1. A method for generating an index for use in evaluating the effectiveness of an educational institution comprising the steps of: a. collecting work from students at the institution; b. analyzing the collected student work to determine its alignment to standards as a percentage; c. analyzing the collected student work to determine its breadth of coverage as a percentage; d. observing the classroom teaching of students at the institution; e. analyzing the observed teaching to determine the percentage of time on task; f. analyzing the observed teaching to determine instructional effectiveness as a percentage; and g. multiplying together the four percentages of alignment to standards, breadth of coverage, time on task and instructional effectiveness to produce an index value.