In 2023, the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) made changes to the school performance measures outlined in DC’s Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) State Plan. The updated state accountability system focuses on equity by emphasizing student growth and includes changes to the weights applied to each student group. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, measuring growth for the 2021-2022 school year was not possible because of limited data (two consecutive years of assessment data are needed to calculate growth). The updated system incorporates new and returning metrics for academic growth, attendance growth, and growth towards English language proficiency for English Learners (ACCESS). Changes were made to student group weights to better focus on the performance of economically disadvantaged students and racial/ethnic groups of the students in each school.
Every year, OSSE releases the DC School Report Card to provide families with a range of information about DC schools. Previously, the report cards included a STAR rating based on school performance. As of 2022, schools receive a summative score and will no longer receive STAR ratings.
The DC School Report Card and OSSE Accountability System Frameworks contain multiple areas of school performance, including PARCC results and growth, re-enrollment, attendance, and graduation rates (when applicable). To determine a school’s summative score, OSSE calculates metric scores for each student group, combines student group scores into single metric scores, and then calculates the school-level summative score (up to 100 points). The student groups included are students with disabilities, students who are economically disadvantaged, English learners, and racial/ethnic groups.
DCPS is committed to keeping stakeholders (students, staff, families, and the community) informed about the OSSE Accountability Framework and individual school-level summative scores. Each school communicates information about school-level data, school-level goals, accomplishments, and areas for growth with their school community. To support continuous improvement across all DCPS schools, collaborative engagement opportunities will be ongoing throughout the school year and include Local School Advisory Teams (LSATs) and other key stakeholder groups. Community members can access a snapshot of every school’s Comprehensive School Plan, which gives school-specific information on school priorities and key focus areas for growth and improvement.
To identify the lowest-performing schools in the District of Columbia and provide support for improvement, schools are ranked by their summative score. Schools performing at the bottom 5 percent of the state accountability system and those with a graduation rate under 67 percent are designated as Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) schools. Schools classified as needing support and improvement are required to develop and implement an effective plan to improve student outcomes in partnership with stakeholders (including principals and other school leaders, teachers, and parents). In school year 2022-23, DCPS collaborated with school communities to complete a Needs Assessment, Resource Equity Analysis, and a two-year School Improvement Plan for each of these schools.
DCPS recognizes that some schools need to accelerate progress, and the district is prioritizing supports, resources, and innovative approaches to learning to ensure that all schools are on the pathway to excellence.
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