The 1999 Public Schools Accountability Act (PSAA) created a system for summarizing performance on state standardized tests and an intervention program to help schools that were not meeting state-set goals. California's test scores have improved substantially since then, but state-led interventions programs have had little overall effect on this improvement, according to official evaluations.

This 16-page report looks at the history and evaluations of the state's intervention programs. It contrasts those programs with federal requirements, including newly created interventions for school districts, and details how California has layered the federal systems on top of the state's approach. It also highlights the state's newest school improvement program, the Quality Education Investment Act (QEIA). And it looks at the potential impact of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) throughout California as well as the debates surrounding its reauthorization.

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