Accountability Flaws Essay Example

involvement and engagement are crucial for a child's success. Since Student Success Academy is a hybrid school, the curriculum is delivered online and students primarily work from home on the OLS. Parents are responsible for assisting students with learning the content, completing assessments, and tracking progress (Armstrong, 2002). Student Success Academy requires students to attend the school at least once a week for four core classes: Math, Science, English, and History. Each class lasts for 50 minutes. Education is now considered a priority both nationally and globally as an investment in society's future. With online education, parents take on the role of a "learning coach," although many teachers have noticed that parents often go above and beyond simple assistance.

The assessment and grading system at SSA is exclusively based on the progress made on the Online School (OLS). Teachers have observed significant disparities between in-class progress and online demonstration of progress. It is typical for students to arrive in class without having learned the material they were supposed to cover at home, as their parents indicate it as "mastered". Consequently, students encounter disadvantages either because their parents do most of the work for them or because progress is marked too hastily.

Levels of Accountability

The primary goal of education is to provide students with the knowledge, skills, and tools necessary for a successful life.

The state and local curriculum and instructional alignment and assessment are built upon standards, which serve as the benchmark for measuring students' knowledge and skills at different grade levels. These standards also form the basis for accountability in education. To ensure standards-based accountability, student data is collected and reported in accordance with clear and defined

standards. Student mastery of academic content is determined by state-mandated standards for both content and performance. Decisions concerning student learning, professional development, curriculum and instruction, and resource allocation should be informed by both content and performance standards. These standards are instrumental in measuring student achievement (Hamilton et al., 2008).

Educational accountability in online learning requires holding key individuals and groups responsible for measuring and improving student academic progress. Various methods exist for ensuring stakeholders are accountable for student performance. Students must achieve mastery on individual and classroom assessments that align with state-mandated academic content standards. Schools have the responsibility of providing students with a curriculum that adheres to both state and national standards, as well as assessing student progress according to those standards (American Association for Higher Education, 1996). Online schools establish assessment systems to evaluate how students perform (Frye, 2008).

In her 1999 publication, Fuhrman discusses the process of measuring student performance which involves selecting indicators and instruments (Fuhrman, 1999). At SSA, all students undergo a computer-adaptive test in Reading and Math upon enrollment. This test determines the student's proficiency level according to state standards and provides a comprehensive assessment of their instructional needs. It also allows for adjustments to instruction and tracking progress over time. Students at SSA are required to take this test at the beginning and end of each school year. In terms of day-to-day learning, SSA's OLS enables students to learn at their own pace within a curriculum that emphasizes mastery and competency.

The lessons at SSA are designed to cover core content and assess learning objectives. To move on to the next lesson, students must achieve a score of 85% or higher

at the end of each lesson. Both lessons and assessments contribute to a cumulative percentage throughout the year, aiming for a total of 100%. Monitoring student percentages weekly is an expectation for teachers at SSA, ensuring that students are completing their daily assignments and assessments. One area of struggle at SSA is holding the "learning coach" role accountable. Parents, who are referred to as "learning coaches," must enter a password for their child and supervise them in order for the students to complete the assessments.

This text discusses the issue of accountability in the SSA (Student Success Academy) program. It points out that despite its intention to keep both parents and students accountable, there are problems with parents giving their children passwords, causing the students to complete lessons and assessments without any parental involvement. This also allows students to access answer keys. The text then presents a quote suggesting that educators should be responsible for ensuring student success. However, the SSA teachers feel that there are significant flaws in the accountability measures for grade reporting.

There is a significant disparity between the grades on student report cards and the progress in online learning systems (OLS) and in-class assessments, leading to a lack of confidence among many individuals. Teachers try to address this issue by providing tutoring options, whether online or in-person. However, there is currently no accountability for the "learning coach" other than suggesting that the child attend tutoring or redo lessons and assessments online. This lack of responsibility primarily arises from insufficient parent involvement. The majority of students enrolled in online schools fail to acknowledge the level of dedication required from both their family and parents

to achieve academic success.

A Survey for Evaluating Parental Involvement within Families

To investigate how much parents help their children with school work, we will conduct a survey within families. The purpose of this survey is to determine if parents assume most of the responsibilities, leaving only a minimal portion for their children to complete.

If the findings indicate that children rely heavily on their parents for tasks they should have learned independently, it will present significant challenges. It is crucial for parents to comprehend that excessively aiding their children in school does not benefit them in the long term. A survey questionnaire, such as the one displayed below, can be distributed to a sample of parents:

[Questionnaire content]

Based on the survey results, appropriate steps will be taken to educate parents about the significance of enabling children to work autonomously. While there are benefits to parental involvement in school learning, there need to be guidelines regarding which areas parents assist their children with and how they do so. To fully understand the advantages of parental engagement, let's briefly discuss some of its benefits.

Parental involvement has multiple benefits for children, as stated by Callison (2004) and LaBahn (2006). One advantage is that it helps children achieve higher grades. Parents can encourage their children to prioritize their studies and provide assistance with homework. Moreover, parental involvement leads to the creation of a positive learning environment. Parents are inclined to establish an atmosphere conducive to learning and invest in educational resources like books and materials. Lastly, both teachers and parents play a role in promoting positive attitudes and implementing discipline measures for the children.

