September 26, 2024 Newsletter
In This Edition:
1. New State Accountability System Results in APS' "Laser-Like Focus" on ELs
2. Check Out ParentVue for BOY Scores
3. Maryland School Report Cards Provide an Example for New Virginia System
4. APE's School Board Candidate Forum is Coming Up!
5. APS School Board Work Session Focuses on Instructional Technology
6. September 19th School Board Meeting Recap
7. Happening Soon
New State Accountability System Results in APS'
"Laser-Like Focus" on English Learners
Issue: Approximately 26% of APS students are English Learners (ELs) and APS previously entered into a 2019 settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice over allegations that APS “provided inadequate help for [ELs].”
At the last School Board meeting, APS Chief Academic Officer, Dr. Mann, discussed ELs numerous times in his presentation on overall academic results. Explaining ELs’ prominence in his academic results presentation, Dr. Mann stated that APS will now have a “laser-like focus” on ELs going forward as a result of the new accountability system.
Background: Virginia’s state accreditation system dates back to the Governor George Allen era in the 1990s. Separately, the 2002 No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) first established a federal school accountability system for reporting schools’ academic progress using different metrics than Virginia’s state accreditation system. The federal accountability system continued via state government reporting under 2015’s Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), with more flexibility given to states regarding how they report certain federal accountability data.
In order to comply with ESSA, Virginia created a combined accreditation and accountability system. But that combined system’s school report cards used lower state accreditation standards to paint a rosier picture of school performance than the federal accountability data mandated under ESSA. In Virginia’s school report cards (Virginia School Quality Profiles), the significantly less rigorous state reporting metrics are front and center, while the stricter federal data is buried in confusing tabs with fuzzy formats. For instance, EL achievement data are exempted from schools' "report cards" for 5.5 years after entering school in the United States under the state accreditation academic achievement standards vs. only one year under federal accountability law.
The civil rights group, the National Urban League, gave Virginia’s soon-to-be-retired system its lowest rating in their equity scorecard, stating it provides “nothing in terms of format, or usability, with the end user in mind.” Former U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan (who served under President Barack Obama from 2009-2015 and was an APS parent during this time period) had stronger words when supporting Virginia’s accountability system revamp this year, stating: “Lying to parents about how their children are doing academically is definitely the easier path, but it is always the wrong path.”
Why It Matters: The Virginia Board of Education recently approved the revamp of the accountability system, including its separation from accreditation (similar to most states). More transparent and granular academic performance data under the federal accountability standards will be reported via the new accountability framework, better enabling a core purpose of reporting under ESSA, which is to better target support to schools that are most in need. The new accreditation system will now focus only on compliance. The new accountability system will take full effect next school year.
Numerous Virginia school superintendents and administrators, the Virginia Association of School Superintendents, and the press have publicly demonstrated their confusion as to why the new state accountability system includes ELs after just one year. For instance, at APS’ request, the Arlington School Board in May 2024 approved a legislative request for the Virginia General Assembly to overturn the alleged changing of the “number of semesters in which English Learners are exempt from the [academic achievement] calculations from 11 to 3.”
In fact, the one year exemption for ELs in accountability is not a change but is long-standing federal law supported by civil rights groups:
ESSA requires accountability systems include ELs in academic achievement calculations after a 12-month exemption.
Therefore, any law passed by the Virginia General Assembly modifying when ELs are included in accountability could be in violation of the U.S. Constitution, since a state law cannot override a federal law.
These ELs have been included in federal accountability academic achievement calculations since 2002 with NCLB.
Civil rights groups strenuously advocated, and continue to advocate, for ELs to be included in these accountability provisions, according to Delia Pompa, Senior Fellow for Education Policy at the Migration Policy Institute.
Pompa explained that including EL achievement data is not about shaming schools with struggling ELs, but rather about notifying the community of their existence and better directing resources to them. The Education Trust recently summarized the general principle:
Federal accountability requirements are designed to ensure parents, communities, system leaders, and policymakers can better understand which schools and districts are struggling to meet students’ needs and have student group disparities, and — most importantly — use this information to target additional resources and supports to address these needs.
Our Take: APS is already reacting to the new transparent accountability system—by dedicating more attention to ELs—consistent with Pompa’s explanation as to why civil rights groups want ELs included in federal accountability after one year. In addition, the fact that countless Virginia school administrators have been profoundly confused as to the fundamental metrics used in accountability vs. accreditation in the old combined system further proves the system’s fatal flaws.
We are happy to see APS’ additional focus on one of its most vulnerable subgroups, as ESSA intended. We look forward to seeing clear reporting on this subgroup in the new accountability system's school report cards next fall.
Some Beginning of Year (BOY) standardized test results are now available in ParentVue!
Not all results are up yet, but scores have started to be posted as they come available.
Sign in to your account, and click on "Test History" from the menu on the left, which is the second-to-last option in the list. Additionally, you can read more about the assessments here.
Kudos to APS for sharing them significantly earlier this year so parents and educators have additional time this semester to respond to the results. We encourage APS to provide parents and teachers an automated notification from ParentVue or through APS' communication systems like ParentSquare when results for their specific children or pupils are posted.
Maryland School Report Cards Provide an Example
for New Virginia System
Issue: Maryland’s transparent school report cards are an example of what Virginia’s new accountability system’s reporting formatting could look like.
Why It Matters: Virginia’s use of a format like Maryland’s report card would make information regarding Virginia's schools’ performance much more transparent, providing significantly clearer data to Virginia families and communities on how our schools are performing.
Such clarity would also be significantly more equitable than the current Virginia School Quality Profiles. For instance, currently, schools' report cards on the Virginia School Quality Profiles main page only display the less rigorous state accreditation data (including a summative rating based on such data), whereas the stricter federal accountability data is buried in confusing tabs with fuzzy formats (with no summative rating based on the stricter federal data). When effective, the new "report cards" will show only federal accountability data.
