School districts also track student performance on the ACT and SAT to determine readiness for higher education. These tests are also used to comply with federal education standards. Each state conducts annual tests at the elementary, middle and high school levels to determine student proficiency in subjects like English and mathematics. Graduation rates are collected by state and federal education officials as a baseline measurement of secondary education performance. A student's GPA is typically measured on a scale of zero to four with higher GPAs representing higher grades in the classroom. Student performance is measured using grade point average (GPA), high school graduation rate, annual standardized tests and college entrance exams. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 continued the ESEA's focus on accountability by requiring states to ensure minimum proficiency levels in order to receive federal funds. This legislation required states to measure student proficiency and develop accountability measures for public schools. The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965 encouraged adoption of standardized testing by all states. Lindquist created the first version of the American College Test (ACT) in 1959. Henry Chauncey developed the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) in 1934 to evaluate scholarship candidates at Harvard University and University of Iowa Professor E.F. Johnson developed a grading machine in 1934 that could grade test sheets by picking up the electrical current created by pencil marks. This multiple-choice test was used to decrease grading time and standardize student evaluations. Kelly advanced the idea of standardized testing with the Kansas Silent Reading Test in 1914. Education advocates Horace Mann and Samuel Gridley Howe used a standardized test to evaluate student progress in Boston. The origins of measuring academic performance in the United States date back to the 1830s.

Academic performance meaning