The K12 Research for Equity Hub, managed by EduDream, is excited to announce the release of its Cycle 2 research reports, offering key findings and practical recommendations to help states and local schools improve student learning and school quality through stronger accountability measures.
The Hub is a multi-year research initiative where teams of education researchers embark on year-long investigations to generate actionable insights that strengthen accountability and assessment systems. While each team studies different contexts, all share a commitment to community-centered research aimed at improving the communities they study.
“The Hub’s Cycle 2 reports reflect our commitment to research that is rigorous, actionable, and rooted in the needs of communities,” said Michelle Oliva, co-founder of EduDream. “By exploring accountability and assessment systems across district, state, and federal levels, we aim to provide insights that help improve student learning experiences and outcomes while ensuring transparency and equitable supports for students.”
District-Level Research: The Center for Innovation in Education examined Kentucky’s Allen County Schools (ACS) co-design processes in its new performance assessment system and community-facing accountability dashboard. The study explores how ACS’s inclusive design with diverse stakeholders, which includes students, influences understanding, ownership, and ongoing engagement with the new assessment and accountability systems.
State-Level Research: The Houston Education Research Consortium analyzed changes to Texas’ accountability system, focusing on how students are deemed college- career- or military-ready. The study highlights how historically underrepresented and underserved student groups are affected by evolving accountability measures.
Federal-Level Research: Lyons Assessment Consulting evaluated how a fully performance-based assessment system aligns with federal requirements for comparability and alignment. Their study of the Portfolios of Performance Pilot, led by the Massachusetts Consortium for Innovative Educational Assessment (MCIEA), informs federal policy recommendations and provides lessons for states pursuing innovation in their statewide assessment systems.
EduDream launched the K12 Research for Equity Hub (The Hub) in Spring 2022. Cycle 1 research focused on three areas: alternative accountability models, innovative approaches to assessment, and community experiences. Findings from this research highlighted the need for deeper analysis of state and local accountability systems to better understand the successes, challenges, and underlying tensions introduced by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) implementation.
The Hub’s Cycle 2 research examines both state and local accountability systems in order to understand how state accountability systems deem students college, career, or military; how a district engages its community to co-design an accountability system, and assess the alignment and comparability of a performance assessment system to traditional statewide assessment system. The Hub research aims to inform education policymakers and decision-makers on the potential of alternative approaches to K12 assessment and accountability and makes the case for evidence-based and equity-centered accountability policy and practice shifts at the local, state, and federal levels.
Read the full reports: https://www.edudream.org/the-hub-insights.
