In the United States, the No Child Left Behind(NCLB) Acts requires that individual states to develop academic standards for all students and to implement statewide standards-based tests in reading-language arts, math and science. However there is not mandated standards-based tests in history, this testing depends on decision of state government. But some states still implement standards-based history tests. I've researched on this article, how many states have implemented the statewide standards-based history tests and why that states choose to make effort to do this?According to Education Week under the series of Quality Counts, during 1997～2012 the number of states reporting standards-based history tests has held average 21.3 per a year, 40% of the 50 states and Washington DC. Even though after NCLB, the number was still held 19～24 every year. I argue that standards-based history tests have been an index of the accountability system. Before the NCLB, some of states made some sort of student-level accountability, in part, on the basis of standards-based history test as well as English, math & science tests. The other states make school-level accountability, in part, on the basis of standards-based history test. After NCLB, despite the fact that NCLB does not target history tests as a primary accountability lever, some of states are utilizing the data to measure Adequate Yearly Progress(AYP). Standards-based history tests have been important for accountability discussions at various levels, at least among the 40% of the USA currently utilizing them.

In the United States, the No Child Left Behind(NCLB) Acts requires that individual states to develop academic standards for all students and to implement statewide standards-based tests in reading-language arts, math and science. However there is not mandated standards-based tests in history, this testing depends on decision of state government. But some states still implement standards-based history tests. I've researched on this article, how many states have implemented the statewide standards-based history tests and why that states choose to make effort to do this?According to Education Week under the series of Quality Counts, during 1997～2012 the number of states reporting standards-based history tests has held average 21.3 per a year, 40% of the 50 states and Washington DC. Even though after NCLB, the number was still held 19～24 every year. I argue that standards-based history tests have been an index of the accountability system. Before the NCLB, some of states made some sort of student-level accountability, in part, on the basis of standards-based history test as well as English, math & science tests. The other states make school-level accountability, in part, on the basis of standards-based history test. After NCLB, despite the fact that NCLB does not target history tests as a primary accountability lever, some of states are utilizing the data to measure Adequate Yearly Progress(AYP). Standards-based history tests have been important for accountability discussions at various levels, at least among the 40% of the USA currently utilizing them.