The tenth annual report on student assessment in the Oklahoma State System of Higher Education is presented as required by the State Regents' "Policy Statement on the Assessment of Students for Purposes of Instructional Improvement and State System Accountability." Each institution must evaluate students at four levels (graduate student assessment…

Charter schools are public schools that are granted increased autonomy by states in exchange for meeting specified academic goals. State law determines who approves the formation of a charter school, often the board of education. As public schools, charter schools are subject to the performance requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLBA)…

Three years ago, President George W. Bush signed into law the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), which reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). The new law reflected an unprecedented, bipartisan commitment to ensuring that all students, regardless of background, have the opportunity to obtain a quality education and reach…

The purpose of this topical review is to examine the current state of accountability policies that impact students with disabilities who are educated in special schools and settings. For the purpose of this review, special schools and settings are defined as public or private settings outside of comprehensive K-12 school buildings. This review…

This is essential reading for any school leader, education reformer, policymaker, or citizen interested in the forces that promote school change. "Giving test results to an incoherent, badly run school doesn't automatically make it a better school. The work of turning a school around entails improving the knowledge and skills of…

There is rarely a perception in colleges and universities that everyone owns the financial plan. Deans, department chairs, and division heads are most concerned with their own budgets, rather than the aggregate. Mythologies about how the academic and financial sides of the house operate create artificial divisions and compromise the development of…

This paper outlines some introductory steps (a modified version of basic accountability management techniques) to insure that college personnel organizations meet their goals. These steps are: (1) identifying subordinates' areas of responsibility; (2) setting up specific performance goals in terms of measurable results; (3) defining limits within…

Because of lack of research and too much political gamesmanship, accountability's great promise may never be realized, say the authors. (Editor)

This article describes the events leading to the National Education Association policy statement that encouraged the elimination of group standardized intelligence aptitude, and achievement tests to assess student potential or achievement until completion of a critical appraisal, review, and revision of current testing programs. The NEA also…

Proposes school evaluation in terms of the learning environment a school provides rather than the achievement of its students. (HD)

Misconceptions of what teacher accountability really is are explored here, along with some valid expectations of the concept. (Editor)

Analysis of bureaucratic structure and the incentive systems of the public schools reveals access points for enhancing the school's ability to adopt and implement innovative education. Research and development coordinated to those points can provide a greater diversity of educational possibilities, assuming such diversity to be a positive…

The current concept of accountability -- defined to emphasize educational results, the allocation of responsibility for results, and the consequences to those held responsible -- represents a powerful force for positive educational change. It may yet produce a fundamental reconstruction of public education. (Author/JN)

A master planning process at Gallaudet College involves the expression of program plans in measurable objectives understandable to students, faculty, administrators, and the general public. (Author)

IQ tests are used to judge the mental capacities of black Americans, a fact which places a tremendous ethical responsibility on those involved in IQ test research and administration: most IQ test developers and administrators have abrogated this responsibility. (Author/JM)