In the spring of 1998 there were 10 policy forums held around the state to seek input into our state policy for determining progress. Section II of this paper describes the concerns raised at the spring 1998 policy forums. Provision should be made to address potential swings in performance that can occur in schools with small numbers of students at each grade level. Schools may find it more difficult to make progress as they approach higher achievement levels. Previously proposed progress requirements may be unrealistic for many schools.
Little justification exists for expecting a certain percent improvement.
More data over time is needed on progress of schools under Wisconsin s new accountability system to validate progress measures employed. These concerns led us to hold off on the adequate progress approach which was under consideration. As with student test results expressed in percentile terms, this standard simply compares school performance to an average of unknown quality and fails to adequately recognize progress. The progress approach proposed last spring held the promise of allowing school districts to choose to adopt continuous improvement, measuring their progress against themselves over time. We have therefore been exploring different models of continuous improvement for schools.