[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 118 (Tuesday, September 9, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H7020]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      STANDARDIZED FEDERAL TESTING

  (Mr. THUNE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. THUNE. Mr. Speaker, in the area of education there has been a lot 
of talk lately about the importance of testing. I would like to talk 
today about something we do not hear as much about. That is the 
importance of learning.
  Some people think we do not have enough standardized testing. They 
think we need to spend more than $90 million on a new Federal test to 
tell parents how their kids are doing.
  Right now schools in my home State of South Dakota and other States 
around the country already give students two standardized tests. Both 
of those tests are given in March and both take about a week to 
administer.
  Now, President Clinton wants another standardized test. It would also 
be given in March and it would take about a week to administer. That 
means students back home in South Dakota would spend the entire month 
of March not learning but testing.
  Think about it. Would you like to spend three solid weeks filling in 
the oval next to the correct answer with a No. 2 pencil? I cannot think 
of anything I would dislike more unless it is spending $90 million to 
do it. That is why I am urging my colleagues to vote for more learning 
in our schools and less pointless, redundant standardized Federal 
testing.

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