How States Can Help Both High-Achieving and Low-Performing Students | Understanding ESSA
 

How States Can Help Both High-Achieving and Low-Performing Students

How States Can Help Both High-Achieving and Low-Performing Students

August 30, 2016

The Thomas B. Fordham Institute released a new report detailing how states can take advantage of ESSA to not only help serve “low-performing students” but to also ensure the “educational needs of high-achieving students” are being met. The report recommends four design changes to states’ accountability systems to “better serve all students,” including:

  1. Reward schools for getting more students to an “advanced” level;
  2. Rate schools using a “true growth model”;
  3. Include “gifted students” as a subgroup; and
  4. When determining summative school ratings, make “growth for all students” count for at least half of the rating.