Accountability in Education

In a report sponsored by the National Center for Research in Vocational Education, the RAND Corporation (2002) defined accountability as the various and sundry practices by which educational systems are held responsible for the quality of their outcomes (e.g., students' knowledge, skills, behaviors, and attitudes). Kirst (1990) noted that accountability in education is not a new concept but was practiced as far back as the 19th century when schools were paid according to the performance of their students on standardized exams. However, with the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001

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upgraded curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Federal policies encouraged the establishment of challenging content standards and held schools responsible for these standards which were assessed with standardized tests. Educators in low-performing schools responded by replacing academic curriculum with test preparation materials. Outcome studies of high-stakes testing showed that female grade point averages are equal to or better than boys, but standardized tests in mathematics and science favor boys which begins in middle school and endures into high school showing up as a gap in SAT scores. When females score lower in these tests they may forgo more advanced technical training in high school and college, which may be a negative outcome of standardized testing (Brennan, Kim, Wenz-Gross, & Siperstein, 2001). Alternatively there are also studies regarding results of teacher-assigned grades. Findings of a study of African American and White students showed that African American students tend to receive lower grades in English, math, and science, compared to White students, though findings were not statistically significant. In a study of Latino and White students, Latino students had significantly lower grades in English and
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Approximate Word count = 4776
Approximate Pages = 19 (250 words per page)

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