Policy Briefs: Learning Curve

Achievement testing is the centerpiece of the state accountability systems mandated by the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). The public attention directed toward achievement scores, however, has largely eclipsed the crucial role that graduation rates play in NCLB accountability. As a result, we are only now beginning to appreciate the complexities of several key issues. Those include the origins of the law's concern about graduation rates, the status of graduates and dropouts for NCLB accountability, the consequences of using different ways to define and measure graduation rates, and state strategies for incorporating graduation rates into their federal accountability plans. Drawing on recent research at the Urban Institute, this brief clarifies these issues and offers a foundation of knowledge upon which to ground ongoing discussions and analyses of the law.

The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) represents a major effort to elevate the field of teaching, but its certification efforts have come under fire due (in part) to a lack of consensus on the best way to improve teacher quality. This brief, part of a multistage evaluation, looks at who is applying for and gaining NBPTS certification.

The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) requires that public elementary and secondary school systems be held accountable for achieving high levels of educational proficiency for all students. At the high school level, the percentage of students graduating on time with a regular diploma is a performance benchmark. However, the law allows considerable leeway in how graduation rates are defined and measured. This policy brief shows how three methods of measuring graduation rates can have dramatically different results.