Kyrene explains academic-progress metric and district assessments used to forecast state results

District research and accountability staff explained the district’s academic-progress metric and the suite of assessments the district uses as leading indicators at a Dec. board data retreat.

Rebecca Bolnick, director of research, described the academic-progress composite that the district uses in teacher evaluation: a weighted combination of percent passing on state assessments, measured growth, and an on-track projection. “On-track is a projection: if a student continued on the same trajectory from the prior year to the current year, would they be on pace to pass the state assessment in three years?” she said.

Why it matters: the board was told that relying solely on percent-passing masks important work, particularly in schools serving higher shares of English learners,…