Student Achievement and the School Principal

Testing and evaluation activities at the local level have intensified in recent years, largely due to governmental man-dates. The mandates themselves were one product of calls to improve the quality of schools. These calls now focus on the use of student test scores for school improve-ment. At the district level, it seems that these scores are used, at times, to identify curricular areas that need improvement. At the school level, it seems that princi-pals and teachers meet to review the scores, also in relation to the curriculum. While teachers believe that they should not be held accountable for their students' performance on tests, principals feel that schools should. The Center for the Study of Evaluation