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Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)

Understanding the ESSA indicators

The latest federal legislation about school accountability is the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), signed into law in 2015. Under ESSA, each state is required to submit a plan detailing how the law will be implemented, including how it will hold schools accountable for student performance. Some parts of the accountability system are required by law–for example, all high schools, nationwide, are accountable for their graduation rate. The law also allows states to choose components of the accountability system that are important to its students and stakeholders.

Maryland created its accountability system over the past 18 months. The State Board of Education, Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) staff, superintendents, principals, teachers, parents, community leaders, advocacy groups, and other stakeholders around the state worked together to create an accountability system that measured relevant, actionable aspects of school performance. The State plan was approved by the U.S. Department of Education in early 2018.

The Maryland accountability system includes multiple ways to describe student and school performance. Each school’s results on the Maryland accountability system are (will be) compiled and reported on the Maryland Report Card website. The results reflect school performance in multiple areas, including academic achievement, academic progress (for elementary and middle schools), school quality and student success measures, as well as graduation rates and college and career readiness (for high schools).

Our results are a snapshot of how our schools are performing based on the ESSA indicators. They provide an additional data-point to show areas in which we are doing well, and illuminate those in which we need to improve.

Understanding Your Report Card

Below are sample report cards for each school level:

What ESSA Measures

The accountability system has two parts: academic indicators, which make up 65 possible points in the system, and measures of school quality and student success, which are 35 possible points. For elementary and middle schools, the academic indicators are:

  • Academic Achievement: A combination of the percent of students scoring “proficient” or higher on state standardized tests in math and English Language Arts, and the average Performance Level of students on state standardized tests.
  • Academic Progress: A combination of (1) how each student’s performance has grown compared to previous years on state standardized tests in English Language Arts and math, and (2) the percent of fifth or eighth grade students earning credit in core coursework. (In upcoming years, this indicator will also include student performance on state science and social studies tests.)
  • Progress in Achieving English Language Proficiency: The percentage of a school’s English language learner population who are on track toward achieving proficiency in the English language.

The measures of school quality and student success are the percent of students at the school who (1) are not chronically absent, and (2) enrolled in a well-rounded curriculum. (In upcoming years, this indicator will also include a school climate survey.) At the high school level, the academic indicators are:

  • Academic Achievement: A combination of the percent of students scoring “proficient” or higher on state standardized tests in math and English Language Arts, and the average Performance Level of students on state standardized tests.
  • Graduation Rate: The percent of students who earn a Maryland High School Diploma.
  • Progress in Achieving English Language Proficiency: The percent of a school’s English language learner population who are on track toward achieving proficiency in the English language.
  • Readiness for Postsecondary Success: The percent of students who (1) at ninth grade have earned at least four credits in core academic coursework, and (2) upon graduation the percent of students meeting a variety of standards beyond their required coursework.

The measures of school quality and student success are the percent of students at the school who (1) are not chronically absent, and (2) upon graduation have participated in a variety of learning opportunities beyond their required core academic coursework. In upcoming years, this indicator will also include a school climate survey. A school earns points on the component of the accountability system based on its performance in each area.

How Results Are Reported

Each school’s results on the Maryland accountability system are compiled and reported on the Maryland Report Card website. Visit the Maryland State Department of Education’s Report Card website.

Star Ratings

The stars given to each school express a school’s “final score” on the Maryland accountability system, along with a school’s percent of total earned points percent and percentile rank. Awarded stars are determined from the total earned points percent across all academic and school quality indicators. Stars are awarded using a school’s total earned points percent:

  • 5 stars – when a school has earned at least 75% of the total possible points
  • 4 stars – when a school has earned at least 60% but less than 75% of the total possible points
  • 3 stars – when a school has earned at least 45% but less than 60% of the total possible points
  • 2 stars – when a school has earned at least 30% but less than 45% of the total possible points
  • 1 star – when a school has earned less than 30% of the total possible points

Schools with fewer than 45 total possible points will not receive a Star Rating. However, the available data for these schools will be reported. Local school systems will also not receive a Star Rating. However, the available data for local school systems will be reported.

Question And Answers

Why do we have the Maryland Report Card website and School Report Cards? Why now?

The School Report Cards provide an easily understandable way to report the performance and progress of Maryland schools and districts on the state’s new accountability system. They can be found on the Maryland Report Card website (MdReportCard.org), along with even more information about each school. Together, they allow for transparent, open, and data-driven dialogue between educators, parents, students, and community stakeholders on how well each school is serving its students. The redesign reflects the changes to Maryland’s accountability system made in response to the federal Every Student Succeeds Act, which was signed into law in 2016. The U.S. Department of Education approved Maryland’s plan in early 2018.

