Assessment Issues in the News

Measured Progress participated in “Making the Grade,” a documentary that premiered September 2, 2003, on the Discovery Times cable channel. A companion print article, “Rising Demands for Testing Push Limits of Its Accuracy,” appeared the same day on the front page of the New York Times.

The article, by reporter Diana B. Henriques, focuses on growing pressure on states, schools, and testing contractors in the wake of passage of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001. NCLB mandates that public schools show documented, annual progress toward achieving states’ educational standards. Consequently, standards-based assessment has grown exponentially as states struggle to achieve and document the goals imposed by NCLB. Schools that fail to meet these benchmarks risk loss of funding or closure.

The Discovery Times broadcast, produced by Nelli Kheyfets and Dan Flaherty, also examined testing errors and other issues in the wake of NCLB but devoted significant additional time to looking at what goes into producing an assessment.

“Making the Grade” covered the assessment development process, from initial planning through scoring. This documentary is one of the most comprehensive looks at assessment planning and production available to date, a valuable resource for students, parents, educators, policy makers, and anyone else who is concerned about educational assessment issues.

The article and the program touched on a number of topics pertinent to K–12 education, including quality control and the testing industry’s capacity to meet increased demand.

Measured Progress will release a series of position papers on these and other key issues. We also have available copies of both the video and article. Contact the editor to receive your copies.