ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the relationship between external standards for performance, and student achievement in mathematics and science. The analyses are prompted by the hypothesis that external standards can have a direct effect on student performance. It is suspected that the absence of external standards for performance, and the lack of incentives for teachers and students to meet such standards, has created social systems in many schools and districts that place little value on high performance or effort. In contrast, output-driven systems in which principals, teachers, and students are evaluated and rewarded on the basis of students' performance on external examinations can fundamentally change how these various actors relate to one another. In examining the relationship between output-driven organizational factors and individual growth in mathematics and science achievement, the chapter shows a series of models which isolate the effects of output-driven factors at both the school and classroom levels.
