District Leaders Working to Change Accountability Measures

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They think college and career readiness is far more important than test scores Sandra Beilue, Director of Curriculum and Accountability at Lubbock-Cooper ISD, and Macy Satterwhite, the Deputy Superintendent, spend a lot of time thinking and talking about accountability. Their district is part of the Texas Public Accountability Consortium (TPAC), a collective of more than 40 districts looking to change the ways we determine student success and achievement. Sandra and Macy spend their time measuring accountability in schools and how it is reported to students, teachers and the community. One thing they wholeheartedly agree on is the system is currently broken.

They feel too much emphasis is placed on test scores, which are administered on a given day throughout the district. As Macy says, “schools are so much more than a test score and students are so much more than a test score.”

She likens it to the judging of a person by a single blood test given by a doctor. “A human being is so much more than a blood test,” she says. “It’s using one indicator to judge the entire human being, and that’s ridiculous. That’s the kind of conversation we’re starting to have about state and federal accountability dependence on test scores.”

Sandra wants the emphasis to move away from test scores onto a focus on student improvement and preparing them to face the world when they finish their K-12 journey. “We want to create future-ready students,” she says. “We want to have them on track to be college and career ready no matter if they’re in kindergarten or if they’re seniors in high school.”

About Sandra Beilue

Sandra Beilue has over 15 years serving in Texas public schools. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from Howard Payne University and a master’s degree in Teacher Leadership from Lamar University. She has taught math at the high school, middle school, and elementary level. She has served as a math coach at both the elementary and middle school level and also worked as an educational specialist at a regional service center. For three year she served as the Instructional Coordinator for Mathematics and Science at Lubbock-Cooper ISD and is currently serving as the Director of Curriculum and Accountability.

Follow Sandra Beilue on Twitter.

About Macy Satterwhite

Macy Satterwhite has over 25 years of experience working with students and teachers in public schools. Her master’s degree is in Educational Leadership, and she received her doctoral degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Texas Tech University. She has worked as a classroom teacher, Reading Recovery® teacher, college instructor, campus administrator, Chief Academic Officer, and is currently the Deputy Superintendent at Lubbock-Cooper ISD. She has extensive training in literacy coaching and working with struggling readers. She specializes in curriculum design, best practices in instruction, guided reading, reading workshop, writing workshop, reading in the content areas, and differentiating instruction to meet the needs of diverse learners.

Follow Macy Satterwhite on Twitter.

AuthorDr. Berger is one of many industry education correspondents for the Mind Rocket Media Group, An educator and former school administrator. He often hosts education panel discussions and develops strategic content. As an academic Dr. Berger is a guest lecturer at Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management. A former assistant principal, he has been an adjunct undergraduate professor and developer of online college courses. He is a passionate Detroit sports fan who has also adopted Nashville sports teams as his own. 

Contact the Mind Rocket Media Group if you are interested in an industry interview and a placement on EdCircuit.
Further Reading

1. Atlanta Journal-Constitution – Smaller tests could replace state’s big Milestones exams
2. HuffPo – Learning Walks with Students Lead to District-Wide Change
3. ThisWeek News – Reynoldsburg school board on record for fewer state tests