There are differing views of how best to report educational results for students with disabilities. There are many purposes for collecting data on the results of education, one purpose being to improve instruction. Public reporting provides information about how schools are doing, and serves as an accountability tool for education. However, the primary purpose of public reporting is to share information for accountability purposes. Almost all states now publish at least one statewide educational accountability report on the condition of public education.
Some states have five or six reports.
The reports vary widely in their format and the types of information they contain. Some feature achievement test results for schools or districts, not just overall state-level results. Many states also include non-test performance measures, such as graduation or promotion rates. Reporting information on students with disabilities is important because it ensures that they are in the accountability system. What is reported is what the public knows, and what the public reacts to.