Standards-based education has now reached a stage where it is possible to evaluate its overall effectiveness. Several earlier papers in the special issue of "Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice" on "Test Scores and State Accountability" (Volume 24, Number 4) examined specific state policies and their effects on schools and students. This paper provides a context for understanding state accountability policies by briefly sketching the history of America's standards movement. It then situates the findings of the four special issue papers in the context of theories of how state policies exert their influence, focusing on school capacity building, governmental authority, and educator motivation. Broader forms of assessment may be needed to meet the goals of the standards effort. Several kinds of evidence that could better ground state decisions in knowledge of the actual functioning of schools and districts are suggested.