Several researchers (e.g., Klein, Hamilton, McCaffrey, & Stecher, 2000; Koretz & Barron, 1998; Linn, 2000) have asserted that test-based accountability, a crucial component of U.S. education policy, has resulted in score inflation. This inference has relied on comparisons with performance on other tests such as the National Assessment of…

Whole system reform means that every vital part of the system--school, community, district, and government--contributes individually and in concert to forward movement and success, using practice, not research, as the driver of reform. With this in mind, several "big ideas", based on successful implementation, informed Ontario's reform…

We use the principal-agent model as a focal theoretical frame for synthesizing what we know, both theoretically and empirically, about the design and dynamics of the implementation of performance management systems in the public sector. In this context, we review the growing body of evidence about how performance measurement and incentive systems…

Managing change in education is a complex process, but to do so under the pressure of a punishment-based measurement system (Fullan, 2008) makes sustainable and meaningful change increasingly difficult. Systems which produce high stakes accountability measures, which bring with it sanctions that create a greater sense of distrust, demoralization…

At least three states have asked for permission to cut back on the money they provide districts for special education, under a built-in escape clause in the federal special education law that is aimed at financially struggling states. Iowa and Kansas have both been granted a waiver, which under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act…

This paper will explore how to connect the administrative and professional perspectives in the era of accountability. Conflicting school accountability perspectives come from the contradiction between managerialism and professionalism. This inconsistency in accountability may have shifted the teaching profession's role toward supervisory…

Problem Statement: This paper focuses on assessment in Irish education, which, despite best intentions, shepherds students through the process to an extent that the individual is prone to undervalue her/his ability to trust in the self as a rational, self-thinking individual. In Ireland's assessment system lies the paradox whereby from childhood…

Background: In 2009, the Obama Administration announced its intention to rapidly "turn around" 5,000 of the nation's lowest-performing schools. To do so, it relied on the School Improvement Grant (SIG) program to provide temporary funding for states and schools, and to mandate drastic, school-level reforms. Most of these reforms require…

This report informs Senator the Hon. Simon Birmingham, Minister for Education and Training, the Parliament of Australia, the Australian higher education community and the general public about the performance of the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA or the Agency) during the financial year ending 30 June 2015. Prepared…

Data reported in the Condition Report comes primarily from each of Iowa's 15 community colleges, transmitted each fall to the division's Management Information System (MIS). Upon receipt, division staff review the data for discrepancies and return summary reports to the colleges to confirm accuracy. After confirmation, data files are aggregated…

This study focused on the federal and Illinois State the reform legislation titled the Performance Evaluation Reform Act and Senate Bill 7. The Performance Evaluation Reform Act or "PERA" was created from collaboration between stakeholders as Illinois competed in a federal competition titled "Race to the Top." The legislation…

This Annual Service Plan Report discusses the results related to measures in the Ministry of Education's 2015/16-2017/18 Service Plan. Work within the Ministry is driven by the Minister's Mandate Letter, aligning with government's strategic mandate and the Ministry's goals, objectives, and strategies. Comparing performance against these principles…

The "2014 Comprehensive Biennial Report on Texas Public Schools" describes the status of Texas public education, as required by §39.332 of the Texas Education Code. The report contains 15 chapters on the following topics: (1) state progress on academic performance indicators; (2) student performance on state assessments; (3) performance…

In this essay I argue that the effects of federal policy can be examined through a scale analysis that helps deconstruct the effect of the current widespread accountability movement in the US educational system. I first discuss the concept of scale, including its thus-far limited use in educational research. I define scales not only as…

The detrimental effects of high-stakes testing and accountability mandates are experienced disproportionately in high-poverty urban schools, which African American and Hispanic students are more likely to attend. However, the literature does not fully address how teachers experience the inequitable working and learning conditions in these…