privacy and how to make accountability work for students. She praised Colorado's growth model. She spoke about the requirement for a 95 percent participation rate in statewide assessments and why the participation rate matters. She stated that below 95 percent, test results do not comprise a valid and reliable data set. She described the impact of opt-outs and how schools and districts can encourage 95 percent participation, including timely results, high-quality reports, establishing data governance bodies, and engaging stakeholders. Ms. Kowalski responded to questions from the committee about methods for increasing participation. She continued her presentation, speaking about continuous improvement measures and legislation in other states.



Attachment B.pdf