Final answer:
State-mandated tests were designed to increase accountability from schools, with policies like NCLB and ESSA establishing frameworks for measuring and improving student performance through standardized tests. The correct option is O accountability from schools.
Step-by-step explanation:
State-mandated tests were introduced with the goal of increasing accountability from schools. These tests are a central part of educational policies like the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and the subsequent Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) which seek to measure and improve student performance by holding schools accountable for students' achievement on standardized tests.
Under NCLB, schools that failed to show adequate yearly progress faced potential corrective actions and restructuring, while ESSA shifted more accountability aspects to the states, allowing them to tailor solutions while still adhering to federal guidelines.
Proposals for altering school incentives have included regular student testing, rewarding strong performing schools, and increasing parental choice through vouchers for private schooling. The outcomes of such accountability measures have been mixed. While they have led to increases in standardized test performance for certain student groups, they have also been linked to negative educational practices such as "teaching to the test," potentially narrowing educational goals and undermining broader learning objectives.