The Maryland Accountability Program (MAP), initiated in response to 1972 state legislation, has been planned and implemented to promote an understanding of the relationship among the quality of education, the characteristics of educational programs, the process of education and needed and available human and material resources, and, on the basis of that understanding, to make improvements in the Maryland educational system. Emphasis of MAP during the first two years has focused on the setting of goals and objectives at all three levels of public education--state, school system, and individual school--and on implementing a uniform assessment program. future efforts will be made to explore the effects of educational process variables, such as program organization, methods of instruction, and student-peer-teacher interaction on achievement. Cooperative activities by state and local officials are also under way to introduce new financial reporting procedures. (Author/MLF)