Maryland School Report Card

Maryland's New Accountability System

The latest federal legislation about school accountability is the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), signed into law in 2015. Under ESSA, each state is required to submit a plan detailing how the law will be implemented, including how it will hold schools accountable for student performance. Some parts of the accountability system are required by law--for example, all high schools, nationwide, are accountable for their graduation rate. The law also allows states to choose components of the accountability system that are important to its students and stakeholders. 

The State Board of Education and the Maryland State Department of Education developed this new accountability system, which was approved by the U.S. Department of Education in early 2018.