State boards should set realistic annual targets and invest in data infrastructure and collaborative time for improvement¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

The article recommends a set of actions for state boards of education: seek evidence of malleability and predictive power for proposed indicators, "set realistic annual targets grounded in what schools can genuinely achieve", and "invest in the data infrastructure and collaborative time that meaningful improvement requires". The strategy treats accountability metrics as tools rather than labels, asking what a number means and what conditions shape it.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Boards must have or build the data infrastructure and collaborative educator time needed for meaningful improvement work.

Constraints¶

• Targets must be grounded in what schools can genuinely achieve annually; the article warns against expecting movement that improvement data cannot realistically show.

Target Learners¶

• K-12 students in schools whose improvement is guided by state board policy

Target Learning Goals¶

• School improvement planning, realistic goal setting, and use of improvement data

Related Strategies¶

• Malleability Predictive Validity Non Negotiable Indicator Criteria
• Use growth measures rather than achievement as the primary indicator of school effectiveness in ESSA accountability
• A three-part goal-setting roadmap: collaborate on goals, establish autonomous activities, and check in regularly

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Title as printed: Overview, State Education Standard. (2024). The Journal of the National Association of State Boards of Education. https://www.nasbe.org/the-state-education-standard/