School Board Sensemaking of Federal and State Accountability Policies

Abstract

This qualitative case study examines how board members make sense of federal accountability policies and how their sensemaking shapes their use of assessment data as a policy instrument. Deviating from previous work on practitioner sensemaking, the participants’ interpretations of assessments did not align with their ensuing use of the data. Furthermore, board members’ use of assessment data diverged from both federal and state messaging, illustrating board members’ synthesis and adaptation of external messaging into a locally driven narrative. As the nation has shifted to state accountability systems under Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the findings provide insights to policymakers and practitioners to support local implementation.