Skip to Content
Visible Learning™
Visible Learning MetaX
Version 1.4 – Updated February 2026

Systems / accountability systems

Overview

  • Influence: Systems / accountability systems
  • Domain: School
  • Sub-Domain: School resourcing
  • Potential to Accelerate Student Achievement: Likely to have positive impact
  • Influence Definition: School districts and state education accountability systems typically including outcome achievement measures, growth measures, school climate indicators, and can involve external inspectors.

Evidence

  • Number of meta-analyses: 3
  • Number of studies: 103
  • Number of students: NA
  • Number of effects: 240
  • Weighted mean effect size: 0.27
  • Robustness index: 2

Meta-Analyses

Meta-Analyses
Journal Title Author Article Name Year Published Variable Number of Studies Number of Students Number of Effects Effect Size
Review of Educational Research Lee Is Test-Driven External Accountability Effective? Synthesizing the Evidence From Cross-State Causal-Comparative and Correlational Studies 2008 Accountability systems of testing on achievement 76 NA 76 0.31
Book Hendriks, Scheerens, & Sleegers Effects of evaluation and assessment on student achievement: A review and meta- analysis 2018 Evaluation & assessment 7 NA 7 0.10
Journal of Educational Research Lim & Yoo Meta-analysis on the effect of educational policy, accountability evaluation on the academic achievement of elementary and junior high school students. 2018 Accountability evaluation systems 20 NA 157 0.19
TOTAL/AVERAGE 103 NA 240 0.20
Back to top