(1) use academic achievement standards to push schools and students toward higher performance by aligning the state assessment to those standards and linking policies and criteria for performance standards, accreditation, reporting, school rewards, and targeted assistance;

(2) provide an annual report card with a performance indicator system that is logical, reasonable, fair, challenging, and technically defensible, which furnishes clear and specific information about school and district academic performance and other performance to parents and the public;

(3) require all districts to establish local accountability systems to stimulate quality teaching and learning practices and target assistance to low performing schools;

(4) provide resources to strengthen the process of teaching and learning in the classroom to improve student performance and reduce gaps in performance;

(5) support professional development as integral to improvement and to the actual work of teachers and school staff; and

(6) expand the ability to evaluate the system and to conduct in-depth studies on implementation, efficiency, and the effectiveness of academic improvement efforts.