States cannot make good policy and practice decisions—and ultimately cannot improve student performance—if they do not have basic information about how students are performing along the way…State leaders, partners, advocates, and the public should continue to push for more transparency and better reporting of the information they need.The report looks at a range of factors, from course taking and graduation standards in high school, to postsecondary remediation and persistence. And all that seems pretty simple on its face, but some states engage in some magical thinking when it comes to progress. Consider this measure: the percentage of students who completed a college- and career-course of study. Indiana looks great on this measure, with data suggesting that 87 percent of students meet this bar, but because they are only counting high school graduates, not all students who started in ninth grade. And Indiana’s definition of college/career ready is far looser than it is in other states because it includes three different types of diplomas, including a technical diploma. Compare this with 32 percent who completed a “college- and career-ready” diploma in New York, which sets a far higher bar for success. New York counts the entire class of ninth-graders starting in high school, not just the ones who made it to graduation day, and they must secure an “advanced Regents” diploma. College enrollment? Colorado reports on how many high school graduates enroll the fall after graduation. Connecticut gives these graduates a year to enroll in college before counting them. Ohio gives its graduates two years to enroll before they are counted. These aren’t even apples-to-oranges comparisons. More like bananas to bowling balls. This report’s authors do a fine job analyzing the fine mess they’ve been handed, but it’s clear just how meaningless state-by-state comparisons are going to be in the future, as Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) takes full hold in states and accountability measures are watered down so they meet a new bar—political palatability.
Tracy Dell’Angela is a writer, education nonprofit executive director and a mom passionate about education improvements. Previously, Tracy was Director of Outreach and Communications for the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) at the U.S. Department of Education in Washington, D.C. She came to IES from the University of Chicago Consortium on Chicago School Research, which produces research that drives improvement in Chicago and nationwide. She also served as Senior Project Director for 100Kin10 at the University of Chicago and was Director of Program Investments and Partnerships for the Chicago Public Education Fund. Tracy spent most of her career as an award-winning newspaper journalist, including 12 years at the Chicago Tribune as an education reporter covering national policy and the Chicago Public Schools. A Californian by birth but a Chicagoan in spirit, Tracy attended University of Chicago as a master's student in social sciences and earned a B.A. in journalism and political science from San Diego State University.
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