Who Loses When Measurement Fails? Evaluating a State-Level Educational Accountability Measure

• In Event: 30.081 - Poster Session 5
  In Poster Session: 30.081-2 - Division L Section 5 Poster Session

Abstract

In order to determine whether schools and school districts are narrowing achievement gaps between students of different backgrounds, many states utilize an indicator of closing gaps as a measure of accountability. Yet, there is significant variation in the way states measure this, with many states not actually assessing gaps at all when the methodology is examined. This study focuses on the state of Texas, examining whether schools and districts experienced narrowing achievement gaps between children of different racial/ethnic backgrounds and socioeconomic status by using an alternate method of calculating gaps, also assessing which student populations were at greater risk of being in a context of narrowing gaps by state standards, but growing or stable gaps when alternate measures are used.

Author

• Erin Baumgartner, Rice University - Kinder Institute