EDUCATION AND ACADEMIC ACCOUNTABILITY

BECAUSE academic accountability can occur only when teachers, parents, and students know the academic standing of the student at the beginning of the school year and the academic progress achieved by the end of the year, and

BECAUSE specific information on student academic progress became available in 2001 with the testing requirements provided in the No Child Left Behind Legislation, and

BECAUSE every child and parent deserves to know whether the academic progress made by the child represents a full year of academic progress, and

BECAUSE the precise academic progress made by each student became available in 2001 with the testing requirement in the No Child Left Behind Legislation, and

BECAUSE the impartial measurement of the degree of academic success made by a student is necessary to assure an honest discussion between teacher, parent and child regarding specific resources needed to help that student achieve required yearly academic growth, and

BECAUSE accountability for student academic success will result in schools focusing on academics rather than on social engineering, and

BECAUSE accountability for student academic success will require states and school districts to write clearly defined academic standards for all students, and

BECAUSE the required implementation of specific academic standards will empower teachers and administrators to require that parents and children try to meet those standards, and

BECAUSE once academic standards are written, administrators and teachers must support each other in the implementation of those standards or each could face charges of insubordination, and

BECAUSE accountability in education provides teachers with a much broader support base including administration, parents, and students because all will be held responsible for fulfilling their role in successfully meeting educational goals,

THEREFORE schools receiving federal funds must be held accountable for the academic progress of every student.