Secretary Duncan Names Leaders to the National Assessment Governing Board

Each member will serve a four-year term and will work to set policy for the National Assessment of Educational Progress, or The Nation's Report Card. NAEP makes objective information on student performance available to policymakers and the public at the national, state, and local levels for nearly a dozen subjects. NAEP has also served an important role in evaluating the condition and progress of American education since 1969.

"These experienced and dedicated individuals play an important role in the field of education and I am grateful for their service," said Secretary Duncan. "Their commitment to excellence will help guide our effort to give every child a college and career-ready education. I look forward to working with them in the months and years ahead."

Click here to read more about each board member and more about NAEP.

Department of Education Seeks Advice on Testing-System Reviews

The U.S. Department of Education is seeking the public's advice on how to improve test-systems reviews.  Federal officials say they want some informal advice-particularly from assessment experts - concerning the shifts to a new generation of tests, career-ready standards, and the Common Core State Standards. 

Federal officials are seeking input on questions including:

• What types of evidence can and should a state provide to demonstrate that its system meets the elements of a high-quality assessment system?
• What benchmarks or rubrics can the Education Department establish to help evaluate the evidence submitted by states?
• Are there components of the department's current process that can or should be revised or are there aspects the department should add?
• Are there models or best practices in conducting peer reviews that are applicable and practical for state assessment systems?   

NAEP Testing to Be Scaled Back Due to  Budget  

One of the effects of sequestration is the 5% cut to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) budget.  Recently, the board voted unanimously to trim parts of the main NAEP assessment for 2015. The decision could have a huge impact on available education data in the future.    

According to reports,  reading and mathematics testing will be administered as usual. However, the board will not expand the 12th grade sample in reading, math, or science to allow state or national results, as it had planned for 2015.    

Also, NAEP state samples in science will be cut back to 1,000 per grade, per state, in grades 4 and 8."That will still allow accurate state-level results in science [for grades 4 and 8], but it will make it difficult to see results for groups [such as by race or English-language proficiency] unless they are very large within the state," said Lawrence Feinberg, the governing board's assistant director for reporting and analysis.    

For the Trial Urban District Assessment, which provides detailed results on 21 of the country's largest school districts, reading and math assessments will go ahead in grades 4 and 8, but science will be cut completely. Also, sequestrations has suspended  the High School Transcript Study, which helps provide context for national assessment results with information about students' course-taking.    

In addition, the governing board unanimously voted to suspend the 2016 administration of the NAEP's long-term trend tests, which have tracked over 17,000 American students' progress in mathematics and reading, for a period of 40 years.    

Click here to read more about sequestrations' effects on NAEP.

ESEA Reauthorization Remains in Limbo   

As the Student Success Act awaits the Senate's approval, the Obama administration continues to approve NCLB waivers in exchange for reform plans. With Maine recently receiving regulatory relief, waiver  recipients total 40 states and the District of Columbia, as well as 8 urban California school districts. While a new guidance document will soon be released by the Department of Education outlining how these states will maintain these waivers, the question still remains -- will NCLB be overhauled in the near future, or during the Obama administration?

According to Jack Jennings, a policy observer and former aide for presidential leadership, the Obama administration does not think a "good" ESEA bill will come out of Congress.     

Many GOP lawmakers believe Secretary Duncan has failed to take the Student Success Act seriously. "It is certainly disappointing the secretary doesn't consider the House-passed Student Success Act, a 'serious' effort to reauthorize ESEA," said a committee spokeswoman. "This is the first time either legislative body in Congress has approved an ESEA reauthorization bill in more than a decade -- and that's no small feat."    

However, the Senate will most likely have to dramatically weaken and amend the Student Success Act bill in order for it to pass. Unfortunately, if the bill doesn't pass, lawmakers will be back to square one for ESEA reauthorization, making it unlikely that the Obama administration will reauthorize ESEA by the end of the second term.

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