According to ParentNet (2012), one of the added advantages

is that teachers are encouraged to keep going in their profession when students excel, thereby enhancing their mood. Furthermore, parents offer higher evaluations for teachers, decreasing the likelihood of holding them responsible for their children's shortcomings. Moreover, children receive substantial backing from parents, relatives, and family friends. Among all these benefits, the most notable is that the school develops a robust reputation that effectively promotes it globally.

Although there is a potential downside, parental involvement in schooling has more advantages than disadvantages. A major drawback is that parents may end up completing most tasks for their children, which can leave them with limited activities to do independently (Jeynes, 2011). This can negatively impact the children's learning process and hinder the development of crucial skills, attitudes, and knowledge for their future. Therefore, it is important to use the survey results to educate and convince parents about the importance of encouraging their children to complete certain tasks independently while still providing assistance with assignments.

According to Hornby (2000), children benefit from developing diligence and competence, which prepares them for the future. It also helps them become more responsible and learn to meet deadlines. This research aims to educate parents about the significance of understanding the content being taught rather than solely focusing on a child's punctuality in completing assignments.

Roles of a Learning Coach

Prior to discussing the responsibilities of a learning coach, it is important to acknowledge that this individual supports learners, especially those participating in online lessons. Consequently, specific duties are designated to a learning coach.

To provide a comprehensive education, learning coaches must support students in engaging in diverse and balanced programs. They should also empower students to explore

and select their own learning opportunities, enhancing their comprehension. Furthermore, it is the coach's duty to aid students in establishing and attaining their objectives and targets.

Furthermore, the learning coach should consider referring children to a specialist if necessary, while also assisting them with prioritization by placing the highest importance on the most valuable goals. Equally important is for learners to identify their strengths and weaknesses in order to apply the most suitable strategies for addressing difficulties. In addition, learners should be encouraged to acknowledge and celebrate their successes when tackling their weaknesses.

In one way or another, this helps to boost their self-esteem (Marsick; O'Neil, 2007). The learning coach should also make sure that they help learners in designing and developing their own action plans. Additionally, they should assist learners in acquiring and developing portfolio evidence for their essential skills (Jeynes, 2011). The fact that teachers in the Student Success academy are fully trained contributes to the feasibility and transparency of the school, thus enhancing its reputation.

Adjusting Final Student Report

It is not a concern about registering coaches because all employed coaches are fully certified.

The observation is that children perform well in online reports but poorly on other assignments given by teachers in class. This suggests that parental involvement is excessive and children rely too heavily on their parents for their online work, while doing very little on their own. As mentioned before, this has a detrimental effect as it makes the children passive in the learning process, causing them to progress through the education system without gaining the necessary skills, attitudes, and knowledge needed for the future.

Framework for Addressing Problems in Schools

Clarke and Estes (2008) have

developed a framework to effectively tackle common issues that may threaten the existence of educational institutions. In order to successfully identify performance gaps and achieve goals, it is crucial to first determine the underlying cause of the problem. Additionally, evaluating the required level of change is vital for attaining desired outcomes.

The main causes of performance gaps, as identified by Clarke and Estes (2008), consist of individuals' skills and knowledge, their motivation to accomplish goals, and organizational barriers such as insufficient or absence of necessary tools and equipment.

Knowledge and Skills

At SSA, it is expected that students, teachers, and parents all comprehend the significance of acquiring skills and knowledge for future employment. Organizations anticipate employees to exhibit competence through high performance utilizing their acquired knowledge and skills (Estes ; Clarke, 2008). Failing to do so can result in unfavorable consequences for companies. Therefore, parents should avoid undertaking tasks that are meant to be carried out by their children themselves.

Training inexperienced personnel after school inconveniences children and wastes their time.

Motivation

Motivation, which includes internal and external factors, is what drives individuals to achieve a specific goal. Typically, children are hesitant to seek knowledge and depend on their parents for even the most basic tasks (Estes ; Clarke, 2008). This behavior is not limited to SSA but is observed in schools worldwide.

Studying without motivation inhibits both the morale and brain development of children as they are not challenged. Motivation plays a vital role in three aspects: goal setting, exerting effort, and engaging the mind. Consequently, it fosters growth in physical, mental, and psychological dimensions.

Organizational Barriers

Organizational barriers, as defined by Estes ; Clarke (2008), are the tools within the organization that

are lacking or inadequate. It should be noted that Successful Student Academy does not have this problem. This study will examine if learners have the appropriate learning materials for their assignments. The accountability framework will be used to analyze if all parties involved in running the school receive sufficient support to reach their goals.

In addition, it evaluates the motivation of fully trained and knowledgeable teachers in carrying out the activities set by the organizing committee.

Conclusion

In summary, it is important to ensure that parental involvement in education does not impede the intellectual development of the child by taking over their work. A balance should be maintained in the roles of the teacher, child, and parent, with the child taking on most of the activities and the parent guiding them. Both the teacher and parents should create a favorable learning environment as the child strives to excel in their studies.