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We had the great pleasure this week of cheering on our teacher leaders from Maryland and California as they presented an innovative new teacher-designed two-tiered school accountability system in the
Thomas B. Fordham Institute’s ESSA Accountability Design Competition. We were thrilled when they received unanimous positive ratings from all of the judges. The new system, which meets the requirements of the new Every Student Succeeds Act, was developed by 12 highly-effective teachers who teach in high-poverty schools in Baltimore; Boston; Chicago; Los Angeles; Prince George’s County (MD); Memphis; and Washington, DC. The teachers who presented at the competition — Rachel Man, a 6th grade teacher
from Dwight D. Eisenhower Middle School in Laurel, MD, and
Chris Hofmann, a 4th grade teacher at KIPP Raices Academy in Los Angeles — emphasized that their accountability system would serve students and schools well. It prioritizes academic indicators without losing sight of the important role that non-academic indicators (such as school climate and culture, teacher leadership, and home visit programs) can play in a school’s success. The teachers who designed it all indicated that they would like to teach in schools in a state that establishes such a system. Policymakers have wasted no time in asking for more information, and our teachers have been invited to share their insights with state policymakers at an
upcoming ESSA conference of the Hunt Institute, National Association of State Boards of Education, and the National Conference of State Legislatures. Teaching Policy Fellows across all of our sites will be scheduling meetings with policymakers to share ideas as their states design new systems for accountability under ESSA. Teacher voice will also be essential in helping states and districts shape important assessment and teacher leadership provisions of the new law. Read our
press release. Learn about all of the finalists. - Alice Johnson Cain and Steve Robinson, Teach Plus National Policy Team
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