On January 8, 2002, President Bush signed into law the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. The Act is the most sweeping reform of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) since ESEA was enacted in 1965. It redefines the federal role in K-12 education and will help close the achievement gap between disadvantaged and minority students and their peers. It is based on four basic principles: stronger accountability for results, increased flexibility and local control, expanded options for parents, and an emphasis on teaching methods that have been proven to work.

Perkins Accountability

The Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Amendments of 1998 (Perkins III) require a significant federal and state commitment to performance measurement and accountability. To assist states in transitioning to the legislation, the Office of Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE) has collaborated with state representatives, the Department of Labor, and key stakeholder groups on a number of activities and initiatives since early 1999. As a result of this collaboration, the Core Indicator Framework in Word and in PDF was developed to provide clear guidance to states as well a basis for performance reporting required by the aforementioned legislation.

Performance Measurement Initiative

An unprecedented opportunity exists for the re–examination and transformation of current accountability practices under Perkins III. A new environment for performance management systems is evolving as a result of increased focus at the national, state, and local level. This new environment includes both technological advances as well as increasing emphasis on accountability for results across the entire education enterprise - both at the secondary and postsecondary levels.

Resources On Accountability

• 1999-2000 Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act: Report To Congress on State Performance. State profiles for each of the core indicators (academic attainment, attainment of diplomas or degrees, placement and retention in further education or employment, and participation and completion of non-traditional training programs) for secondary and postsecondary programs. Also included are federal allocations, enrollment by gender, and a brief description of program improvement and data quality efforts for each state.
  
  
• Peer Collaborative Resource Network Perkins III core indicators, state performance measures and state profiles, data quality standards, resource library, state sharing of strategies for data and program improvement.
  
  
• National Dissemination Center Exemplary and promising programs, National Leadership Institute, professional development activities, repository for standards, publications.
  
  
• Department of Labor WIA performance measures and standards.
  
  
• National Center for Educational Statistics Educational data and analysis.