School Quality Measures

MCIEA is reimagining how to assess the quality of schools and the learning experiences of students. To achieve this goal, MCIEA sought input from stakeholders in each consortium district to build a school quality framework that reflects what the public wants to know about school performance. The framework has been built around multiple measures, which include academic, social-emotional, and school culture indicators, in order to piece together a fairer and more comprehensive picture of school performance.

Our Framework

MCIEA's school quality measures framework aims to capture the full magnitude of what makes a good school, using five major categories – the first three being essential inputs and the last two being key outcomes:

Essential Inputs

Teachers and Leadership
This category addresses the relevant abilities of a school’s teachers and leaders, and the degree to which they are receiving the support they need to grow as professionals. It considers factors like teacher professional qualifications, effective classroom practices, and school wide support for teaching development and growth.

School Culture 
​This category addresses the degree to which the school environment is safe, caring, and academically oriented. It considers factors like bullying, student-teacher relationships, and regular attendance.

Resources
This category addresses the adequacy of a school’s facility, personnel, and curriculum, as well as the degree to which it is supported by the community. It considers factors like physical spaces and materials, curriculum variety, and family-school relationships.

​Key Outcomes

Academic Learning
This category addresses how much students are learning core academic content, developing their own academic identities, and progressing along positive trajectories. It considers factors like performance assessment results, test score growth, engagement in school, problem solving, and college-going rates.

Community And Wellbeing
This category addresses the development of traits relevant for students leading full and rewarding lives—in society, the workplace, and their private lives. It considers factors like perseverance and determination, participation in arts and literature, and social and emotional health.