Contents

Executive Summary: Demanding Results

The Challenges to Accountability
Narrative: Shining a Spotlight on Results
Sidebar: Accountability Guidelines
Chart: Holding Schools Accountable

#1 Making Every Test Count
Sidebar: Keeping the Doors Wide Open
Sidebar: In Search of Better Assessments
Chart: Types of Assessments
Chart: Subject Assessed

#2 Setting the Bar: How High?
Chart: How Do States Evaluate Their Schools?
Chart: Whose Rating Schools?

#3 Report Cards for Schools
Sidebar: A Closer Look: What Makes a Good Report Card?
Chart: School Report Cards: Access
Chart: School Report Cards: Comparing Student Performance
Chart: School Report Cards: Information
Chart: Prototype Report Card
Chart: Holding Schools Accountable

#4 What To Do When All Else Fails
Chart: Opting Out of Failing Schools
Chart: Jobs at Stake: Removing School Staff
Chart: The Ultimate Sanction
Chart: Improving Low-Performing Schools

#5 A Role for the Districts
Chart: How Districts Fit Into the School Accountability Puzzle

#6 Zeroing In on Teachers
Sidebar: Confronting a Tough Issue: Teacher Tenure
Chart: Teachers and Student Performance

#9 Moving Beyond Test Scores
Chart: Consumer-Based Accountability
Chart: States With Charter School Laws

The Indicators of Accountability
Narrative: Taking Stock
Chart: Who's Holding Schools Accountable
Table: Holding Schools Accountable: A Summary
Table: Measuring Student Performance (four parts)
Table: School Report Cards (three parts)
Table: What Information Do States Include on Report Cards? (four parts)
Table: Rating School Performance (three parts)
Table: How Do States Reward Successful Schools? (two parts)
Table: Improving Low-Performing Schools (three parts)
Table: What Are the Ultimate Sanctions for Failing Schools? (two parts)
Table: Holding Districts Accountable: An Overview
Notes: Accountability in Context

Focus Groups
Narrative: What Makes a Good Report Card?
Downloadable file: Reporting Results
Narrative: Ten Recommendations for Reporting School Results to Public
Downloadable file: Research Report
Downloadable file: Prototype Report Card

Grading the States
Narrative: State of the States
Narrative: Rating the Standards
Narrative: Methodology
Chart: Achieve Looks at Standards Reports
Chart: Setting the Standards

Report Cards

Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri

Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming

State Policy Updates
Map
Narrative

State Indicators

Table: All Students Achieving at High Levels (four parts)
Notes: Achievement

Table: Academic Standards, Assessments, and Accountability (three parts)
Notes: Standards and Assessment

Table: Efforts To Improve Teacher Quality (four parts)
Notes: Improving the Quality of Teaching

Table: School Climate Conducive to Learning (four parts)
Notes: School Climate

Table: Resources: Adequacy, Allocation, and Equity four parts
Notes: Resources

(c) 1999 Editorial Projects in Education

Vol. 18, number 17