Accountability & Improvement

Maine's public schools are subject to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the federal government's primary mechanism for holding public schools accountable, closing achievement gaps among different student populations and supporting schools in improvement efforts.

The Maine Department of Education is currently working to design a new accountability and improvement system for schools to replace the provisions of No Child Left Behind, the current iteration of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as allowed under a waiver program from the U.S. Department of Education.

• A New Accountability & Improvement System. Maine is designing an accountability and improvement system that considers multiple valid measures in determining the performance of students and schools, recognizes educators when they help students grow, and helps struggling schools improve rather than feel stigmatized.
• No Child Left Behind. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2002 is the current iteration of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the federal government's primary mechanism for holding public schools accountable, closing achievement gaps among different student populations and supporting schools in improvement efforts.
• Adequate Yearly Progress Status of Maine Schools. Learn whether your school has met the test performance and student attendance benchmarks associated with the federal No Child Left Behind Act. This determination is based largely on student performance on the New England Common Assessment Program and Maine High School Assessment tests in math and reading.