SED proposes accountability changes

On Board Online • July 20, 2026

By Sara Foss
Special Correspondent

States are required by the federal government to have an accountability system to ensure that federal Title I funds are being used effectively. In New York, the State Education Department (SED) is planning modifications of its accountability support system designed to assist schools identified as needing to improve student outcomes.

SED staff provided an overview at the July meeting of the state Board of Regents, which also saw the introduction of proposed regulatory amendments regarding receivership.

Theresa Billington, assistant commissioner of SED's Office of Innovation and School Reform, described the new approach as a "continuum of support" for districts that have patterns of low student achievement based on various measures over time.

"At its core, New York's accountability system exists to advance educational equity," Billington said. "It is not about labeling schools and districts. The purpose of the system is to use objective, transparent measures to identify where students may not be experiencing the educational outcomes they deserve, and to ensure that resources, supports and interventions are strategically and equitably directed to the schools with the greatest need."

The proposed amendments would change some accountability terminology. For example, schools referred to as "failing" or "struggling" would instead be called schools "under school district superintendent receivership." A "department-approved intervention model or comprehensive education plan" would become a "school intervention plan."

"The proposed language shifts are more than terminology changes," Billington said. "They provide greater clarity, transparency and understanding of the support framework available to schools and districts." The revised language, she said, "more accurately communicates where a school is in the continuum of support and clarifies the actions, resources and governance structures available to facilitate improvement."

Under the framework presented by SED staff, there would be four ways for the state to support schools that are deemed in need of help: (1) targeted improvement plan development, (2) plan implementation and progress monitoring, (3) tailored support and coaching and (4) funding. The goal is to ensure schools and districts receive timely, differentiated and evidence-based assistance that builds local capacity and promotes sustainable improvement.

SED is asking the Regents to change protocols for schools identified as needing Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI). If a school fails to make sufficient progress, SED appoints a receiver (such as an experienced school administrator) to oversee school operations. The proposed modifications would have schools move through four designations over time, depending on the degree of progress: CSI-A, CSI-B, school under school district superintendent receivership and school under independent receivership.

Each tier would come with a different level of resources, partnership and engagement from SED. CSI-A, for example, calls for an annual needs assessment, parent/student/staff surveys and the development of a comprehensive education plan, among other things.

The most intensive tier, school under independent receivership, would be reserved for schools that have had a CSI designation for eight consecutive years and have not made "demonstrable improvement" by the seventh and eighth years or any two consecutive years thereafter.

To exit the CSI system, schools must demonstrate improvement in key areas, such as performance indices, achievement indicators and, if applicable, graduation rates.

Regent Keith Wiley, who has taught in Buffalo for 24 years, said he is worried about what will happen to a school that improves enough to have state support removed. "I'm concerned that if they don't have the same support they had the previous year, they're going to be back on (the state list)," he said. "Why can't we continue that support?"

"It would be incredible if we could offer transition support," Billington said. However, the federal Every Student Succeeds Act requires that states target supplemental funding to schools that "need additional seed money to create additional structures and systems that are missing."

In other business at the July meeting:

• The Regents heard a proposal to update coaching license requirements for interscholastic athletic teams. Teachers and other school personnel are not required to obtain a coaching license; coaches who are not certified educators must obtain a temporary coaching license from SED. Among other things, the proposal would extend the validity period of the initial temporary coaching license from one to three years.
• Another proposed amendment would change the registration requirements for teacher preparatory programs focused on literacy instruction to ensure teachers are prepared to use evidence-based instructional practices to teach reading.