In addition to autonomy over their resources, Pilot Schools are subject to increased school-level accountability.  Pilot Schools are held to high standards of performance by a School Quality Review (SQR) process in which each school is assessed every five years on common benchmarks of a high-performing school. The goal of the Pilot Schools’ accountability system is to (1) measure Pilot School performance, (2) inform the continued approval of a school’s Pilot status within the BPS, and (3) provide feedback to the school on its strengths as well as areas needing improvement.
   The SQR was designed in partnership among the Pilot Schools Network, BPS, CCE, and the Annenberg Institute for School Renewal.  It was first implemented in the 1997-98 school year, and has been revised at several points to update and strengthen its use. 
   The SQR accountability system involves both internal and external review.  First, the Pilot School must engage in a Self-Study process and produce a Pilot School portfolio.  The portfolio assists both the Pilot School and the external SQR team in understanding and evaluating the school’s progress.  Each portfolio includes evidence and reflections on a set of focus areas as part of the Accountability Rubrics.  The focus areas include:
1) Vision, Mission, and History
2) Leadership, Governance, and Budget
3) Teaching and Learning – Goals and Results
4) Professional Development and Improvement
5) Family and Community Engagement
   Following the Pilot School’s initial internal review, an external review, or the actual School Quality Review, takes place.  A four to six member SQR Team is assembled to conduct a three-day site visit and assess the school’s performance.  A cross-section of community representatives make up the SQR team, and may include staff and officials from BPS, BTU, other districts, other Pilot Schools, higher education institutions, and non-profit organizations.  While visiting the Pilot School, the team reviews the portfolio, observes classes, and conducts interviews with staff, students, families, and governing board members in focus groups or individually.  The team also meets with key school groups, such as the governing board, leadership team, and student government. 
   The SQR team is guided by the Accountability Rubrics that include the five focus areas.  Within each focus area, sub-categories are scaled on a 1-4 range; a 4 is “approve with steps for sustainability” and a 1 is “not approved/area of concern.”  During the site visit, time for debriefing allows the team to discuss and come to consensus on scoring the Accountability Rubrics.  The team outlines their observations and the team chair writes an extensive SQR report following the visit that includes recommendations concerning the approval of the school for continued Pilot status.  The school provides a written response to this report, outlining how it will implement the SQR team’s recommendations. 
   Both the SQR report and the Pilot School’s response are submitted to the superintendent and BPS/BTU Steering Committee for review.  The steering committee then approves the report and school response, while providing any further recommendations to the school. The school develops and implements an action plan designed to address the recommendations for improvement that emerged from the report and the steering committee.

1. The School Self-Study, based on a set of common benchmarks, that leads to the development of a school portfolio.
2. A three-day School Quality Review (SQR) conducted by an external team of practitioners, resulting in a report of commendations, concerns, and recommendations. 
3. A written response from the school that outlines the steps that the school will take to address the SQR report recommendations.
4. Submission of the SQR report and school response to the joint BPS/BTU Steering Committee for review and feedback.
5. Implementation by the school of an action plan of improvement, based on the SQR report, the school’s response, and further feedback from the steering committee.