A discussion of the age of accountability in American education is presented. The point is made that this new element is causing many educators to think more precisely about their goals, how they can be achieved, and how they can determine the degree to which they have been achieved. State laws are appearing and school policies are being defined in response to the demands for accountability. In the past, quality in education has been described as input--numbers of teachers, courses, and dollars spent. Today, students, parents, and taxpayers are concerned about output--the results in terms of actual student learning. Several responses have been made to the demand for accountability. One has been performance contracting with private firms. This contracting is viewed as a means of strengthening the public schools. Another response is to give the consumer a choice of schools from which he can receive educational services. The voucher plans and alternative schools springing up across the nation may introduce a measure of competition and increased effectiveness of schools. All the various responses to accountability involve a demand for specified learning outcomes. Implications of the accountability movement for speech education include: (1) The curriculum must be re-evaluated; (2) Criterion-referenced measurement systems must be introduced. It is concluded that the education profession must be held accountable for results and that evaluation must receive top priority on the list of educational goals. (Author/CK)