§18-2E-5b Review of system of education performance audits by the state board; reports to legislative oversight commission on education accountability.
§18-2E-5b. Review of system of education performance audits by the state board; reports to legislative oversight commission on education accountability.
(a) The Legislature finds that the system of education performance audits is a valuable tool for determining the quality of education provided in the public schools of our state and for holding schools accountable.
(b) Essential goals for a system of education performance audits include the following:
(1) To assure that the measures used to evaluate performance are clearly aligned with the education goals and expectations established for student, school and school system performance, including student success in postsecondary education and work;
(2) To assure that the measures used reflect a priority for student progress and safety; and
(3) To assure that the measures used are limited in number and easily comparable to national performance indicators.
(c) The state board shall conduct a review of the system of education performance audits with the objective of achieving the goals set forth in subsection (b) of this section and shall submit progress reports on its work as requested by the legislative oversight commission on education accountability. The state board shall submit a final report including, but not limited to, any necessary revisions of its policy on the system of education performance audits and any recommendations for statutory changes to the legislative oversight commission on education accountability by the first day of December, two thousand one.
(d) In conducting its review, the state board shall examine for potential use in the system of education performance audits, any indicators used by various organizations to compare the performance of state education systems.
(e) The state board also shall consider methods for assigning accreditation status, such as weighting the attainment of performance standards, so that high performing schools and school systems can be fully accredited while correcting deficiencies on the process standards: Provided, That process standards affecting the safety of students are weighted equally with the performance standards.