State Board Of Education Approves School Accountability System

State education leaders have been crafting a new school accountability system over the past two-and-a-half years – and today, the State Board of Education approved a final framework. 

A vote to approve final rule language for the new A-F school grading system had been on the original agenda for Thursday’s meeting, following months of discussion and opportunities to hear public comment on the proposed changes.

But, the Department of Education presented about 20 additional edits Thursday morning – edits that some board members say they hadn’t seen before. 

This type of communication snafu has been common between the board, the department and state Superintendent Glenda Ritz – one of the issues recent legislation approved by the General Assembly aims to correct.

Lawyers for the board said legally, the attorney general could overturn any changes that weren’t subject to public comment. They recommended voting on rule language as it had been presented prior to Thursday’s meeting

And in the end, that’s exactly what the board did.

Ritz says she’s pleased with what came out of the process.

We’re going to have a fair, transparent accountability system, and I look forward to working…through the process to get those technical corrections that my department felt were important to making sure that the rule is as clear as it can possibly be.

The approved rule now goes to the Attorney General for technical approval, the governor for signature, and the state's Legislative Services Agency to be finalized and published. Any additional changes the IDOE wants to see may also go to the LSA for later consideration.