What Indiana’s New Accountability Model Means for Schools

Indiana’s new school accountability model reflects a deeper rethinking of how success is understood. It shifts the focus away from test-based proficiency and toward a more comprehensive understanding of student readiness. Schools are no longer expected to simply comply with a scorecard. They are being asked to help define a vision of success that captures the full range of student experiences.

The first post in this series introduced Indiana’s new accountability model, examining what’s changing, how it connects to other statewide efforts like the diploma redesign and GPS Dashboard, and why the shift matters for the state’s broader vision of education. This second entry takes a different view. It speaks to school and district leaders who are now asking a more immediate question: How do we get ready?

The window to begin making meaningful changes is narrow, and time is moving quickly. While it is important to prepare for the first round of letter grades in fall 2026, that urgency must be balanced with long-term priorities that reflect the broader values behind Indiana’s accountability redesign.

Why This Model Demands a New Kind of Readiness

The new accountability model calls for more than just new metrics. It challenges schools to operate in new ways. Since the definition of student success now includes broader, more holistic outcomes, readiness must extend beyond individual learners to the systems and leadership structures that support them.

To meet the goal of Excellence for All Students, schools will have to examine long-held routines, especially in areas that have lacked access to resources for career-connected learning. Communities without nearby industry partners will need creativity, collaboration, and infrastructure that many schools do not yet have. That reality points to the importance of statewide support and local planning evolving together.

Where K–8 schools are concerned, readiness demands more than compliance with literacy and math assessments. Although IREAD and ILEARN still matter, the model now asks how schools cultivate curiosity, engagement, and early exploration of student interests. Making room for this kind of learning is not just about instructional strategy. It also requires shifts in scheduling, staffing, and priorities, especially within an already packed school day.

New expectations also raise the bar for school leadership. Simply tracking proficiency or responding to standards will no longer be enough. Schools must now build the capacity to monitor readiness, design personalized pathways, and align their strategies with outcomes that go beyond what can be measured on a single test. Strategic planning, strong communication, and partnerships across sectors will play a central role in that work.

If success under this model is the goal, it begins with an honest acknowledgment of how significant the transition must be. Last-minute changes will not be enough. Only intentional design, a clear local vision, and a willingness to rethink current systems will position schools to meet the demands of the years ahead.

Three Key Leadership Shifts Schools Must Embrace

If Indiana’s new accountability model expects schools to operate differently, then helping leaders lead differently must be the starting point. Success in this new environment will not come from compliance checklists. It will emerge from a clear sense of purpose, thoughtful flexibility, and a willingness to move into unfamiliar territory with strategic intent. To realize Excellence for All Students, all schools will need to embrace three key leadership shifts in the year ahead (some schools have already done so or started the work).

Shift #1: From Standards-Only to Multi-Source Data

Over the past decade, many leadership teams have focused on tracking standards-based proficiency, particularly in literacy and numeracy. Although these academic indicators remain important, they no longer capture the full picture of school performance. Leaders must now develop the capacity to work with a broader range of metrics: credentials earned, experiences completed, indicators of engagement, and longitudinal measures of growth.

While improved data systems are part of the solution, this work also requires a new mindset. What qualifies as valid evidence? How do we define progress when it is not linked to a test score? What should leaders do when the most meaningful data comes from sources the old model never recognized? These are the questions schools must be ready to address. Reaching that point will take time, training, and collaboration.

Shift #2: From Compliance to Strategic Planning

The previous accountability model’s emphasis on fixed targets and testing cycles led many schools to operate in a reactive mode, often waiting for results, adjusting plans after the fact, and managing fixed timelines. The new model opens space for innovation while also raising the stakes for proactive, intentional planning. Each school must create a strategy that reflects its unique values, assets, and constraints.

Instead of centering on program management, strategic planning should focus on essential questions: What does readiness mean for our students? What supports already exist, and what needs to change? How should we rethink instruction, scheduling, or partnerships to align with that vision? When a strategic plan functions as a guide for action rather than a compliance document, it can strengthen clarity, momentum, and staff ownership.

Shift #3: From Isolation to Community Engagement

Without broad community understanding, even the best internal strategies may fall short. Families, employers, civic leaders, and school boards need to know what is changing and why it matters. That awareness must come before full implementation begins.

By investing in communication and relationship-building now, schools will be better positioned to design student experiences that reflect both local support and practical feasibility. Engagement is more than outreach; it is a foundation for shared capacity. Schools that cultivate meaningful partnerships early will have trusted voices standing beside them when performance ratings return.

