What Does Accountability in Education Look Like?
As I’ve visited neighbors across the district, we’ve talked a lot about accountability in education and how we can be sure every student is learning, growing and meeting grade-level expectations. That kind of accountability requires a board that sets clear goals, tracks progress transparently and takes real action when students need more support.
In Richardson ISD, we have a clear definition of success, laid out in the RISD 2027 Board Goals, which focus on improving academic performance and preparing students for life after graduation. The specific goals our school board trustees adopted in October 2022 include:
Goal 1: Third-Grade Reading
The percent of students in third grade who score at the meets level or above on STAAR Reading will increase from 49% to 60% by June 2027.
Goal 2: Third-Grade Math
The percent of students in third grade who score at the meets level or above on STAAR Mathematics will grow from 43% to 55% by June 2027.
Goal 3: College, Career, Military Ready
The percent of graduates who meet the criteria for CCMR will increase from 55% to 70% by June 2027.
These are still good goals worth pursuing, but just setting goals isn’t enough. The real value comes in tracking progress honestly and adjusting based on what the data reveals.
During this campaign, you have likely heard the incumbent repeat the message that “RISD student performance is on the rise across the board.” When we look at the progress measures for our board-approved goals in third-grade reading and math; however, this simply isn’t the case. Since setting these goals in 2022, the percentage of third graders scoring at meets level or above on STAAR reading has remained stagnant at 49%, and the percentage scoring at meets level or above on STAAR mathematics has dropped to 42%. When we dive into performance divided by students’ ethnicities, the results are starker, showing no gains in performance–and in most cases declines–for African-American, Hispanic, Asian and white students in both subjects.
It is the trustees’ responsibility to keep these goals at the forefront for the district, reviewing progress updates and asking smart questions to move RISD forward based on the results we’re seeing.
For our trustee to shirk this responsibility, decline to ask questions about accountability and instead label these results as “improved student success” undermines our public schools and does a disservice to the 37 thousand students that the trustees serve.
Measuring Success and Facing Challenges Head-On
Annual progress measures help us shine a light on the areas where students are struggling. When third-grade reading scores show the gaps between white students and students of color widening, or we see that our third-grade math proficiency isn’t where it should be across the board, we have to ask challenging questions and take real steps to improve. There’s a dangerous narrative right now that our public schools are failing—I disagree, but ignoring performance measures like these does not set our schools or our students up for success.
Accountability is about facing challenges honestly so that we can make necessary adjustments and get our students what they need to succeed.
As a trustee, I would look to the progress measures and ask our district leaders relevant, strategic questions to help RISD do four things:
Identify Problem Areas Early – If student performance scores show a dip, we need to ask why and request recommendations from the superintendent for specific courses of action to reverse the trend.
Adjust Strategies – Educators need flexibility to adapt their methods and embrace new, evidence-backed strategies when students aren’t mastering material. At the board level, this means ensuring that we have appropriate policies and teacher supports in place to empower this work.
Provide Additional Support – When we identify strategies that work, we need to ensure educators receive the additional resources or professional development to multiply that success across RISD’s campuses. This is how we provide a high-quality education for all students.
Keep Families Informed – Parents and the community should have access to clear, transparent data about student progress and the performance of our public schools.
A Different Approach to Accountability
Students are only in our RISD schools for a short amount of time; we cannot afford to shy away from data that reveals challenges. Instead, we have to use it as a tool to help students succeed. That means tracking what students are learning, not just how many CTE pathways or programs are offered on a campus. It means recognizing gaps in achievement and actively working to close them. And it means making sure we are always improving, rather than standing still.
As we move toward 2027, we need trustees who can renew focus on real, measurable progress for all students that moves us closer to the goals the board set in 2022.
That means working with the district to evaluate how we are tracking against our stated goals and the interim progress measures that should help us track movement before our students take the STAAR test in third grade. It means listening to teachers, parents and students to understand what’s working and what’s not. And most importantly, it means making sure that we wisely use all the data available to us to ensure that every RISD student receives the high-quality education they deserve.
