Federal education policy has been a feature of the United States' education system beginning in 1965 when Lyndon Johnson introduced the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) as part of his "War on Poverty." Since then, the ESEA has undergone numerous revisions with each successive presidential administration. Part of the policy administration process includes evaluative procedures aimed at ensuring accountability to the learners for whom the policies are designed. This study examines the effect of policy shift from No Child Left Behind (NCLB) to the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). This study utilized assessment data and ITSA to evaluate trends in policy effect both pre- and post-policy to determine whether the policy shift achieved desirable outcomes. This study provides evidence that the shift in policy resulted in some nominal academic gains along with evidence of some narrowing in achievement gaps. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]