Maryland’s school report card only uses the federal accountability data. Below is an example of a Maryland’s report card’s Overall Section (i.e. summative rating, including its federal accountability data components). Please note that:
All metrics in this section involving academic achievement include all ELs other than those who entered school in the United States less than 12 months prior (as required by federal law); and
Maryland has a summative rating star system, while Virginia’s summative rating will only use descriptive terms.
Below is an example of a Maryland’s school’s subgroup performance for Bethesda Elementary, which is on a school report card’s main page.
For subgroup performance, accountability systems publicly report on the academic performance of a certain demographic subgroup if a school meets a minimum number of students in a subgroup (n-size), providing more transparency into that subgroup’s academic performance. The lower the n-size, the more transparent the system, the more accountable schools are for their subgroups, and the more schools the state can provide targeted support related to a subgroup’s underperformance (TSI schools). However, an n-size less than 10 raises privacy issues.
Virginia’s new system will use an n-size of 15 (the minimum n-size of states is 10, which 14 states use, according to The Education Trust).
Virginia’s soon-to-be retired combined accreditation and accountability system uses the highest n-size of 30 (10 states use the highest n-size of 30, according to The Education Trust).
Civil rights groups advocate for a lower n-size as furthering equity, with The Education Trust in its ESSA equity report issued last week calling for the federal government to mandate an n-size of 10 for all states.
From what we understand, Virginia’s new accountability system uses an n-size of 15 instead of 10, as a compromise to school superintendents.
Nonetheless, the Virginia Association of School Superintendents still expressed “concern” last month with the new system’s lowering of the n-size.
Our Take:We agree with the The Education Trust’s core principlethat, to advance equity in state accountability systems, such systems must “report information that is understandable, easily accessible, and widely available," and to that end we agree with The Education TrustthatESSA’s subgroup reporting requirements are an “incredible victory for equity." Finally, we agree with the The National Urban LeaguethatVirginia’s old combined accreditation and accountability system has been inequitable because it has failed to provide Virginia’s federally required academic performance data in an understandable format, including on subgroup performance. We look forward to seeing the proposed format of the school report card for the new Virginia accountability system once it is released, and hope Maryland’s easy-to-understand school report card format will be a template for Virginia’s revamp.
You're Invited: 2024 Virtual School Board Candidate Forum
Join us on Thursday, October 10, 2024, for our Fall School Board Candidate Forum—a great opportunity to hear directly from the candidates about their vision for the future of Arlington Public Schools.
You'll hear from Kathleen Clark, James "Vell" Rives, Zuraya Tapia-Hadley, and Paul Weiss as they share their priorities and plans for improving our schools.
We’re also excited to announce that Washington Post Virginia K-12 Education Reporter, Karina Elwood, will be moderating this year’s event, ensuring a dynamic and informative conversation.
Don’t miss out on this important opportunity to get involved and stay informed!
When: 7pm-8:30pm
Where: Zoom
Register today to secure your spot and receive the event link!
Questions? Drop us a line.
APS School Board Work Session
Focuses on Instructional Technology
During the work session, which took place between Arlington's School Board and administrative leaders, key discussions centered on the use of technology in education. Dr. Gerald Mann, Chief Academic Officer, emphasized the need to avoid excessive screen time for students, advocating for a balanced approach where technology compliments, rather than replaces, teacher instruction. Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction Sarah Putnam suggested gathering feedback from stakeholders to inform a data-driven strategy regarding tech usage.
School Board Member Zecher Sutton raised concerns about what digital literacy skills students should possess by graduation. The need for clear guidelines on daily screen time, especially for younger students, was noted. There was a consensus to prioritize high-quality, adaptive learning applications in recommendations for technology use.
Concerns from parents about device usage in younger grades prompted discussions about the importance of reassessing past observations. Putnam shared that a modified data collection process has been initiated to monitor application use effectively.
Overall, the group seemed to show support for reducing technology reliance in grades PK-2, reflecting a desire for more purposeful, integrated tech use in classrooms.
Additionally, the evolution of the current 1:1 device policy was discussed; prior to the pandemic, Pre-K through 2nd grades only used devices at a 10:1 ratio. Since the pandemic, these grades have continued to provide 1:1 devices, meaning that every student has an individual device in the classroom. The potential cost savings of removing 1:1 and the devices entirely from those grades were presented for the first time. However, according to staff, the annual cost of software is unknown.
Watch a recording of the work session here to see the other topics presented and view the full presentation here.
September 19th School Board Meeting Recap
Key takeaways from the September 19th School Board Meeting are:
1. APS announced a partnership with George Mason University to offer a direct path to college admission for Arlington Career Center, Wakefield, and Washington-Liberty graduates with a 3.2 GPA and higher. This year, 776 high school seniors will receive an offer.
2. Dr. Durán presented 2023-2024 SOL results, which were largely flat in reading, math, and social studies, while writing scores increased to pre-pandemic levels and science scores decreased compared to pre-pandemic levels.
Read the full recap or watch the recording.
Happening Soon!
Tuesday, October 1, 8am, Audit Committee Meeting. Syphax, Suite 260.
Tuesday, October 8, 5:30pm, Committee of the Whole Meeting–Budget. Syphax, Suite 260.
Wednesday, October 9, 8am, Policy Subcommittee Meeting. Syphax, Suite 260.
Tuesday, October 15, 5:30-7:30pm, Open Office Hours with School Board Member David Priddy. Virtual. Sign up.
Thursday, October 17, 7pm, School Board Meeting. Sign up to speak. Syphax. Watch live.
Don't forget! You can subscribe to APS School Calendars here.
