Hot off the presses on EQA

By Jim Stergios
June 16th, 2008

Released Friday the 13th at 5pm. Representative Haddad and Senator Antonioni have been working on a reshaping of the Office of Educational Quality and Assessment. The bill would

- Add assistance to EQA’s original charge of assessing the districts on performance and conditions.
- Eliminate audits during the administration of MCAS (did that really happen?) and protect schools from multiple assessments during the schools year.
- Call for the new EQA to compile and disseminate best practices.

So far so good. It would also establish a 13-member advisory council that meets quarterly and oversees a post-audit survey of districts audited by the new office, and surveys schools and districts that receive assistance from the state.

Now the bad. Yes, it is always there, lurking…

- There is a carve-out made for the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents, Secondary School Administrators Association, Elementary School Principles Association, Association of School Committees, and the two teachers unions (Mass Teachers Association, American Federation of Teachers of Massachusetts). That is, they will all be members of the advisory council.
- Only one representative would come from business or industry.

So, the folks who are being audited would get to define the protocols of the audits? Hmm. Usually, auditors are supposed to be separated by a firewall from the actual auditing process. Methinks there is more than a whiff of conflict of interest here.

This is a test for many, not least of whom is the new Commissioner, Mitchell Chester, who is known for his strong record and expertise on accountability. The word is that they will not be holding hearings on this. Good luck on the test. The clock has started…