The EES Change Framework as a Roadmap for 2025–26

The 2025–26 school year offers a valuable opportunity to begin strong. As accountability resumes, early action can shape stronger outcomes for years to come. While this year’s performance will count, the initial phases of the EES Change Framework provide a focused approach that supports long-term success without disrupting ongoing work or overwhelming staff.

In this first year under the new model, the phases of Audit, Strategize, and Empower provide timely direction. Together, they help schools move forward with purpose while giving educators the clarity and support needed to lead through change.

Audit: Strengthening Your Foundation

Every school has strengths, and every district has areas of promise. The Audit phase guides leadership teams in identifying what is already working and where current systems, practices, or student experiences reflect the priorities of the new accountability model.

Designed to surface ongoing progress rather than critique current efforts, this phase encourages teams to ask practical questions: Which student groups already have access to personalized pathways? Where is student engagement strongest? What examples of career-connected learning are already in motion? By starting with what is present and functional, schools can build on existing assets rather than operating from assumptions.

This phase also allows leaders to evaluate internal capacity. By examining where teachers, counselors, and school leaders already demonstrate readiness-aligned practices, districts can better understand where additional support may be needed. This approach helps staff feel seen and supported, creating momentum before any formal shifts begin.

Strategize: Plan in Phases, Build Momentum

Planning can begin in earnest once the audit phase is complete. The Strategize phase helps leaders develop readiness plans that reflect local context and align with the goals of the new model.

Instead of rolling out every change at once, this phase emphasizes phased implementation tid to meaningful metrics. Mapping changes over time, such as scheduling adjustments and pathway development, can help prevent burnout and create space for early wins that sustain progress.

By asking how the local community defines success, leaders can ensure the strategy is rooted in shared values. When that vision shapes planning, the result is a roadmap that builds trust and reflects a genuine commitment to Excellence for All Students.

Empower: Build Capacity to Drive the Work

Even the strongest plan cannot succeed without strong leadership. During the 2025–26 school year, the Empower phase focuses on building that capacity so implementation can begin with confidence.

Leadership must extend beyond administrators to include teacher leaders, counselors, instructional coaches, and others who influence daily practice. Developing their understanding now will help teams remain unified, flexible, and responsive when the model takes full effect.

When used well, this planning year becomes a time to build ownership, not just compliance. As staff members reflect, learn, and prepare, the momentum becomes shared. The conditions for lasting change begin to take shape.

Avoiding Common Mistakes During the Transition

Although many schools will enter 2025–26 with strong plans and early momentum, one of the most critical challenges will be avoiding missteps that could undermine long-term progress. Two risks stand out, not because they are inevitable, but because they often arise in the absence of a clear, phased strategy.

Mistake #1: Moving Too Quickly Without Community Involvement

As the return of accountability approaches, the urge to move quickly can grow. However, implementing major changes without building community understanding often leads to resistance. Parents, business leaders, school board members, and community partners all need time to understand the vision, the rationale, and the potential impact. When that clarity is missing, even well-intended plans may fail to gain traction.

This challenge can be avoided through deliberate and ongoing communication. Leaders should create opportunities for proactive, transparent, and consistent engagement. When stakeholders feel included early in the process, they are far more likely to support, advocate for, and help shape the path forward.

Mistake #2: Underestimating the Preparation Required

Schools being graded on their performance is around the corner. At the same time, the deeper challenge is building systems that not only respond to this moment but remain effective for years to come. The magnitude of transformation ahead should not be underestimated, especially for schools whose existing structures were designed around a very different model of success.

Treating the coming year as a short-term sprint risks overlooking the long-term shifts the new framework demands. By investing now in staff capacity, aligned systems, and intentional planning, schools can meet today’s expectations while laying a foundation for sustained progress in the years ahead.

Why This Matters for the Phases to Come

Avoiding these early missteps lays a stronger foundation for the final three phases of the EES Change Framework: Launch, Implement, and Elevate.

In Launch (2026–27), schools will begin putting their strategic plans into action. Their success will depend on how well those plans were communicated, understood, and supported by both staff and the broader community. Teams that share a clear purpose and have built internal alignment will be better equipped to navigate the transition.

The Implement phase focuses on refining systems, adapting instruction, and providing targeted student supports. Real-time data and feedback loops will help guide decisions. Schools that enter this phase with strong internal communication and trusted partnerships will be more agile when adjustments are needed.

