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One of the most enduring and contentious debates in education circles concerns the best way to hold schools and districts accountable for improving outcomes for students and closing achievement gaps. Lawmakers, teachers, district administrators, parents, and other stakeholders--all with strong and differing opinions--have wrestled for decades with questions about the appropriate role of the federal government compared with that of states and school districts in the operation of schools and the measurement of their success. The Every Student Succeeds Act, or ESSA, signed into law in December 2015, was in many ways the culmination of the accountability movement. Under ESSA, states must hold schools accountable for student performance in English language arts, or ELA, and mathematics; a second academic indicator, such as growth in ELA and mathematics; progress in achieving English language proficiency; high school graduation rates, if applicable; and at least one measure of school quality or student success. In addition, states are required to disaggregate these indicators, excluding English language proficiency, by individual subgroups of students, including those from low-income families, those from major racial and ethnic groups, those with disabilities, and English language learners. ESSA's new requirements build on the history of school accountability, which began at the state level in the 1990s amid a broader effort to measure school performance. The No Child Left Behind Act, or NCLB--the 2001 reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, or ESEA--increased the federal role in accountability. ESSA, the most recent reauthorization of ESEA, gives states greater flexibility in designing more holistic accountability systems that take into account multiple indicators of school success, while continuing to hold schools accountable for academic achievement. This report analyzes the measures that states currently include in their accountability systems and examines how state systems compare with the new law's provisions, which will take effect in the 2017-18 school year. To this end, the Center for American Progress analyzed ESEA flexibility waivers and accountability workbooks, supplementing the data from those sources with information and materials from state departments of education. The authors find that statewide accountability measures fall into one of seven main categories of indicators: achievement indicators, such as proficiency in reading and mathematics; student growth indicators in multiple academic subjects; English language acquisition indicators; early warning indicators, such as chronic absenteeism; persistence indicators, such as graduation rates; college- and career-ready indicators, such as participation in and performance on college entry exams; and other indicators, such as access to the arts. The following are appended: (1) Methodology; (2) Indicator analysis; (3) Weighting analysis; and (4) Sources. (This report is part of a series on implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act.)

The professional expectations for today's teachers are high. They must work to prepare students for new economic realities, use new and innovative pedagogical techniques and technologies, adapt their instruction to meet students' increasingly diverse needs, and adjust to recent policy reforms that directly affect their practice. These changes have reshaped teaching, making it a more difficult and demanding profession. At the same time, however, research is demonstrating the powerful effect that teachers can have on student learning and illuminating the ways in which great teaching is more important than ever before. This report is a progressive vision and policy agenda to achieve goals that would ultimately make changes to every stage of the teacher career continuum and modernize the system as a whole. It is a transformation that begins with recruitment and selection into teacher preparation programs and continues on to new teacher training and support, professional development, compensation, and opportunities for career advancement. This report guides the reader through a teacher's career trajectory, beginning at recruitment and selection and continuing throughout his or her career. The report's mission is to provide policymakers and the public with a forward-thinking document that proposes how to elevate and modernize the teaching profession. The authors argue that elevating the teaching profession cannot be solved by one policy change; instead, changes must be made to every step of the teacher pipeline. For this reason, they have paired each section--representing each stage in a teacher's career--with its own recommendation(s).

The Common Core State Standards present the greatest opportunity in decades to improve the quality of education afforded to all students. Uniformly raising standards across the majority of states and increasing the rigor of assessments sets an ambitious bar of college and career readiness for all students. Furthermore, assessing students against this more difficult benchmark will shine a bright light on schools and districts that are struggling to provide the caliber of education necessary for students to be successful. Armed with a more accurate picture of student performance, states and districts will be better positioned to direct resources and supports to students who need them the most. These new standards will also better prepare students to adjust to a changing economy by providing them with not just the base knowledge they need, but also the skills to be lifelong learners, effective communicators, and critical thinkers. It is true that the transition to the standards and assessments is difficult and will require patience, persistence, and continual parental and community engagement, with ongoing support and professional development for educators. But the tremendous benefits of the Common Core are too important to allow incomplete or inadequate implementation to undermine them. The good news is that across the country, states and districts are using promising and effective practices to implement the Common Core. The examples highlighted in this report are testimony to this effort. But more work remains, and states and districts should take note of best practices as they continue their transition to the Common Core.