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All fifty states have federally approved consolidated accountability plans though some approvals carry additional conditions that must be met. States are now challenged to implement these plans. The challenge of NCLB is the requirement that all students achieve proficiency by 2014. The requirement that selected subgroups, schools, school districts, and the state meet annual performance targets defined as adequate yearly progress (AYP) provides an accountability framework designed to ensure that all students make progress. For the first time in standards-based reform, there is an unambiguous focus on student achievement.
NCLB emphasizes the state's role of clearly communicating student achievement expectations and the progress of schools toward meeting these expectations. For schools and districts failing to meet these performance expectations, states need to provide technical assistance.
A particularly challenging aspect is finding the balance between developing a quality, comprehensive assessment that reflects the range of student performance described in the content standards with the requirement to report results within the same school year.
States have much work to do in the area of defining content standards with enough specificity to allow them to be assessed at appropriate cognitive levels and to ensure that all stakeholders understand what is being assessed.
For states to successfully meet the challenge of NCLB, they must carefully define what students are expected to know and are able to do, measure student achievement accurately and fairly, develop reporting and accountability system that emphasize student achievement and stand ready to provide focused technical assistance.
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