“High stakes” is an important term that has been used and applied in today’s education system. It has helped in understanding and determining what children require within the education system in terms of skills and knowledge. It has therefore seen various United States such as Ohio incorporating K-12 accountability system not only to define and measure children’s achievement, but increase it as well. A look at Ohio’s assessment data reveals that there are some high-stakes testing issues that are reflected in K-12 accountability system.
One of the issues that come out as a guide to the designing of Ohio’s K-12 accountability system is the use of multiple measures in evaluating schools and district performance. By this, it means that, the state rates schools and districts on States indicators, performance index, Value-Added data, and Adequate Yearly Progress (Oshea, 2010). Couple with the four measures is the assigning of state’s designations that include “Excellent with Distinction, Effective, Excellent, Continuous Improvement, Academic Watch and Academic Emergency to each district , school building, and community school,” (Oshea, 2010). In so doing, the accountability system incorporates a four-component measures that helps in determining the achievement and progress of students within their school building or school district. However, even with such assessment standards, the Ohio’s accountability system leaves out important educational systems that should help translate into student’s success.
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For instance, standardized state indicators which credit performance based on grade achievement tests in reading, mathematics, and attendance rate, do not tell of effectiveness of instructional methods used. Additionally, it does not report on the quality of educational materials and primary concerns of a child or teacher that is essential for child’s skills and knowledge development.
Therefore, in future, Ohio’s K-12 accountability system must incorporated measures that replace the “Measures of a Rigorous Curriculum Information.” This is to ensure that all students are highly capitalized with the knowledge and skills that allows them to succeed in college, careers, and citizenship, especially after leaving the high school. In so doing, the Ohio’s accountability system will go beyond the traditional norms of standardized test and ensure that children are endowed with knowledge and skills needed to excel in life (AEA, 2009). It is only this way that the system will have the ability to timely and accurately analyze and assess what can work, how it suppose to work, and why it should work.
In conclusion, educator, teachers, and schools should incorporate effective accountability system that creates incentives for success for children and disincentives for failure for the same. The Ohio’s K-12 accountability system and others should account for performance that represents a shift from concentrating on inputs to the results of an educational system.