No Child Left Behind Act: The Impact of Standards-based Accountability

Abstract

What was the impact of the Standards-Based Accountability system of the No Child Left Behind Act? SBA required states to produce a set of standards for standardized testing, and if these standards were not met, sanctions were imposed on schools. This was enforced through the Adequate Yearly Progress Report which was created under the NCLB. This thesis explores the impact of SBA implementation on the educational quality, notably teaching to the test and curriculum narrowing. Furthermore, SBA led to increased rates of test anxiety. This paper concludes by proposing recommendations to the accountability system and exploring the changes brought forth under the Every Student Succeeds Act.