The Office of Accountability (OA) coordinates assessment, research, and evaluation activities throughout the school system. The Office of Accountability oversees the administration of all systemwide assessments, including state-mandated accountability testing, providing training and information to teachers and administrators regarding proper procedures for administering assessments and interpreting results. In collaboration with various curriculum offices, the Office of Accountability reproduces student response forms, scans, scores, and reports student performance on a variety of locally-developed tests, including surveys of early reading skills and final examinations. The Office of Accountability also serves as the school system’s liaison with the Maryland State Department of Education for testing, providing and receiving a variety of data to comply with state accountability requirements. For additional information about the Maryland School Assessment and other NCLB-related statewide assessments, log on to the Maryland State Department of Education’s school improvement website, http://www.mdk12.org, and to the report website, http://reportcard.msde.maryland.gov/. The Office of Accountability prepares a variety of reports related to state-mandated tests and locally-developed assessments as well as nationally-administered tests such as the SAT and Advanced Placement Testing Program. Additional information about the SAT and the performance of students from Maryland and the nation can be obtained at http://www.collegeboard.com.

In support of the systemwide focus on continuous improvement in teaching and learning, the Office of Accountability provides technical assistance and advice to curriculum specialists in the design of formative assessments and collaborates with program leaders to design and implement program evaluation and monitoring. For example, the Office of Accountability has collaborated with the Office of English to formatively and summatively evaluate the Harcourt Reading Series and is currently collaborating with the Office of Curriculum and Instruction to develop a comprehensive design for evaluating the alignment of curriculum, instruction, and assessment in the school system. The Office of Accountability also conducts and supports survey research relating to a variety of initiatives in the school system including the improvement of school climate.