National Task Force Designs Preschool Accountability System

Since 2005, the National Early Childhood Accountability Task Force has studied the performance of early education programs in order to come up with the best practices states can employ to ensure early education improves student achievement. In studying preschool initiatives, which states have spent $1.9 billion on over the last four years, the task force found that few states have implemented comprehensive assessment systems that would ensure early education returns the expected results.

To address the many challenges states face in implementing this type of accountability system, the task force recommends that states do the following: develop a unified system of early childhood education; align high-quality and comprehensive standards, curriculum, instruction and assessments; and, support the full inclusion of all children in programs and accountability systems; and provide programs with adequate resources. From this set of core principles, states can then use different approaches to create an accountability system that fits their particular needs. For the next 18 months, the Council of Chief State School Officers will use these findings to help states strengthen their preschool program performance.

For more information, visit:
http://www.fcd-us.org/resources/resources_show.htm-doc_id=579564