Statement

Statement
by NEA President Reg Weaver
on Dept. of Education's changes
 to NCLB testing requirements

"Today's announcement by the U.S. Department of Education validates what the National Education Association has recommended for more than a year -- common sense changes to help make accountability work. The decision to reconsider the required participation rate for schools and subgroups is but one example of the changes we and others have proposed.

"And yet, these changes are still merely tweaking the law, while leaving many of the fundamental problems unresolved.

"The No Child Left Behind Act relies on just two tests to judge students and schools, and it makes judgments by comparing the students in a classroom one year with a different set of students in the classroom the previous year. We do not think this is productive, thus we support the recommendations of the 14 state superintendents who called for changes in the law that would allow a "growth model," recognizing the progress students make from where they have begun.

"The law still forces schools to spend money on more paperwork and bureaucracy at a time when they are having to cut funding for what improves student achievement, such as class size, teacher quality, up-to-date books and materials aligned with the new standards.  We also support additional federal resources to implement school improvement efforts, focused on where students and schools are struggling.

"In addition, while the recent changes in participation rates and the new standards for assessing students with disabilities and English language learners will help some, thousands of schools have already been deemed "low performing" under the Department of Education's prior policies.  In fairness, those schools that failed to demonstrate Adequate Yearly Progress should be reevaluated under the new rules.

"We hope this is just the beginning of a more open and responsive dialogue with the Department of Education.  NEA will continue to work the Department of Education, federal, state, and local policymakers, as well as parents and the general public, to help make public schools great for every child."

March 29, 2004

Contact:
Michael Pons       (202) 822-7595   mpons@nea.org
Anjetta McQueen (202) 822-7251    amcqueen@nea.org

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The National Education Association is the nation’s largest professional employee organization, representing 2.7 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators and students preparing to become teachers.