Accountability, Support, & Improvement

The purpose of our accountability system is to provide statewide responsibility of all stakeholders to pursue our North Dakota vision. Through this accountability framework, North Dakota will:

• Provide transparency and public reporting of key performance and improvement indicators for all schools, districts, and the state;
• Ensure all schools and districts are engaged in a process of continuous improvement;
• Identify when and where desired results are not being achieved and prioritize which schools are most in need of support; and
• Allocate resources and support services, increase oversight and engagement, and elevate accountability for those schools most in need of support.

North Dakota’s accountability system provides a framework upon which we consistently, continuously, and holistically evaluate the ability of our state’s education system to achieve desired outcomes. North Dakota's plan focuses around a continuous improvement model*. North Dakota’s model allows multiple indicators to be used when outlining a school’s measure of quality. In addition to student achievement, Choice Ready, graduation rate, and EL achievement, North Dakota applies a composite growth model within its accountability system under ESSA. Any academic achievement goals, either long-term or interim, also apply to composite and subgroup academic achievement for schools, districts, and the state per the accountability indicators displayed below:

Currently, North Dakota uses Cognia state-wide for approval and as a system of improvement for all public schools. First and foremost, all schools will participate in continuous school improvement through the Cognia process. All schools are also encouraged to implement improvement science which is an evidence-based strategy that can assist schools in reaching their school improvement goals. Schools can utilize the School Renewal Guide as a resource. When schools are found to be underperforming on accountability measures, some schools will be identified for targeted support and improvement or comprehensive support and improvement. To learn more about the North Dakota Accountability System, click through the Accountability Overview.

*Disclaimer: Due to a USED waiver issued in March 2020 as a result of the pandemic, states were allowed to pause accountability and the use of 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 data for identification purposes. Therefore, North Dakota is unable to fulfill the part of its ESSA plan that requires “three years of consecutive underperformance” when selecting schools for TSI/CSI. However, the USED required states to resume accountability in 2021-2022, and states were instructed to run accountability to ensure that schools that are underperforming compared to other schools in the state receive the support and resources needed to make improvements. The NDDPI utilized data from 2021-2022, 2022-2023, and 2023-2024 to determine TSI identification and to rank schools based on three years of underperformance and with subgroups performing below the highest-performing CSI school. The NDDPI will be able to fully implement its ESSA plan as written in the fall of 2025 for both TSI and CSI schools.