This document is designed to help local and state educators improve their vocational education accountability systems, as mandated by the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Act of 1990. The handbook is organized in three parts. Part I focuses on measuring the success of programs serving students who are members of special populations and improving programs that do not meet the established standards. It offers guidelines on how to enact a single, comprehensive accountability system that satisfies the requirements of the Perkins Act. Part I also contains a discussion of incentives within accountability systems that are designed to encourage service to targeted groups or students with special needs. In addition, Part I provides examples of how a secondary and postsecondary accountability system are implemented and presents activities prescribed under the Perkins Act for improving the education of all students including those from special populations. Part II provides examples of performance measures and standards that were adapted from selected states' accountability systems. Part III presents definitions of relevant terms taken from the Perkins Act Final Regulations and suggested operational definitions gleaned from some statewide accountability systems. Selected sections from a high school performance evaluation system and from the Minnesota State Board of Technical Colleges Accountability System are appended. Contains 19 references. (KC)