What is my school’s “final score”?

Each school’s “final score” is the result of its performance on the entire accountability system. The system contains a number of components, including measurements of academic performance and school quality. For each component, a school can earn points based on the way that the school is achieving in that area. The School Report Card presents each school’s “final score” in three ways.

First, the “total earned points percent” is the total number of points earned by the school, divided by the total possible points. For example, a school that earned 55 points out of a possible 85 would receive a “total earned points percent” of 55/85 or 65%. Second, a school will get a “star rating,” which is a convenient way of expressing the “total earned points percent.” A school that earned 65% of its possible points would have four stars. Third, a school will be given a percentile rank, which describes how that school performed in comparison to other schools. For example, an elementary school in the 80th percentile means the school performed equal to or higher than 80 percent of other Maryland elementary schools on the indicators in the school accountability system.

What does the final score mean?

The final score will tell you how a school is performing on the Maryland accountability system. The percentile rank tells you how the school is doing in comparison to others in the state, and the total earned points percent and star rating show performance on an “absolute” scale. Starting next year, you can also look at the final score over time to track a school’s progress. While the final score is a simple way to look at how a school is doing on the accountability system, it’s only one part of the picture of school quality.

First, the Maryland Report Card website (MdReportCard.org) has even more details about school performance, including detailed breakdowns of the components of the accountability system. Second, there are many factors that influence the quality of a school that are not captured by the Report Card. Not only should one look at all the available data to determine how a school fared, but also at other aspects of the school that are important to the school community but not captured in the data.

Does a poor star rating mean my school is bad?

There are many factors that influence the quality of a school. The star rating is a snapshot of how a school or school system performed during the previous year on a handful of factors. The grades are to be used to identify areas that are performing strongly or areas that are in need of improvement.

Why did my school not receive a final score, percentile rank, or star rating?

To receive a final score, a school must have 45 or more possible points. Some schools may not have possible points for every measure or indicator. (For example, if a school does not have at least ten English language learner students, then the Progress in Achieving English Language Proficiency indicator is not included for that school. There would be no possible points for this indicator.) For schools with fewer than 45 possible points, data for the measures and indicators that do apply will still be reported. However, the school will not receive a final score, in any of its forms (total earned points percent, stars, or percentile rank).

How do other states report school performance?

The Every Student Succeeds Act requires states to, at the minimum, report school performance for each of the indicators. However, the majority of states (including Maryland) are reporting “final scores” as well. Most have systems similar to Maryland, with a combination of some type of summative score (in our case, the total earned points percent) and a rating system (in our case, the stars).

Why does the report card include groups of students by race/ethnicity, and those receiving special services?

Federal law requires that we report performance of all students as a group, and that we break out the performance of specific groups of students. Student group performance is critical information for schools, teachers, parents and students that helps ensure every student’s educational needs are met. There are seven race/ethnicity student groups: American Indian/Alaskan Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino of Any Race, White, and Two or More Races. There are three groups of students receiving special services: Economically Disadvantaged, English Language Learner, and Students with Disabilities.

What is the plan for reducing achievement gaps in student groups?

In the academic achievement, graduation rate and progress toward English language proficiency measures, Maryland’s ESSA plan includes goals for reducing gaps in performance. Each of the measures has a 2030 goal of reducing the percentage of non-proficient students in each student group by half. School reports will track performance improvements compared to interim targets to determine if each student group is making adequate progress towards the 2030 goals. 2017 data will be used as the baseline for determining targets.

What does it mean to be a Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI) or Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) school?

The federal ESSA framework requires states to identify two levels of underperforming schools; Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI) and Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) schools.

TSI schools are identified when an individual student group is performing as low as the lowest five percent of Title I elementary/middle schools and the lowest five percent of Title I high schools.

CSI schools are identified if a school meets any of these three criteria: (1) a school’s “all students” group performance is in the lowest achieving five percent of Title I schools in the state of Maryland, (2), high schools with less than 67% graduation rate or (3) a TSI identified school is not showing improvement after three years.

If the HCPSS has TSI or CSI schools identified, the MSDE will collaborate with HCPSS offices and administrative teams on the development, implementation, and monitoring of intervention strategies. The level of support will be tailored to address the school’s specific needs. Pre-planning for potential customized support models is starting now within the HCPSS School Support Team (SST). SST is a cross functional team made up of School Management and Instructional Leadership, the Division of Academics and Leadership Development.