Accountability and Standards-based Education

Within the confines of a classroom, it is the teacher’s responsibility to present material to better the education of his/her students. Whether it is English, mathematics, history, or a foreign language, a student needs to leave the classroom with a certain amount of information that will help them in advancing to the next stage of their educational goals. In the 1960s, a movement emerged that forced teachers to be responsible for their student’s progress within the educational system; this was known as the accountability movement. By taking a closer look at the origins of the accountability movement, reasons behind it, and the role of achievement tests, one can truly grasp the impact that the accountability movement had on the United States.

Before the 1960s and the materialization of the accountability movement, teachers did not have a specific curriculum to abide by. For example, there was no particular set of information that a student had to master before moving from sophomore year of high school to senior year of high school. The accountability movement which originated in the 1960s has evolved into what is now known as standards-based education. According to Hogan, the standards-based education requires (a) “clear identification of content for students to learn,” (b) “specification of required levels of performance,” and (c) “assurance that students have the opportunity to learn the material” (422).

So, why did the United States decide that education was an important aspect that needed more emphasis and revamping? There are three main causes that Hogan identifies for the emergence of the accountability movement include Russia’s launching of Sputnik, a remarkable swell in financial support for education, and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) (422). In the 1950s, the launch of Sputnik made Americans realize that they were not the world’s leader in science, technology, and education which required Americans to step up their game to keep their reputation. The launch of Sputnik lead to an increase in funding for education, which in turn lead to the ESEA which contributed to educational efforts by
incorporating federal funding.

Furthermore, a student’s learning can be gauged by the use of achievement batteries. An achievement test is a standardized test that measures an individual's knowledge in a particular subject area. Unlike an aptitude test which measures someone’s potential, an achievement test measures what an individual has already been taught. Most schools measure their accountability by how their students score on these achievement tests. By paying attention to the results, faculty and teachers can distinguish where their efforts are lacking, where their efforts are succeeding, and can reevaluate their current approaches to the curriculum.

Therefore, since the 1960s, teachers have been forced to be held liable for their student’s educational progress and ability to learn inside the classroom. This radical change in responsibility was started in the 1950s due to Sputnik, more funding, and ESEA. This ultimately resulted in the accountability movement which lead up to what is nowadays the standards-based education. By using achievement tests in schools, teachers can measure their progress as educators and see their strengths and weaknesses in their methods.