The Public Schools Accountability Act (PSAA) was passed in California in 1999 as the first step in developing a comprehensive system to hold students, schools, and districts accountable for improving student performance.
The program now includes a Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) system, testing at the elementary levels, known as the California Achievement Test (CAT), and a high school exit exam (CAHSEE), both aligned with academic content standards, plus an Academic Performance Index (API) for measuring progress.
These comprehensive accountability standards put California in a good position to meet the provisions of the 2001 federal law known as No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and are the components the state uses for measuring Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP).