Author: FairTest

The new federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) will put all schools whose students have not made “adequate yearly progress” (AYP) on state assessments into a “needs improvement” category and then if AYP is still not met enact a series of sanctions that can culminate in firing staff, state takeover, turning it over to […]

FairTest staff have studied the legislation (“No Child Left Behind Act”) and consulted with additional sources to prepare the following analysis of the testing and accountability provisions. The Act is very detailed and long, and we apologize for any errors in this summary and analysis. We will amend this document to correct any errors brought […]

The key testing and accountability provisions of the new, 1000-plus page Elementary and Secondary Education Act (“No Child Left Behind Act”) are in Title I, the part of the Act historically intended to improve education for “disadvantaged” children. Each state is required to have content and performance standards in both reading and math, with assessments […]

Update: Department of Education regulations on testing have been published. They are at http://www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister/finrule/2002-3/070502a.html Brief comment on ESEA rules: 1) While the law generally says “academic assessment,” the rules often say “test.” This may indicate an expectation that all assessments used, whether state or local, be standardized tests of some sort. 2) The rules will […]

for further information:Karen Hartke or Dr. Monty Neill(857) 350-8207 for immediate release, Thursday, May 31, 2001MCAS GAINS ARE UNRELIABLE BASIS FOR “HIGH PERFORMING” SCHOOL AWARDS;ANNUAL SCORE INCREASES OFTEN ARE NOT SUSTAINED;FAIRTEST ANALYSIS SHOWS YEAR-TO-YEAR CHANGES MAY RESULT FROM“LUCK OF THE DRAW,” SMALL STUDENT POOLS, “LOSS” OF LOW-SCORERS Annual changes in average MCAS scores are not […]

for further information:Dr. Monty Neill (857) 350-8207Bob Schaeffer (941) 395-6773 for immediate release, Sunday, May 20, 2001 A major newspaper expose demonstrating the U.S. school testing industry’s inability to competently design and administer the current level of required state exams should persuade Congress to drop a plan to greatly increase mandated testing now being debated […]

Summary: Both houses of Congress have included requirements in the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), which includes Title I remedial education, to test all students annually in grades 3-8 in reading and math, even though only 15 states now have all that testing. It also requires states to use the results […]

for immediate release, Thursday, December 1, 2005 Today’s release of National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) Trial Urban District Assessment results “shows once again that test-driven school ‘reform’ is failing to improve education for the nation’s most needy children,” according to Monty Neill, Ed.D., Executive Director of the National Center for Fair & Open Testing. […]

for further information:Bob Schaeffer (239) 395-6773cell: (239) 699-0468 for immediate release, Thursday, July 14, 2005 “The generally lackluster performance reported by the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) demonstrates the failure of the test-and-punish approach to meaningfully improve the quality of schooling for U.S. children,” according to the National Center for Fair & Open Testing […]

for further information, contact:Dr. Monty Neill (857) 350-8207or Bob Schaeffer (239) 395-6773 Today’s national survey results showing that a strong majority of Americans believe “No Child Left Behind” (NCLB) has harmed schools or failed to improve them demonstrates that “Politicians are far out of step from their constituents when it comes to judging local educational […]