Overall accountability should be much more holistic including both qualitative and quantitative assessment information.
Administrators Evaluation of the Success of Assessment and Instruction?
Administrators and managers should have a large breadth of data to look at including both qualitative and quantitative materials, reviews, self-assessments, testing data and even live classroom or work examples that demonstrate as much of the whole picture as possible, rather than simply looking at the bottom line to make determinations about the effectiveness of instruction.
Measurement for Success
I am currently not working in any field but have been a high school teacher in the past. The experiences I have had as a high school teacher demonstrate that the trend toward seeking assessment and accountability on a business standard level has had a less than desired result in an educational setting but overall if non-traditional as well as traditional means are used to teach and evaluate progress, in a holistic manner the overall organization is likely to benefit without further alignment with education goals and standards and most importantly the educational environment (Achieve, 2011).
Qualitative Measures
Some examples of qualitative measures for accountability/assessment and curriculum alignment are classroom work, portfolio assessments, student reviews of material and teaching, classroom environment, demographic and life positions of students and of course teacher/educator reviews of materials and outcomes. Teachers need to feel empowered and therefore have some say in assessment results and processes, as classroom teachers are ultimately those who have the best view of the potential strengths and weaknesses of any curriculum model, especially those who have been teaching for extended periods of time (Srikantaiah, Zhang, Swayhoover & Center on Education, 2008). Though new teachers who are coming from theory to practice and might have a better chance of allowing themselves to "think outside the box" for solutions and responses to fulfilling the ultimate...
The demonstrative goal of the accountabilities movement has been to create classrooms that teach skills students will need in the future, to be productive workers and citizens. Yet, left out in this process is both the intake skill levels of students, the need to teach, above all else the desire to think independently and learn as a life skill and many other qualitative measures that really determine success in the future. In my opinion relying wholly on high stakes testing to both develop curriculum and judge its effectiveness leaves a great deal out, most importantly the need to teach children how to think and innovate independently and to like doing it, rather than to think as if they were constantly asking the question, "is this going to be on the test?"
References
Achieve, I. c. (2011). Closing the Expectations Gap, 2011. Sixth Annual 50-State Progress Report on the Alignment of High School Policies with the Demands of College and Careers. Achieve, Inc., Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Koelsch, N., & National High School, C. (2009). Selected States' Responses to Supporting High School English Language Learners. Policy Brief. National High School Center, Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Lingo, a.S., Barton-Arwood, S.M., & Jolivette, K. (2011). Teachers Working Together. Teaching Exceptional Children, 43(3), 6-13. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Nelson, S.W., McGhee, M.W., Meno, L.R., & Slater, C.L. (2007). Fulfilling the Promise of Educational Accountability. Phi Delta Kappan, 88(9), 702-709. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Srikantaiah, D., Zhang, Y., Swayhoover, L., & Center on Education, P. (2008). Lessons from the Classroom Level: Federal and State Accountability in Illinois. Center on Education Policy, Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
