The federal government of the United States (US) has promoted the creation of state standardized tests and school accountability systems since the 1980s and they are inseparable in the US. For example, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, which established penalties for schools and required a powerful accountability model including school evaluations in each state, and the Race to the Top program under the Obama administration, which only furthered the policy.

The No Child Left Behind Act was changed to the Every Student Succeeds Act in December, 2015; in 2017, this act remained identical to that in 2015. Based on this information, we do not distinguish what type of effect the law has had on local educational agencies and schools. However, researchers have considered that the Every Student Succeeds Act changes the power of the sates’ governments. The Every Student Succeeds Act could be a notable turning point in an era of standardized testing and accountability models.

This paper focuses on the school accountability system in the US, especially the states’ new standardized tests and a school accountability model called the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP). The CAASPP program comprises two main parts. The first comprises the three new state standardized tests: summative assessments (SAs), the California Science Test (CAST), and Standards- based Tests in Spanish (STS). The second includes the new school accountability model called the California School Dashboard. The CAASPP program is a new system that was implemented in January 2014 and was replaced by the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) program.

The new tests, namely SA and CAST, have adopted computer adaptive tests and performance tasks; thus, those tests are based on the item response theory and the principle of authentic evaluation. In contrast, the new accountability system, that is, the California School Dashboard, has the following features: multiple measures, a focus on equity, and support for local decision-making, and continuous improvement in schools. The purpose of this paper is to clarify the California School Dashboard.

This paper employs the following structure. First, a systemic overview of the California School Dashboard is conducted by considering an overview of the two types of indicators: state and local. Additionally, it refers to accountability reports that comprise the “California Model Five-by-Five Grid Placement Reports” and “California School Dashboard Report,” including the “Equity Report,” “Status and Change Report,” “Detailed Report,” and “Student Group Report.” Second, this paper provides concrete examples, such as the Santa Rosa City Schools and Piner High School, based on the use of the California School Dashboard and previously conducted interview surveys. Third, after considering the aforementioned information, this paper examines the prospects for the new school accountability system in California.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze how Lane’s theory of self-governing community was formed. I conducted my research using Homer Lane: A biography and other research concerning the formation process of the educational thought of Lane.

First, Lane’s theory was heavily influenced by Larsson’s American Sloyd’s philosophy, “The child must not be forced to learn,” which was based on the principle of self-activity advocated by Frobel.

Next, as supervisor of a Detroit city-owned playground, Lane discovered a close- knit relationship between unrestrained play, spiritual growth, and criminality. By creating and enjoying free play without any restraint, a child cultivates healthy sociality and accomplishes normal character building. A child develops self-activity. Releasing a child from repression of self-activity promotes healthy mental and social development.

Then, as superintendent of the Ford Republic, Lane developed his theory on education further by implementing a self-governing community - legislatively, judicially, and economically. His theory of self-governing community, established at the Ford Republic, ripened after he went to the Little Commonwealth, where Lane was able to implement more change than he had been able to at the Ford Republic. He abolished the superintendent’s authority and entrusted all the community management to the children. He divided the children into small groups and enabled each to live as a family unit.

In conclusion, Lane’s educational thought was based on the principal of self-activity. United with his outstanding psychological insight, Lane’s educational theory developed into a theory of healthy mental development by means of unrestrained play. Finally, his theory of self-governing community on education evolved through his work at the Ford Republic and the Little Commonwealth.

The purpose of this study is to clarify the institutional positioning and issues of the National System of Teacher Certification by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) in the United States. First, I summarize the incentive system for National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) and the relationship between the NBPTS certification system and the teacher license system in all states. Next, using the Montgomery County public schools in Maryland, I analyze the relationship between the NBPTS certification system, teacher evaluation, and professional development. The reason for using this district as a typical school district promoting NBPTS efforts because the number of NBCTs are relatively large among the nation’s school districts.

The findings from this study are as follows: (1) the NBPTS certification system is positioned as an effort to promote school improvement, focusing on professional standards. The NBPTS certification system is not a mechanism to prove the quality of teachers but uses the expertise of NBCTs to demonstrate leadership both inside and outside school and to work with colleagues to tackle school improvement. Professional standards promote school improvement by functioning as a common language among teachers. (2) The NBPTS qualification process is one of the requirements for teacher license renewal in many states, which is institutionally positioned in the United States teacher license system. To acquire and renew NBPTS certification, teachers must demonstrate how they have contributed to student learning based on their teaching practice. The qualification process which is directly linked to teaching practice is becoming recognized, in many states, as a useful professional development activity. (3) “The Five Core Propositions,” which are the basis of the NBPTS standard, are adopted as a standard for teacher evaluation and professional development of the Maryland school district and are used as a system to maintain and improve the quality of teachers within the school district. The “Montgomery County Public Schools teacher performance standards” are incorporated in the “Professional Development System” which aims to continually improve teachers in the school district prove to satisfy all content of “performance standards” in formal evaluation. Furthermore, NBCTs in the school district are involved in the guidance and evaluation of new teachers and those who cannot meet “performance standards.” They are also used to guide school-based professional development activities.

The issues of the NBPTS certification system are as follows: (1) the penetration rate of NBPTS certification is only about 3% of all teachers in the United States, and the change or abolition of the incentive system for NBCTs has a big influence on the dissemination of NBPTS certification. (2) The NBPTS certification system is used as a strict standard for eliminating some teachers rather than an institutional design supporting the continued professional growth of some teachers within the school district.