California State Board of Education Approves Suspension of State’s Accountability Measurement System

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson announced that the State Board of Education voted unanimously to suspend the Academic Performance Index (API) for the 2014-15 school year as the state develops a more comprehensive accountability system based on multiple measures rather than a single index.
“One of my top priorities is developing an accountability system that meets California’s needs by looking at a broad range of measures defining student and school success, rather than relying on just one test,” said Torlakson. “This will give us a complete picture rather than a narrow view.”
Even though the API is being suspended, Torlakson pointed out that results from the first administration of California Assessment of Student Progress and Performance or CAASPP tests, which are currently being given to students statewide, will be reported to districts, teachers, parents, and the public.
The board acted on Torlakson’s recommendation as well as that of the Public Schools Accountability Act Advisory Committee that called for the development of a new accountability system to rate school performance. The new system would be designed to focus on multiple indicators, such as graduation data and student preparedness for college and career, and not only on test scores.
The advisory committee also reported that because the transition to such a system will be a long-term process, the earliest an accountability report could be produced is fall of 2016.

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