Legislation enacted to attain educational accountability is discussed. At present, 23 states have such enactments. The major kinds of accountability enacted in each of these states are one or more of the following: PPBS, MIS, Uniform Accounting, Testing, Evaluation of Professional Employees, and Performance Contracting. The three most frequently specified systems are state testing or assessment, evaluation of professional employees, and PPBS. The legislation enacted so far most frequently emphasizes educational purposes or goals and points to the general direction of the public's expectations for accountability. Beyond goals and objectives, legislation is likely to be either prescriptively specific or general enough to permit wide latitude by which goals may be fulfilled. Thirteen states require measuring the level of pupil performance by some form of state testing or assessment. Most of the assessment legislation states an intent to evaluate the effectiveness of school programs and curriculum. The most common reasons for adoption of state assessment programs are the improvement of pupil performance, evaluation of educational programs, and the identification of performance levels in relationship to educational needs. States are more frequently turning to goals-and-objectives-based state assessment models. This permits the measurement of student performance with criterion-referenced instruments. A model act for a comprehensive state educational assessment and accountability program is provided. (DB)