Education
A Joint Audit Report on the Status of State Student Assessment Systems and
the Quality of
Title 1 School Accountability Data
August 2002
Report Number 02-064
Overall Conclusion
The majority of states have not complied with the 1994 Title I student assessment requirements of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). As a result, many states may not be positioned well for timely implementation of the new requirements of the 2002 No Child Left Behind Act's ESEA reauthorization. ESEA, which will provide $10.3 billion in fiscal year 2002 to improve the educational achievement of children at risk, allows the U.S. Department of Education (Education) to withhold up to 25 percent of administrative funds from states that are not in compliance. At the local level, schools may face significant consequences, such as restructuring, should their accountability data fail to demonstrate adequate yearly progress over certain time frames.
Accountability data, which measures compliance with Title I requirements, can be improved at the federal, state, and local levels. Accurate, complete, valid, and timely information is critical to ensure that funding and decisions regarding adequate progress are based on reliable data.
State Accountability Systems:
Accountability systems are used for developing information to identify Title
I campuses that are not making adequate yearly educational progress. As of March
2002, 17 states had complied with the 1994 ESEA Title I student assessment requirements;
however, 35 states (including the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico) had
not.
Many states are not adequately monitoring critical components of their accountability systems, including LEA data reporting procedures to ensure that accountability data are reliable. LEAs and campuses also need to make improvements to ensure the quality of the accountability data they report to their state education agencies (SEAs).
State Title I Reporting Systems:
Two of the three large states we audited were reporting to Education inaccurate
or incomplete information on Title I schools in need of improvement. All three
states lacked adequate documentation of procedures and controls for reporting
on Title I schools in need of improvement.
The Department of Education's Methods for Ensuring Accountability Data
Quality:
Education's accountability data controls can be improved. The deadline for state
Title I reporting may be unrealistic given the complexity of gathering and reporting
school accountability data. Education needs a systematic process for enforcing
the deadline that it sets. Education can also make enhancements to its state
monitoring visits and to the single audit requirements to help ensure the quality
of state Title I data.
Key Facts and Findings
- State implementation of accountability systems varies widely.
- State officials identified certain factors that affect the implementation of assessment and accountability systems.
- Many states are not adequately monitoring critical components of their accountability systems.
- Campuses and local education agencies have significant weaknesses in data-reporting procedures and quality controls.
- Some states are not reporting accurate, complete, or timely information to Education.
- Improvements are needed in data quality controls at Education.
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