Group of more than two dozen vote 25-1 to recommend updates after three-day public meeting
MADISON — After three days of in-depth discussion and review during a public meeting, more than two dozen education leaders from across Wisconsin submitted key recommendations to update performance benchmarks used in the state’s annual school and district report cards. The panel’s recommendations have been submitted to State Superintendent Dr. Jill Underly for review and adoption.
This essential standard-setting process helps ensure report card benchmarks remain reliable, relevant, and aligned with the most current metrics used to generate the ratings. The effort was facilitated by the Center for Assessment, a national expert in accountability systems, and guided by Wisconsin’s Technical Advisory Committee. The group approved the recommendations nearly unanimously, 25-1, on Thursday.
“These educators gave up part of their summer because they understand how important it is to keep our accountability system reflective of what’s happening in classrooms today,” Dr. Underly said. “As I’ve said before, just as you wouldn’t rely on a decade-old GPS to find your way today, we can’t use outdated performance benchmarks to guide school improvement. Students are learning in new, dynamic ways, and accountability systems must keep pace. Innovation in education means we transform how we measure success.
“I’m incredibly grateful to the educators who brought their expertise and heart to this work. Their voices are helping ensure our report cards remain meaningful for schools, families, and communities.”
Since the launch of school and district report cards nearly 15 years ago, both state law and performance measures have evolved to better capture student growth, show differences in outcomes among student groups, and more. To maintain the usefulness and fairness of report card ratings, periodic updates to performance benchmarks are considered best practice in accountability systems.
Once adopted, the updates will be applied to the 2024-25 report cards, which are scheduled for release this fall. The recommendations, along with related resources, are available on the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction’s website.
The standard-setting process began in June with a virtual public meeting, where the group reviewed the process, established working norms, and provided initial feedback on performance level descriptors. This past week, the group reconvened in Madison to recommend updated score ranges that will determine overall accountability ratings in the report cards. For more information on report cards, visit the DPI’s website.
