Clayton board approves participation in Success Ready Student Network demonstration project

The Clayton Board of Education voted to approve a resolution allowing the district to participate more deeply in the Success Ready Student Network (SRSN) demonstration project.

The presentation, led by district staff, described SRSN as a multi-district effort to expand competency-based approaches to learning and to develop alternatives to the state's MAP and some end-of-course assessments. The district described two tiers of work: near-term reporting changes that would make district interim assessments the primary public reporting tool locally, and long-term collaboration on new state interim assessments and performance frameworks.

Under the proposal presented to the board, Clayton would pursue a state waiver and participate in a larger federal-waiver effort. In the short term, district staff said the public dashboard and the district's reporting would emphasize locally administered, curriculum-aligned assessments (the presentations named district-approved reading and math diagnostics used three times per year) while state MAP tests would still be given if required by federal/state rules until any federal waiver is granted.

The program also includes an emphasis on “market-value assets” (district staff used the phrase and noted examples such as industry credentials, internships, dual-credit and client-connected projects) and the district would commit to publicly hosting a dashboard using a common Marzano Research format across participating districts. District staff said they will seek guidance on data sharing and protective agreements before any dashboard goes live.

Timeline explained to the board: the board-approved resolution will be submitted to the state process; staff expect further approvals to be required at the State Board of Education and from federal authorities before the district could stop using MAP as the public report. Presenters said the district would continue to administer local interim assessments and to use those data for instruction; if a federal waiver is granted in future years, the district would reduce redundant testing and align reporting to the new interim instruments that the network is developing.

After the presentation the board voted in favor of the resolution by voice vote. Trustees and staff members said the change aims to make assessment data more useful to teachers and parents and to create a public reporting format focused on growth, proficiency and work-based or credential outcomes in addition to test scores.