Policy Update: Delaware: From the Top Down

Vital Statistics
19	Public school districts
183	Public schools
112,000	K-12 enrollment
36.1%	Minority students
13%	Children in poverty
12%	Students with disabilities
$877.8 million	Annual K-12 expenditures (all revenue sources)

The law "ties those programs together by creating a system in which students, schools, and districts are responsible for fostering excellence and preparing our youth for success in college and the workforce," Carper said last July in signing the bill that the legislature had passed unanimously. The state will begin holding schools accountable for student performance in the 2000-01 school year after a period of intense professional development for teachers.

Now, building on state assessments and requirements for a high school diploma, the new law sets up an accountability system that spans all aspects of education, from individual students to districts, and the state education department itself.

Delaware's approach has drawn attention from other states and national groups. "The thing that's interesting about Delaware is that they've started at the top, identified specific things that the education department will be responsible for, and worked down to the students," says Julie O'Brian, a state-systems coordinator for the Education Commission of the States in Denver.

Under the law, Delaware will mandate that students in grades 3, 5, 8, and 10 who are not reading at grade level automatically attend summer school. If a pupil still can't read at the expected level, he or she will not be promoted, and the student's school will draw up an "intensive individual-improvement plan." Eighth graders face additional assessments in math and language arts before they can go to high school.

The accountability system will also recognize the state's high-achieving students, with honors such as certificates and even college scholarships, under a program that is still being drafted.

Rewarding outstanding students, schools, and districts was a priority in crafting the legislation, says Emily Knearl, an aide to Sen. David P. Sokola, the Democrat who chairs the Senate education committee and was one of the chief sponsors of the plan. "What we kept hearing over and over was, people wanted to create a positive system, not a punitive system," she says.

Teacher development is a critical part of the effort, says state Secretary of Education Iris T. Metts. "Just to say you're going to develop accountability doesn't mean much if you have not helped teachers understand how it affects day-to-day teaching and help them develop lesson plans."

In addition, in coming years, the education department plans to revise its school profiles to include school rankings based on a new accreditation system linked to student-assessment scores. The profiles are designed to help hold teachers, schools, and their districts accountable--and recognize when their students achieve at a superior level. Beginning in 2002, schools designated as "superior accredited" will be recognized with special ceremonies, flags, and cash awards of $250 each.

The schools that don't perform at the state's expected levels for student performance will proceed through a four-step process that begins with local education officials' developing a school improvement plan, to be approved by the local school board. At the end of the academic year, the school's performance will be reviewed, and if it has not met the goals in its plan, the state will designate it "nonaccredited." The education department will continue to monitor the school; if it still does not show improvement, the secretary of education may recommend changes--including personnel changes--to be approved by the local board.

The school profiles are especially significant given the state's system of public school choice, which allows students to transfer to public schools outside their neighborhoods or attend charter schools. The revamped profiles will offer parents a fresh perspective on whether they want to send their children to another school, Metts says.

The law also sets up an accountability advisory committee, a group with representation from the state education department, schools, and the business world that will oversee the implementation of the new system. And it's not just the schools and students that are being put to the test--the education department itself will be evaluated by school officials, teachers, and parents.

The measures build on the state's student-accountability plan, approved in 1997, which will require high school students to pass basic-skills tests in math, English, science, and social studies to receive a diploma, starting with the Class of 2002.

The process of creating the accountability planwas remarkable in itself. When it was introduced in January 1998, it was popular with most state residents, but drew concerns from teachers' unions, administrators' and school boards' groups, the state PTA affiliate, and the Delaware Business/Public Education Council.

Representatives from those groups, state legislators, and the governor's staff met and ended up revising the proposal, including lifting the cap on the number of awards given to schools and setting up an appeals process for schools and districts that believed they unfairly received low grades on the accreditation.

Mary Ann Pry, the president of the 9,000-member Delaware State Education Association, an affiliate of the National Education Association, took part in the revisions and says all the groups had to ease off on some of their demands. But, in the end, she adds, everyone seemed satisfied with the final product.

"It was a difficult process, but we do feel that we were able to stress the major points of fairness and equal opportunity for all students," Pry says.

With the law's enactment, the education department and the advisory board have a lot of work ahead of them. The department has been charged with creating a plan for professional accountability, and Metts says the core of the proposal will likely tie teacher compensation to student achievement.

The agency also wants to increase its requirements for teacher certification, working with local higher education institutions to boost teacher quality, she adds.

Also this year, the legislature will consider proposals to change the salary scale for teachers to reward better teachers with better pay. The state teachers' union will also press for a plan to tie "rigorous and meaningful" professional development to the pay scale, Pry says.