External Examinations and Accountability, Educational Expectations, and High School Graduation

Proponents argue that state-mandated assessments of student performance will encourage cooperation between teachers and students leading to greater academic success, while opponents argue they will increase inequality by structurally limiting disadvantaged students' opportunities. Using two national studies conducted in the early 1990s, we find that the relationship of students' likelihood of high school graduation with their background, aspirations, and teachers' expectations varies among states with differing assessment and accountability policies. Linking test performance to consequences for students weakens the relationship between teachers' low expectations and earning a diploma, and greater consequences for schools appears to strengthen the same relationship.