A hearing was held on the re-authorization of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB). Mary R. Blanton, Vice Chair of the NAGB, spoke about its mission and plans for design changes under the re-authorization. She also outlined the role of the NAGB in overseeing the voluntary national test and discussed state-based competency measures. Michael F. Ward, North Carolina Superintendent of Schools, represented the Council of Chief State School Officers as he spoke on the importance of the NAEP and the NAGB. As a representative of commercial test publishers, Larry Snowhite of Riverside addressed several key issues regarding the re-authorization of the NAEP. Martha Schwartz, representative of a grass-roots organization focusing on mathematics education, urged the inclusion of content-based learning standards with a reliable test to match the standards. Christopher Klicka, Executive Director of the Home School Legal Defense Association, expressed concerns that expansion of the roles of the NAEP and NAGB would lead to increased nationalization of education standards and testing. Ambrosio E. Rodriguez , of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, also testified about the importance of high standards. Nine appendixes contain the written statements of these witnesses and remarks from two congressmen. (SLD)

Since the late 1960s, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)â€"the nation's report cardâ€"has been the only continuing measure of student achievement in key subject areas. Increasingly, educators and policymakers have expected NAEP to serve as a lever for education reform and many other purposes beyond its original role. Grading the Nation's Report Card examines ways NAEP can be strengthened to provide more informative portrayals of student achievement and the school and system factors that influence it. The committee offers specific recommendations and strategies for improving NAEP's effectiveness and utility, including: Linking achievement data to other education indicators. Streamlining data collection and other aspects of its design. Including students with disabilities and English-language learners. Revamping the process by which achievement levels are set. The book explores how to improve NAEP framework documentsâ€"which identify knowledge and skills to be assessedâ€"with a clearer eye toward the inferences that will be drawn from the results. What should the nation expect from NAEP? What should NAEP do to meet these expectations? This book provides a blueprint for a new paradigm, important to education policymakers, professors, and students, as well as school administrators and teachers, and education advocates.