Poster #143 - Who Remains "College, Career, and Military Ready" in the Context of a Shifting Accountability Framework?

• In Event: Saturday Poster Luncheon

Abstract

This study investigates Texas’ ever shifting education accountability landscape specifically related to the development and impact of Texas’ College, Career, and Military Readiness (CCMR) standards. Over the last decade, the CCMR framework has emerged as a critical component of the education policy and accountability landscape in the state, shaping the trajectory of students' postsecondary paths and how schools or districts will prepare them for the future. Yet, minimal research exists on how this system developed, how it impacted students and districts, and whether these policy changes considered equity implications. Leveraging a mixed-method approach, our study examined how this system was built over time and its impacts through Texas schools and districts. We bridge qualitative document and narrative analyses of legislative documents and implementation meeting minutes from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) with quantitative analyses of TEA data on CCMR trends across school districts and student demographics to answer the following questions: 

1.     What guided the development of and shift to Texas’ new accountability system (i.e., new domains and the transition to the A-F Accountability System)? And specifically, how did the CCMR component evolve over time? 

2.     How were equity considerations discussed and incorporated into the new accountability system and its CCMR facets?

3.     How were changes in CCMR policy associated with the number and proportion of students deemed 'prepared' for postsecondary life? And did these changes impact students equitably across school districts and student demographics?

By examining the evolution and impact of Texas’ accountability framework and embedded CCMR metric, this study offers timely and actionable insights for policymakers, educators, and stakeholders striving to design more equitable and effective systems. Our findings reflect that in developing Texas’ accountability systems, stakeholders prioritized transparency, simplicity, and flexibility, which resulted in benefits and drawbacks that impacted equity and stakeholder engagement. Our analysis revealed an immediate significant decrease in students' CCMR rates after policy changes followed by a recovery as school districts adjusted to the evolving standards; yet outcomes still varied across types of districts and student sub-groups. As Texas continues to refine its system, CCMR indicators, and standards, it is essential to understand the implications of these policy changes—not only for evaluating what has worked, but also for informing what should come next.

This research has implications for our understanding of how accountability policies are developed and which stakeholder voices are included, it also helps us understand how different school districts and student demographic groups are specifically affected by changes in accountability policy. And ultimately, this research contributes to a clearer understanding of how prioritizing certain accountability metrics has differing implications for different types of school districts and for traditionally disadvantaged students.

Author

• Stacey Hood, Rice University
  Presenting Author