This page highlights the essential elements in a data collection system and discusses the benefits of collecting longitudinal data for individual students. Explore the links below to review strategies that state and districts have implemented to effectively collect and use data to inform decision making on the class, school, district and state levels.

Resources from the Office of Vocational and Adult Education:

• High School Accountability and Assessment Systems
  States and school districts need high-quality assessments aligned with standards if they are to accurately gauge student achievement. MS WORD (275K) | PDF (50K)

• Improving Achievement in High Schools and Beyond.
  MS POWERPOINT (877K).
  This presentation, provided by the Education Trust for OVAE, gives current data on high school achievement and offers suggestions on how to solve the problem of the achievement gap.

• No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, Standards, Assessment, and Accountability
  The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 requires schools that receive Title I grants to conduct assessments in core academic subjects and develop and distribute annual report cards on school performance.

• The Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act requires States to gather information on academic and technical skill achievement and post-high school outcomes of students who participate in vocational education. Perkins Accountability.

• Performance Measurement Initiative
  Read about this exciting project at OVAE designed to help states implement effective Perkins accountability systems.

External Resources for Assessment, Accountability and Data with Meaning

Alliance for Excellent Education, includes the following reports and briefs:

• Investing in the Education of Older Students (Find it on this webpage.)
• Issue and Policy Briefs
• 2003 Progress Report on American High Schools (Find it on this webpage.)

The American Diploma Project

The Annenburg Foundation

The Consortium for Policy Research in Education, includes the following reports and briefs:

• Research project on Accountability
• The New Accountability
• Assessment and Accountability Systems: 50 State Profiles
• Study of High School Strategies for Instructional Improvement

The Council for Basic Education, includes the following reports:

• Eye of the Storm: Promising practices for improved instruction
• Principal's Leadership Academy
• Schools Around the World: Math and Science

The Council of Chief State School Officers, includes the following reports:

• Models for alignment analysis
• A Guide for Effective Accountability Reporting

The Council of Great City Schools, includes the following report:

• Beating the Odds: IV

The Education Alliance at Brown University, includes the following reports:

• Benchmarks for Success in High School Education: Putting Data to Work in School-to-Career

Education Reform

• Data-Driven High School Reform: The Breaking Ranks Model

Education Commission of the States, includes the following report:

• Next Generation Accountability

Education Trust, includes the following reports and tools:

• A New Core Curriculum for All: Aiming High For Other People's Children.
• Education Watch Online and State Reports
• Dispelling the Myth Revisited
• Dispelling the Myth...Over Time

The Institute for Research and Reform in Education, includes the following reports:

• Getting Off the Dime: First Steps Toward Implementing First Things First (Find it on this webpage)

Youth Development Strategies, Inc.

• First Things First: Creating the Conditions and Capacity for Community-Wide Reform in an Urban School District

The National Clearinghouse for Comprehensive School Reform, includes the workshop:

• Identifying Research-Based Solutions for School Improvement

The National Conference of State Legislators, includes the report:

• Accountability, Standards and Assessments

The National High School Alliance, includes the report:

• All Over the Map

The National Governors Association, including the report:

• Using Electronic Assessment to Measure Student Performance

Project GRAD

SERVE, includes the report

• Assessment, Accountability and Standards

The Southern Regional Education Board

• A Look at Accountability for Secondary Vocational Education
• Doing What Works: Moving Together on High Standards for All Students

CONTACT US

Please email HighSchools@ed.gov with your questions or comments regarding the Department's High School Initiative.