Dive Brief:

• Christy Hovanetz, Senior Policy Fellow for the Foundation for Excellence in Education, says when states are considering the design of their accountability systems, they need to make sure parents can access information about whether or not schools are effective and whether or not it’s the best fit for their child.
• Transparency is very important, Hovanetz says, and school systems need to be able to translate their test scores and data so that parents understand whether students leave high school ready for college or careers.
• A "dashboard" approach that compiles extensive information can disserve parents by making summarized data more difficult to encounter. 

Dive Insight:

Hovanetz also stresses that it's important for states to know their limits, and not to try to do too much. A primary focus needs to be direct learning outcomes. Her main concern with ESSA, she tells Education Next, is "that we may get very complex systems that won’t be transparent for parents, the public, and policymakers to use information in an easy way."

It's also crucial for schools to go into the design of new accountability measures having a big-picture goal in mind, and ordered priorities. Are students learning? Where does teaching need to improve the most? What will be measured, and what will those measurements actually mean, to the school and to parents and communities?

Right now, states like Arizona, Florida, California and Kentucky are said to be working on legislation that conflicts with ESSA guidelines. Connecticut's new plan seems to be in line with the law, and some experts are encouraging states to move slowly instead of rushing toward quick accountability solutions, since the actual ESSA guidance has not yet been written or released.