[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 13 (Thursday, January 22, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E125]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  INTRODUCTION OF THE ASSESSMENT ACCURACY AND IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 2009

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                          HON. THOMAS E. PETRI

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, January 22, 2009

  Mr. PETRI. Madam Speaker, as Congress considers the reauthorization 
of the No Child Left Behind Act this year, we have an obligation to 
listen closely to the students, parents, and educators that we 
represent to ensure that our efforts result in responsible and 
pragmatic improvements. While we have made great strides in the areas 
of assessment and accountability over the last 7 years, this 
reauthorization provides a critical opportunity to learn from our 
experiences and fine-tune the law.
  One example of a lesson my constituents have learned, and have 
vigorously shared with me, is that we should be encouraging States to 
move towards better assessment models. As I have met with educators 
over the past year, one of the primary concerns that I have heard is 
that the State assessment fails to provide information of value to 
educators and administrators. Even more disturbing, it often takes 4 to 
6 months before scores are returned to schools, which leaves little or 
no time for teachers to use the information to address student 
performance before they advance to the next grade.
  However, I believe there is a sensible solution that Congress can 
adopt to address these concerns and give States more options in 
assessment design. Today, Representative David Wu and I are introducing 
the bipartisan Assessment Accuracy and Improvement Act of 2009 to give 
States the option to use adaptive testing as their statewide assessment 
measuring reading, math, and science to fulfill No Child Left Behind 
requirements. I believe that this legislation will give States the 
ability to truly track the academic growth of every child and provide 
more accurate information to teachers, parents and school 
administrators through the use of an adaptive test.
  For those who may be unfamiliar with adaptive testing, it is a test 
that changes in response to previously-asked questions. For example, if 
a student answers a question correctly, the test presents a question of 
increased difficulty. If a student answers incorrectly, the test 
presents a question of decreased difficulty. As you can see, an 
adaptive test customizes itself to a student's actual level of 
performance with a great degree of accuracy.
  Giving States the flexibility to use an adaptive test and to ask 
questions outside of grade level will improve the accuracy of student 
assessment and enable educators to target appropriate instruction for 
each child based on performance at, above, or below grade level. In 
addition, using an adaptive test over time will allow accurate 
measurement of the performance growth of each individual student.
  In my district in Wisconsin, nearly a third of school districts 
currently use their own funds to participate in adaptive testing in 
addition to the State assessment required by NCLB. Educators and 
administrators appreciate the diagnostic information it yields and the 
efficiency that it provides. I believe that school districts nationally 
are already ``speaking with their wallets'' by spending scarce 
resources to voluntarily participate in this testing because it 
provides valuable information that the State assessment does not. And, 
although our bill does not require States to adopt adaptive testing, it 
gives them the freedom to do so should they decide it is a better model 
for their students and educators.
  Madam Speaker, adaptive testing and growth models are the key to 
putting the ``child'' back into No Child Left Behind. I hope that our 
colleagues will join us in this pragmatic and responsible improvement 
to the law as we work towards a bipartisan reauthorization this year.

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