Next Generation Assessments and Accountability Commission
The Texas Commission on Next Generation Assessments and Accountability was established by the Texas Legislature following the passage of HB 2804 earlier this year. The commission is charged with developing recommendations to address:
- The purpose of a state accountability system and the role of student assessment;
- Opportunities to assess students in a manner that provides actionable information for parents, educators, and the public; that supports learning activities; that recognizes application of skills and knowledge; that measures student growth toward mastery; and values critical thinking;
- Alignment of state performance standards with college and career readiness standards in collaboration with the Texas Workforce Commission and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board;
- Policy changes necessary to enable a student to progress through subject matter and grade levels on demonstration of mastery; and
- Policy changes to establish a student assessment and public school accountability system that meets state goals, is community based, promotes parent and community involvement, and reflects the unique needs of each community.
TXCC will work with TEA to support this project by collaboratively developing information on the range of state models of assessment and accountability systems, facilitating presentations to commission members by experts on key topics related to its work and by supporting TEA staff to gather and analyze feedback from public hearings at regional education service centers.
Previous Work Updates
2016
July
TXCC hosted the final session of the Commission in July. Commission Chair, Andrew Kim, led a review and discussion of the recommendations. At the conclusion of the meeting, 14 members of the Commission supported the report. In response to Mr. Kim’s request for input on the six-month process of the Commission, members’ comments included: · The recommendation format made the draft report so easy to read. · I have learned so much. · We have been privileged to hear outstanding speakers. Texas Education Agency (TEA) staff will finalize the draft report and submit it to the governor and legislature by September 1, 2016.
June
TXCC staff collaborated with Texas Education Agency (TEA) associate commissioner of accountability on planning and providing a facilitator for a called meeting of the Commission this month. The facilitator was instrumental in planning the session with the associate commissioner and the Commission’s chair. Using current best practices in facilitation combined with many years of experience, she worked with the Commission for most of the session to elicit their final recommendations. She also provided materials for Commission members to read before the session and provided a summary and notes of the Commission’s recommendations. TXCC staff was responsible for designing the recommendation format for the final report. In addition, they provided the first draft of the fourteen recommendations. This report included the recommendation, the rationale, any required statutory changes, and other considerations for the local, state, and federal levels. TXCC also produced a chart indicating whether each of the recommendations had a short-term or long-term impact.
May
Texas Comprehensive Center (TXCC) staff collaborated with the Texas Education Agency (TEA) associate commissioner of accountability on plans and facilitators for the Texas Commission on Next Generation Assessments and Accountability. The planning and resources for the May meeting of the Commission included providing a facilitator to plan and lead the work session with TEA and the chair of the commission.
April
TXCC staff collaborated with the Texas Education Agency (TEA) associate commissioner of accountability on plans and presenters for the April meeting of the Texas Commission on Next Generation Assessments and Accountability. AIR provided the meeting location and secured an expert who shared the details of five AIR research papers on states using an A-F system to assess schools. Another expert was scheduled who provided both a national perspective on the use of A-F systems and details of its use and results for the state of Florida. Dr. James Pellegrino, Co-Director of the Learning Sciences Research Institute and Distinguished Professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, was contracted to talk with the Commission on the research and theory of assessment at the May meeting. The associate commissioner and the Commission’s chair requested that the May and June meetings as well as the pre-scheduled July session be held at AIR headquarters due to the outstanding professional environment that promoted collaboration and furthered the work of the Commission.
March
Texas Comprehensive Center (TXCC) staff collaborated with the Texas Education Agency (TEA) associate commissioner of accountability on plans and presenters for the Texas Commission on Next Generation Assessments and Accountability. The planning and resources for the March meeting of the Commission included providing experts who could report on how the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) could impact assessment and accountability in Texas and related actions and waivers that SEAs can initiate. To support the first Commission work session, a meeting facilitator was identified who participated in a collaborative planning sessions with TEA, TXCC, and the chair of the Commission. TXCC Staff also planned with TEA staff for the April Commission meeting. Experts on A-F systems for assessing school districts and schools were identified from both SEAs and other sources. The associate commissioner will be making final plans for the April meeting that will include the chosen presenters.
January
The Texas Comprehensive Center (TXCC) staff met with the Texas Education Agency (TEA) project team focused on implementing HB 2804 requiring the Texas Commission on Next Generation Assessments and Accountability (the Commission) to finalize logistics for the first meeting of the Commission, which was held on January 20. TXCC helped facilitate a presentation by Dr. Andrew Ho, a professor from Harvard University and an expert in the area of assessment and accountability. His presentation was well received by members of the Commission, who later quoted many of the points he made. Four to five additional Commission sessions are expected before recommendations are finalized.
2015
December
The Texas Comprehensive Center (TXCC) staff met with a Texas Education Agency (TEA) team focused on implementing HB 2804, which established the Texas Commission on Next Generation Assessments and Accountability (Commission). TXCC agreed to support this effort in several ways. First, staff identified experts who could present to the Commission and confirmed the list of preferred presenters with the TEA associate commissioner for standards and accountability. TXCC subsequently worked with the selected speaker to finalize arrangements to present at the first meeting of the Commission. Second, TXCC leveraged the expertise of an AIR colleague to conduct research on state assessment and accountability systems for consideration by Commission members. Finally, the TEA team selected five states using an A-F accountability system as the focus for expert study. TXCC agreed to develop a draft report on one state for review by TEA prior to developing reports for all five states.
