[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 242 (Friday, December 15, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 78477-78478]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-31999]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


The Use of Tests as Part of High-Stakes Decision-Making for 
Students: A Resource Guide for Educators and Policymakers

AGENCY: Office for Civil Rights, Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice of availability of final document.

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SUMMARY: The Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights announces the 
availability of a final document entitled ``The Use of Tests as Part of 
High-Stakes Decision-Making for Students: A Resource Guide for 
Educators and Policymakers.'' The resource guide is designed to provide 
educators and policymakers with an informative and practical tool that 
will assist in their development and implementation of policies that 
involve the use of tests in making high-stakes decisions for students. 
The guide provides information about relevant Federal non-
discrimination standards and professionally recognized test measurement 
principles, as well as a collection of resources related to the non-
discrimination and test measurement principles discussed in the guide.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Address requests for copies of the 
final document to Jeanette J. Lim, U.S. Department of Education, 400 
Maryland Avenue, SW., room 5212 Switzer Building, Washington, DC 20202-
1100. Telephone: 1-800-421-3481. For all requests submitted by letter, 
you must include the term ``Testing Guide.'' If you use a 
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may call the TDD 
number at 1-877-521-2172. The final document is also available through 
the

[[Page 78478]]

Internet at the following site: http://www.ed.gov/offices/OCR/testing
    If you prefer to send your request through the Internet, use the 
following address: [email protected]
    You must include the term ``Testing Guide'' in the subject line of 
your electronic message.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an 
alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audio-tape, or computer 
diskette) by contacting the Office for Civil Rights' Customer Service 
Team at 1-800-421-3481.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On July 6, 2000, we published a notice of 
availability of and a request for comments on the draft document 
entitled ``The Use of Tests When Making High-Stakes Decisions for 
Students: A Resource Guide for Educators and Policymakers'' in the 
Federal Register (65 FR 41643). The purpose of the resource guide is to 
provide educators and policymakers with information about Federal non-
discrimination standards and test measurement principles concerning the 
proper use of tests as part of decision-making that has high-stakes 
consequences for students.
    Earlier versions of the draft resource guide have been reviewed by 
the National Academy of Science's Board on Testing and Assessment 
(BOTA), the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division, and 
dozens of groups and individuals, including educators, parents, 
teachers, business leaders, policymakers, test publishers, civil rights 
groups, individual Members of Congress, and others. BOTA conducted a 
public hearing on the resource guide on January 26, 2000.
    In response to our invitation in the previous Federal Register 
notice of availability, 40 parties submitted comments on the draft 
document. We have considered these comments in drafting the final 
guide.

Electronic Access to This Document

    You may view this document, as well as all other Department of 
Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe 
Portable Document Format (PDF) on the Internet at either of the 
following sites:

http://ocfo.ed.gov/fedreg.htm
http://www.ed.gov/news.html

To use the PDF, you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available 
free at either of the previous sites. If you have questions about using 
the PDF, call the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO), toll free, at 
1-888-293-6498; or in the Washington, DC area at (202) 512-1530.

    Note: The official version of this notice is the document 
published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the 
official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal 
Regulations is available on GPO Access at: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html.


    Dated: December 12, 2000.
Norma V. Cantu,
Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights.
[FR Doc. 00-31999 Filed 12-14-00; 8:45 am]
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