Minnesota Department of Education North Star Accountability System >>>>> Presentation at the 28 August 2018 Meeting of the Committee of the Whole, Minneapolis Public Schools Board of Education

A Note to My Readers  >>>>>


As you scroll down to the next article on this blog, you will find an update that I received on the afternoon of Wednesday, 29 August from the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE), pertinent to the first report on student progress at Minnesota public schools that will be given tomorrow under the MDE North Star Accountability System.  In that article, I provide an introduction to the various government laws and regulations that have driven school accountability over the course of the last years and decades.


In this article, I give information from the powerpoint presentation of MDE staff members Michael Diedrich and David Duffy at the Tuesday, 28 August 2018, meeting of the Minneapolis Public Schools Board of Education Committee of the Whole.  In this article, I give the factual information from the powerpoint presentation in essentially the same form and using the same language as appeared on screen;  the only difference comes with my use of symbols of categorization and emphasis for the information given.  In a forthcoming article, I will comment on the presentation and on the likelihood that the Every Student Succeeds Act and the North Star Accountability will achieve the fundamental objective of providing equitable public education to students of all demographic descriptors. 


Consider now the presentation  >>>>>
 
Minnesota Department of Education
The North Star Accountability System
Presentation at the
Minneapolis Public Schools
Board of Education meeting,
28 August 2018
 
Identifies Districts for Support under the State’s World Best Workforce Law

>>>>> 

Identifies schools for support under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), using several indicators grouped into three stages to prioritize schools for different levels of support

 

>>>>> 

Replaces the accountability system from No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and the Minnesota MCLB waiver

 

ESSA Programs of Emphasis and Requirements for States

>>>>> 

ESSA Programs of Emphasis:

Funded Programs:

Academically Disadvantaged Students

English Learners

American Indian Students

Professional Development

 

Requirements for States:

Testing

Reporting

Accountability

School Support

 

Stakeholder Priorities 

>>>>>    Keep indicators separate and simple

>>>>>    Remember prioritization schools for support

>>>>>    Maintain focus on student groups:

 

Categories:

 

Racial Groups

English Learners

Students Eligible for Free and Reduced Price Lunch

Students Receiving Special Education Services

The Three-Stage Decision-Making Process 

>>>>>    Stage 1

Math Achievement

Reading Achievement

Progress Toward Reading Proficiency

>>>>>    Stage 2

(Elementary/Middle School)

Math Progress

Reading Progress

(High School)

Four-Year Graduation Rate

Seven-Year Graduation Rate

>>>>>    Stage 3

Consistent Attendance

 

Example:  Gopherville Elementary School

            (lowest 5% Title I elementary school)

 

>>>>>    Stage 1

Is the school in the lowest 25% of Title I schools for any category?

If “No” >>>>>  not in the lowest of Title I elementary schools  =  34 schools

                Math Achievement

                Reading Achievement

                Progress Toward English Language Proficiency

If “Yes” >>>>>  among the lowest of Title I elementary schools  =  34 schools,

then,

>>>>>    Stage 2

Is the school in the lowest 25%of the remaining schools for either

                Math Progress

                Reading Progress ?

 

Then >>>>>  Support from the Minnesota Department of Education

>>>>>    Stage 3

Is the school in the lowest of the remaining schools for consistent attendance?

If “No,” then >>>>>  Targeted Support

If “Yes,” then >>>>>  Comprehensive Support

 

Categories of School Support

 

Comprehensive Support  >>>>>

Ongoing technical assistance from the Regional Centers of Excellence (RCE)

for all public high schools with a four-year graduation rate below 67% overall and for any student group;   and

for the lowest 5% of Title I schools based on stages 1-3 

Targeted Support   >>>>> 

Mostly district support, with professional development opportunities from the RCEs

for schools where student groups perform below thresholds for at least one indicator in each stage;  and

for Title I schools with overall performance below thresholds in Stage 1 and Stage 2

 

Support from MDE will go to Title I schools with overall performance below thresholds in Stage 1.

 

Timeline

 
2018 ------------------       2021   ---------------------2024

 

Planning &               Planning &             Identification of
Quick Wins              Quick wins             Schools & Districts


Implementation     Implementation
&                                &
Improvement          Improvement        
                                                                                                                                                                                             

Smoke, Not Fire

 

Emphasis will be on

 

>>>>> 

 

Student Experiences and Learning         

 

with well-directed support leading to

academic improvement, graduation, and progress over time

 

Responsibilities of Districts with Comprehesive Support for Improvement (CSI) and

Targeted Support for Improvemernt (TSI) Schools

 

 

>>>>> 

 

providing oversite and leadership for each identified school in four broad areas  >>>>>

1)  communication and engagement with stakeholders

2)  conducting comprehensive needs assessment in the schools

3)  reviewing district and school level resources among and within the schools

4)  in partnership with stakeholders, designing and implementing a support and improvement plan

 

Thank You          

 

Michael Diedrich

michaeldiedrich@state.mn.us

651-582-8332

 

Dennis Duffy

dennis.duffy@state.mn.us

651-582-8304