State and federal policymakers "see" school performance via formal measures -- data collected with attendance sheets and standardized tests. Such an approach, though not without its merits, is extremely limited and inherently exposed to the threat of systematic misperception and unintended consequences, especially as policymakers try to use data to leverage on-the-ground change. In this essay, Jack Schneider and Derek Gottlieb discuss the limitations of present accountability systems and advocate for the inclusion of what they call "ordinary measures." Long positioned as inferior to their formal counterparts, such measures offer much to clarify the picture of schools that good governance depends on. According to Schneider and Gottlieb, using ordinary measures, paired with deliberative evaluation processes, will improve the validity and utility of educational accountability systems.