Delaware operates under the belief that all schools benefit from continuous improvement – including those that receive exceeds expectations ratings – to best support all students. The Delaware School Success Framework (DSSF) outlines the accountability standards by which all Delaware public schools are measured. This state- and school-level data helps identify each school’s needs and determine how best to support students across the state.

DSSF measures the following areas to determine school success. This annual data is publicly available on the Delaware Report Card.

  • Academic achievement – Proficiency for ELA and math (grades 3-8 and 11)
  • Academic progress – Growth in ELA and math (grades 4-8); includes growth of the lowest and highest performing students in a school
  • School quality/student success – On-track attendance (K-12), science proficiency (grades 5, 8 and biology), social studies proficiency (grades 4, 7 and 11), college/career preparedness (grades 9-12), and on-track in 9th grade
  • Graduation rates – 4-year, 5-year and 6-year adjusted cohort graduation rates
  • English language proficiency (ELP) – Progress toward English language proficiency (grades 1-12)

Some schools with low student performance based on the above measures may be identified as qualifying for comprehensive support and improvement (CSI) or targeted support and improvement (TSI), which can provide additional program and funding support.

2022-23 and 2023-24 Accountability Waiver

As a result of the waiver granted to Delaware by the U.S. Department of Education on April 6, 2021, all accountability requirements were waived for the 2020-2021 school year, and accountability measures were not updated for the 2020-2021 school year.

As a result of the waiver submitted by Delaware to the US Department of Education on April 27, 2023, regarding the process for developing and field-testing social studies assessments in grades 4 through 8 statewide, the social studies performance measure will not be includes in the SQSS indicator of Delaware’s statewide accountability system (The Delaware School Success Framework, DSSF) for elementary and middle schools for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 school years. High school is not impacted by the development of these new assessments. As per the approved consolidated state ESSA plan, proficiency in social studies in grades 4 and 7 are measures with the School Quality and school Success indictors which, in its entirety, accounts for 20% of the overall rating for elementary and middle schools. For these two consecutive years, DDOE will remove the points associated with the social studies measure within the SQSS indicator.

Educator resources

  • Accountability Student Verification (ASV) system – Allows districts and charters an opportunity to review DSSF data and submit student data appeals. For access to the ASV Schoology group, contact Adrian Peoples.
  • Toolkit: Success for Delaware Learners – Lists resources designed to improve outcomes for all students. Resources listed are considered either evidence-based or promising practices.
  • 2021-2022 dual enrollment course transfer matrix – Helps districts and charter schools determine whether dual enrollment courses transfer as an academic credit, a technical credit or as an elective.
  • Dual enrollment guidance document – Outlines procedures regarding postsecondary credit attainment, also known as dual enrollment credit. Updated September 23, 2022.
  • NCES Course Codes – For districts and charters to use for on-track in 9th Grade calculations. Updated May 13, 2019.