Issues in the Design of Accountability Systems

The purpose of this report is to identify and clarify design issues that are critical in the creation of an accountability system, and can contribute to improved teaching and student learning. Since student achievement is at the heart of the current accountability movement, a number of issues addressed in this report are concerned with how student achievement is assessed. Also discussed are the many considerations that enter into the choice of measurement and statistical procedures used to estimate school performance. It is concluded that too little attention has been given to the evaluation of current accountability systems and several recommendations are made for improving accountability systems. Student achievement test results are the coin of the realm in educational accountability systems in the United States. For a number of years, both states and the federal government have relied heavily on tests to judge the quality of schools. The exact characteristics of the accountability systems have evolved over the years and vary a good deal from one state to another as do the state and federal