Data used in most state accountability systems does not provide useful information to improve instruction, and policymakers developing new assessments and accountability systems should plan more for data use on the front end, according to an analysis by Boston College researchers.
Education professors Andrew Hargreaves and Henry I. Braun, working on behalf of the National Education Policy Center in Boulder, Colo., looked at the use of performance data in education, sports, and business.
“Cultures of high pressure and high threat to achieve constant short-term gains often lead to negative consequences,” the authors said. They suggested states developing accountability systems plan in advance how to measure what they value, rather than simply using easily measured indicators.
