Other approaches to accountability

The Consortium for Policy Research in Education (CPRE), which includes seven of the nation's top education research institutions, defines three different approaches to results-based accountability systems. 

Like Ohio’s current system of school report cards, the first type is the public report system. Under this system, parents can use information about the school to demand improvements or seek alternatives for their children. 

The second type emphasizes local standards and local planning.  Under this system, states allow each district to establish their own criteria and then use these individual plans to hold each district accountable to results.

The third system is the most high-stakes, because it sets performance goals and holds schools accountable for meeting them. Schools that fail to comply are subject to consequences and sanctions. 

Many states, including Ohio, have combined elements of each type to develop their own hybrid system of accountability.

No state has yet developed a perfect accountability system. However, across the country, there is increasing interest in creating a new system that will set high standards for America’s public schools and hold each accountable for the results of all of its students.  This new system would move beyond simple compliance and traditional results-based accountability and potentially include elements of community involvement, teacher motivation, and P-16 integration.

For more information about new approaches to school accountability, visit the Education Commission of the States site on accountability and Next Generation Models.