The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 set an ultimate goal. All students were to reach “proficient levels by 2014.” Schools were measured each year against a target called adequate yearly progress, or AYP. Education Week called AYP “the measure by which schools, districts, and states are held accountable for student performance.”
A school that missed AYP two years in a row was identified for improvement. More sanctions followed if it kept missing. In December 2015 the Every Student Succeeds Act replaced the law. It moved the federal accountability rules to the states.