Accountability systems target effective school management among other key aspects of the school-improvement process that impact teacher performance. In treating this aspect of accountability, it asks, "What do school improvement plans reveal about schools' responses to accountability and probation?" The school-improvement plan (SIP)--usually required to codify a school's envisioned improvement design-- is a common feature among accountability systems in Maryland, Kentucky, and the city of San Francisco. This comparative analysis links specific patterns of schools' plans to specific design features of the accountability system. All three systems bring performance accountability to schools via external imposition but differ in the way they use different performance indicators, selection criteria for probation, and capacity building measures. The report also explores whether differences in the accountability systems (the presence or absence of specific design features) can be associated with differential patterns in school-improvement plans. (Contains 52 references.) (DFR)