Accountability

Measures of Accountability

Based upon the act, each state identified standards for every level in reading and math and, more recently, in science for Grades 3 through 8. Further, each state developed annual tests to measure the degree to which their students meet the standards. The data from the tests are made public in annual report cards for each school. According to the act, each state determines what students should learn in each grade, and each state determines the appropriate measures that indicate students are making adequate yearly progress (AYP).

According to the act, all students are included in the testing, and all students should be proficient in math and reading by 20132014. The act emphasizes that students in specific subgroups (racial/ethnic groups, the economically disadvantaged, those with limited English proficiency, and students with disability) are also expected to meet the state's designation of “proficient,” unless the subgroup within a school is too small to ensure statistical validity.

Other measures are also included in a school or district's designation of AYP. High schools must use graduation rates as one indicator. Elementary and middle schools must also identify at least one measure beyond the test scores. Often, this measure involves attendance rates.

State-Level Responses to Accountability

The act indicates that states should use test data to identify areas where additional support is needed. However, critics contend that schools that fail to make AYP do not get sufficient additional financial support. For example, the first year that a school fails to make AYP, the state provides resources to help the school determine how to reallocate the resources it has. Some of the resources that may have previously been used to support instruction may be reallocated to read data more carefully, to revise school improvement plans, and to extend learning time for students who need remediation. Often schools have to implement new reform models and may have to use significant resources for professional development and monitoring the implementation of these models. If a school does not make AYP 2 years in a row, it must reallocate some of its resources to provide supplemental educational services to students from low-income families. If a school fails to make AYP for 3 years, it is required to choose at least one of the following options: replace staff, implement a new curriculum model, decrease its decision-making power, extend the school day or year, seek the services of an outside consultant, or reorganize the school. Any school that does not make AYP 4 years in a row is subject to restructuring where it may become a charter school, be run by a for-profit corporation, be taken over by the state, or remain a district school by replacing the principal and staff.

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