Exploring accountability

The recognition that all children have the right to a quality education has pushed education provision and quality assurance to the top of policy agendas. The use of test scores for accountability purposes has risen worldwide, accompanied by a belief in the market model (e.g. school choice) as a strong way to ensure and monitor quality education. There is an open question however about how effective these market forces are, and whether the use of test scores is achieving the desired improvements in education performance. This chapter uses the National Testing Policies (NTP) outlined by Smith (forthcoming) to explore common practices found in schools in educator based testing for accountability systems, providing policy-makers with a rich illustration of school practices in each NTP.

Governing Education in a Complex World

Exploring accountability

National testing policies and student achievement