Rethinking Accountability: Measure What Matters Council Findings & Recommendations
Last fall, Raise Your Hand Texas set out to have conversations with over 10,000 people across the state about an issue that sits at the heart of public schools and student learning, Assessment and Accountability. With time and effort, the Texas Voices campaign grew until we had heard not from 10,000, but from more than 15,600 voices. Our team of Regional Advocacy Directors across the state gathered with Texans in countless listening circles, community meetings, and individual one-on-ones. What we heard is that Texans want to see more out of the current accountability and assessment system: more insight into academic growth, more community voice, more 21st century workforce preparation, more awareness of all that makes up a well-rounded education.
Currently, the Texas Education Agency grades Texas public schools with A-F ratings. However, for elementary and middle school campuses, 100% of that grade is based on their students’ STAAR test scores.
Our schools do more than administer the STAAR Test. Our students are more than one test given on one day. Texans deserve better.
On October 25, Raise Your Hand Texas will host its latest installment of the Across the Lawn series as a special luncheon event. Members of the Measure What Matters Council, along with one of our Regional Advocacy Directors, will share how Raise Your Hand Texas executed such a massive statewide listening campaign and used the information gathered to support the Council’s mission to provide recommendations on how the Legislature can act to build a better assessment and accountability system.
An effort like this took advocacy, outreach, bandwidth, expertise, and a passion to make Texas public schools better.
It's time to Measure What Matters.