Research on Fifth Indicators under ESSA
September 21, 2017
Child Trends has conducted “an initial scan of states’ proposed accountability systems to examine how each approached the fifth indicator,” and although “the vast majority of states selected at least one indicator” to “gauge how schools support students in areas beyond academic performance,” a “handful missed a critical opportunity to emphasize the importance of supporting children’s healthy development.” Some states—such as Florida, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming—“opted to focus on additional academic indicators, such as growth among the lowest-performing students, science and social studies achievement, and AP/IB participation.” But while “these measures are certainly laudable, the exclusion of indicators of student well-being sends a disturbing message to schools in these nine states.”