Navigating School Accountability

Discover the heartbeat of educational excellence as we delve into the intricacies of school accountability with me, Dr. Genelle Morris. As the proud superintendent of the Olean City School District, I discuss the latest measures shaping our schools and the impact they have on our diverse student body. This episode is a journey through the successes and hurdles we face in providing an equitable learning experience, underscored by the New York State Education Department's accountability measures.

Our conversation navigates through the delicate balance of accountability measures and our strategic framework. I'll share how our strategic plan for the 2022-2023 school year, born from the collaborative spirit of our community, serves as a compass, guiding our efforts to enhance student outcomes and uphold our commitment to accountability. This episode is a must-listen for anyone passionate about the transformative power of education and the collective mission to nurture our next generation.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:08):
Welcome to the Husky Huddle where we delve into
pressing issues facing oureducational system.
I'm your host, proudsuperintendent of the Olean City
School District, dr JanelleMorris, and today I'm going to
dive into the topic of schoolaccountability, focusing on the
Olean City School District.

(00:29):
So the Olean City SchoolDistrict, like many others in
the country, faces the challengeof ensuring that all students
receive a quality education.
So what does accountabilitymean in this context and how
does the district measure up?
To help us understand moreabout this issue, I'd like to

(00:50):
discuss the recently releasedSchool of Accountability
Measures.
Let's start by talking aboutwhat does school accountability
entail?
So an overview of schoolaccountability refers to the
process of holding schoolsaccountable and responsible for

(01:10):
the academic performance and theoutcomes of their students.
This includes measures such asthe standardized test scores
that we receive, graduationrates and student achievement
levels.
So at the federal level, theevery student succeeds acts, or
E-S-S-A, ensure that allstudents get a quality education

(01:35):
.
This law requires that stateshold public schools accountable
for how students achieve.
E-s-s-a does give statesflexibility and their
accountability systems canmeasure much more than just test
scores.
So the New York State EducationDepartment, or NYSED, has

(01:56):
established a set of indicatorsto measure school performance.
Nysed developed theseindicators with the input of
thousands of people statewide,such as parents, educators and
experts, and the indicators inNew York State include student
academic achievement, studentgrowth and school progress, the

(02:16):
progress of English languagelearners, chronic absenteeism
and, for high schools,graduation rates and preparing
students for college, career andcivic engagement.
In January, the New York StateEducation Department released
state accountability schooldesignations for the 2023-2024

(02:38):
schools.
This is for all schools anddistricts in New York State
Beginning with the 22-23 schoolyear.
The identification status,formerly known as Good Standing,
was renamed as Local Supportand Improvement, or LSI.
So, as of the January release,all of the schools in the Olean

(03:01):
City School District weredesignated as LGI.
So what does this mean for ourschools and the district as far
as Olean is concerned?
Regarding accountability, well,this demonstrates that the Ole
and City School District hasmade strides in a lot of areas,

(03:22):
and being in good standing atall of our schools is something
to be proud of.
There are also areas forcontinuous improvement and, as
we examine our accountabilitydata, we will continue to work
on that.
For example, the district'sgraduation rate has exceeded the
state average over the past fewyears, which is a positive sign

(03:44):
.
However, there are still somedisparities in our student
achievement among differentdemographic groups, and more
needs to be done to address this.
So what specific accountabilitymeasures are in place within the
Ole and City School District?
So, like with many districts,the Ole and City School District
uses a variety of measures toassess school performance.

(04:06):
This includes standardizedtesting and assessments of
student growth over time.
Additionally, the district alsomay take into account factors
such as attendance rates anddropout rates.
We continue to always work toimprove this, in part through
our strategic plans and goalsetting, to ensure that we're

(04:29):
addressing some of the actionsteps required to make
improvements in these areas.
So how do these measures impactstudents and teachers within
our district?
Well, accountability measurescan have both positive and
negative effects.
On one hand, they can providevaluable data that can be used

(04:51):
to identify areas forimprovement and allocate
resources more effectively.
Sometimes they can createpressure for students and
teachers to perform well onthese tests, and that can lead
to teaching to the test andnarrowing of the curriculum.
We don't want that for ourstudents.
We want them to have fullaccess to the curriculum and

(05:12):
allow for access to that withouthaving a lot of anxiety.
So some ways to improve schoolaccountability in our district
include focusing on holisticmeasures of school performance
that take into account factorsjust beyond test scores, such as
student achievement, studentengagement and school climate.

(05:36):
Additionally, providingadditional support and resources
to schools that are strugglingcan also help address underlying
issues that might becontributing to poor performance
.
Our strategic plan was developedin our district in the 22-23
school year, and this serves asour district-wide blueprint for

(05:59):
our district success.
We brought many members of ourschool community, including
parents, students, teachers,administrators, support staff,
community members, board membersand residents together to
discuss and develop a plan toelevate students' success for
years to come.
Through this process, wedeveloped a new vision statement

(06:20):
and identified five actionsteps which support school
accountability.
These are creating andsupporting a positive culture.
Maximizing success for all.
Data-driven decision-making.
Progressive and enrichinglearning for all students.
And engaging parental andcommunity involvement.

(06:43):
Our goals include implementingtargeted interventions and
support programs for strugglingstudents.
Providing professionaldevelopment opportunities for
teachers to enhance theirinstructional practices.
Establishing monitoring systemsto track student progress and
adjust interventions accordingly.

(07:05):
If you would like moreinformation about our schools or
our strategic plan, please feelfree to visit our website at
wwwoleanschoolsorg.
I would like to thank you forjoining me on this discussion
about school accountability, andI continue to be thankful to
all of you who tune in.

(07:27):
Be sure to subscribe to theHusky Huddle for more
discussions on education,especially how they relate to
our students and our community.
And, olean, I can't wait tocontinue to share, connect and
huddle with all of you Untilnext time.
I'm Dr Janelle Morris, yoursuperintendent, signing off.

(07:48):
Go Huskies.