Using Test Scores to Rank Performance of Districts

Concern about the quality of teaching and learning in America’s schools has led to a demand for greater accountability through legislation. The “No Child Left Behind Act of 2001” has required states to set standards for what students ought to know at certain grade levels, and to conduct annual tests of student performance to meet progress goals or or face sanctions if they fail to do so. Because school districts differ considerably in student characteristics and resources, these absolute standards are being used alongside relative standards that use risk-adjusted comparisons to level the playing field. Using data from Illinois school districts between 1993 and 1998, this study explores different models for adjusting risk and for ranking schools and districts on the basis of average student performance. Highlighting the volatility of the rankings and using a fuller set of risk factors, this study explores models for adjusting risk and ranking schools and districts on the average performance of students to improve accountability systems and to target resources to improve the performance of at-risk schools and school districts.