This document discusses five waves of educational reform since the 1950s that incorporated assessment and accountability:
1) Tracking and selection emphasized in the 1950s based on Conant's vision of differentiated high school tracks
2) Accountability for programs like Title I in the 1960s which increased standardized test use but also inflated gains
3) Minimum competency testing reforms of the 1970s-1980s where gains occurred mostly at the low achievement levels
4) School and district accountability reforms of the 1980s
5) Current standards-based accountability systems of the 1990s which face questions about validity and impact.
This document discusses five waves of educational reform since the 1950s that incorporated assessment and accountability:
1) Tracking and selection emphasized in the 1950s based on Conant's vision of differentiated high school tracks
2) Accountability for programs like Title I in the 1960s which increased standardized test use but also inflated gains
3) Minimum competency testing reforms of the 1970s-1980s where gains occurred mostly at the low achievement levels
4) School and district accountability reforms of the 1980s
5) Current standards-based accountability systems of the 1990s which face questions about validity and impact.