Letter from FairTest to all Presidential Candidates. October 2007

October 25, 2007

Dear Candidate for President:

As the only national organization with testing reform as its focus, FairTest has a more than 20-year history of working to improve assessment of America’s students. We have addressed such issues as the proper role of college admissions exams in university admissions, state graduation and grade promotion tests, and the role of assessment in the No Child Left Behind law (NCLB).

Congressional committees are now considering the reauthorization of NCLB. To address this important national issue, FairTest initiated and chairs the Forum on Educational Accountability, which sponsors and promotes the concepts and principles in the Joint Organizational Statement on No Child Left Behind. The Statement has been endorsed by 142 education, civil rights, religious, disability, parent, civic and labor organizations, representing more than 50 million Americans (copy enclosed). FEA has also produced detailed recommendations for the reauthorization, available on the web at www.edaccountability.org (a summary is enclosed).

Many candidates for president have spoken out on various aspects of NCLB. We are writing to all declared candidates to provide each with this brief statement of our views and to request an opportunity to discuss these issues with you in more detail.

We look forward to hearing from you or the staff person you designate to discuss the future of ESEA/NCLB.

Sincerely yours,

Monty Neill, Ed.D. Earle Test
Co-Executive Directors

Enc: Joint Statement on NCLB (printed version with 139 signers)

FEA summary of legislative recommendations