Finally, Elevate marks a pivotal phase in the EES Change Framework. It focuses on telling the story of what’s working. This is the moment to engage the broader community, strengthen existing partnerships, and form new ones around shared success. Schools use this phase to honor the work accomplished, highlight progress made, and build public trust. It also creates the space to add new layers to systems that are already in motion, ensuring that strong foundations continue to evolve rather than remain static.

Tracking Readiness: 10 Metrics to Guide the Work Ahead

Strategic plans are only as strong as the outcomes they make possible. As schools start this work, it becomes critical to define what early signs of success should look like.

The accountability model is still being finalized, but many of its core indicators already suggest where leaders can focus. The ten areas below do not represent every metric a district might consider; instead, they highlight practical, actionable measures that align with Indiana’s broader vision of readiness.

These metrics serve two purposes. They give leadership teams concrete targets to build into improvement planning, and they offer public-facing benchmarks that create transparency, build trust, and keep internal and external stakeholders aligned.

Ten Metrics That Signal Readiness Under the New Model

1. Percentage of students on track to earn Honors or Honors Plus sealsThis measure ensures that instruction, advising, and course pathways align with postsecondary opportunities and the expectations students must meet to access them.

2. Percentage of students completing work-based learning experiencesSchools that offer meaningful, real-world opportunities show strength in forming partnerships and providing access to all students, including those in rural or under-resourced communities.

3. Reduction in chronic absenteeismBecause attendance reflects both connection and engagement, schools can use it to identify where deeper supports may be needed to keep students engaged in learning.

4. Student engagement indexCollected through survey responses or observable classroom data, this metric helps assess whether students are experiencing relevance and connection in their daily work.

5. Percentage of students earning early college creditParticipation in advanced coursework serves as a powerful indicator of both opportunity and school culture, reflecting how schools communicate high expectations.

6. Growth benchmarks in literacy and numeracyBy tracking IREAD and ILEARN scores and examining subgroup data, schools stay focused on foundational academic progress.

7. Expansion in pathway offerings (2025 vs. 2030)Instead of asking only how many pathways exist now, schools can begin setting goals for future expansion to create more relevant and personalized options for students over time.

8. Teacher and staff training in personalized learningWhen instruction becomes more adaptive to student needs, professional learning must evolve with it. This metric will signal whether staff are gaining the tools to do that well.

9. Family and community satisfaction ratingsFeedback from families and community partners offers insight into whether communication is clear, relationships are strong, and trust is growing.

10. Progress monitoring tied to strategic goalsOngoing progress checks, whether weekly or monthly, ensure that school decisions are tied to long-term readiness goals and that teams are adjusting in real time.

These metrics offer more than a way to measure performance. When used intentionally, they become learning tools that guide decisions, surface insights, and help schools grow alongside their communities.

Rather than waiting for the first round of letter grades to be released in fall 2026, schools can use the 2025–26 school year to begin identifying local priorities, gathering baseline data, and communicating goals in ways that make sense to the public.

Embedding these indicators into school improvement plans, district dashboards, and community updates allows schools to connect what they measure with what they value. That alignment helps schools act with purpose, tell their stories with clarity, and build systems that reflect the deeper intent of Indiana’s new model.

Naming priorities now builds coherence as accountability resumes. More than that, it signals a readiness mindset that puts learning, growth, and alignment at the center of school transformation.

Conclusion

Indiana’s accountability model reframes how schools define success, shape culture, and pursue the broader vision of Excellence for All Students.

The next 18 months will be pivotal. For school and district leaders, this period will determine whether the transition becomes a shared opportunity or is experienced as another compliance mandate.

This opportunity will not come from checklists or reactive shifts. It will depend on strong leadership, clear internal alignment, and authentic, lasting partnerships. Although specific indicators may evolve, the essential challenge remains the same. We must ask whether we are ready to meet this moment with clarity, conviction, and care.

This is the time to lead with intention. Schools can align what they measure with what they value, strengthen internal capacity before external pressures mount, and keep the focus on what matters most. The story Indiana shapes in the next phase can reflect coherence, shared commitment, and meaningful outcomes for all students, but only if that work begins now.

Reflective Questions

• What will your school or district look like in 12-18 months?

• In what ways are you building the capacity today that your team will need when the new accountability system is fully in place?

• What stories do you want your school community to tell about how it responded, built momentum, and prepared for long-term success?