The Federal Role in Defining Adequate Yearly Progress: The Flexibility/Accountability Trade-Off

Bills passed by the U. S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate in spring 2001 to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) not only reinforce but strengthen the education accountability provisions contained in the Improving America’s Schools Act (IASA) of 1994. Title I of the IASA requires states to establish challenging content and performance standards, implement assessments that measure student performance against these standards, and hold schools and school systems accountable for the achievement of all students. Specifically, states and local school districts must determine whether schools and school districts are making adequate yearly progress (AYP) in bringing students up to state standards, identify for school improvement any school that does not made adequate yearly progress for two consecutive school years, target resources to these schools, and, if necessary, take corrective action.