69ý

Assessment

Extra Funding Provided to Sustain NAEP

In fiscal 2009 budget, Bush also seeks more money to expand tests.
By Kathleen Kennedy Manzo — February 06, 2008 2 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL

Includes updates and/or revisions.

National assessments in core subjects will proceed as planned, now that the federal testing program has received additional funding in the current year’s budget.

And with an increase proposed in President Bush’s budget for next fiscal year, the program would have enough money to cover all planned assessments through 2011, as well as to expand a sampling of urban districts and pay for state-level tests of 12th graders.

“We are so relieved, because we don’t have to call anything off at this point,” said Peggy G. Carr, the associate commissioner for assessment for the National Center for Education Statistics, the arm of the Department of Education that administers the exam program. “We can go ahead and plan for the most important components of the 2008 activities in preparation for the 2009 assessments.”

The National Assessment of Educational Progress was threatened with cutbacks in several core areas last fall because of a projected budget shortfall. The governing board that sets policy for NAEP had been expected to consider recommendations at its meeting this month to cancel scheduled tests in economics, foreign languages, geography, and world history, and to scale back testing in U.S. history, civics, and writing. (“U.S. Testing Poised to Be Scaled Back,” Nov. 28, 2007.)

Gauging Preparedness

The fiscal 2008 Education Department budget, part of an omnibus spending bill President Bush signed in December, includes some $100 million for NAEP, with a $10 million increase over the previous year that federal officials hadn’t anticipated. The president’s budget proposal for fiscal 2009, which begins Oct. 1, would boost the assessment budget by more than a third.

While Congress is expected to make significant changes to the proposal, there has been bipartisan support for expanding the testing program, including the addition of state-level samples on some tests for 12th graders.

The increase would provide money for preparation of tests in U.S. history, civics, and geography that are scheduled for 2010. It would also cover the expansion of the 12th grade assessment in mathematics and reading in 2011 to include samples of students from each state. President Bush has urged state-level testing of high school seniors as a way of boosting accountability and providing state-by-state comparisons.

Ms. Carr said the NCES hopes to conduct a pilot study for the state-level 12th grade assessments next year.

The National Assessment Governing Board would also have enough money for research and validity studies for new indicators on that assessment, which would allow reporting on students’ levels of preparedness for college and the workforce.

Student performance is currently reported in terms of scale scores and achievement levels—defined as “basic,” “proficient,” and “advanced.” The preparedness levels would explain what the results meant in terms of the skills students needed to enter community college, succeed in four-year institutions, or qualify for different types of jobs.

A version of this article appeared in the February 13, 2008 edition of Education Week as Extra Funding Provided to Sustain NAEP

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Artificial Intelligence Webinar
AI and Educational Leadership: Driving Innovation and Equity
Discover how to leverage AI to transform teaching, leadership, and administration. Network with experts and learn practical strategies.
Content provided by 
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School Climate & Safety Webinar
Investing in Success: Leading a Culture of Safety and Support
Content provided by 
Assessment K-12 Essentials Forum Making Competency-Based Learning a Reality
Join this free virtual event to hear from educators and experts working to implement competency-based education.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.

Read Next

Assessment Opinion 'Academic Rigor Is in Decline.' A College Professor Reflects on AP Scores
The College Board’s new tack on AP scoring means fewer students are prepared for college.
4 min read
The United States Capitol building as a bookcase filled with red, white, and blue policy books in a Washington DC landscape.
Luca D'Urbino for Education Week
Assessment Opinion 69ý Shouldn't Have to Pass a State Test to Graduate High School
There are better ways than high-stakes tests to think about whether students are prepared for their next step, writes a former high school teacher.
Alex Green
4 min read
Reaching hands from The Creation of Adam of Michelangelo illustration representing the creation or origins of of high stakes testing.
Frances Coch/iStock + Education Week
Assessment Opinion Why Are Advanced Placement Scores Suddenly So High?
In 2024, nearly three-quarters of students passed the AP U.S. History exam, compared with less than half in 2022.
10 min read
Image shows a multi-tailed arrow hitting the bullseye of a target.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
Assessment Grades and Standardized Test Scores Aren't Matching Up. Here's Why
Researchers have found discrepancies between student grades and their scores on standardized tests such as the SAT and ACT.
5 min read
Student writing at a desk balancing on a scale. Weighing test scores against grades.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week + Getty Images