Measured Progress CEO Testifies before NCLB Commission 

Stuart Kahl, Measured Progress president and chief executive officer, addressed “Assessment and Data Quality Issues” in his testimony before the Commission on No Child Left Behind in Hartford on May 9, 2006. 

Kahl pointed out that testing companies have risen to the capacity challenges presented by NCLB through the development of more efficient, high-tech systems to handle the exponential increase in testing. Nevertheless, he asserted that schools accustomed to the rapid turnaround associated with traditional, off-the-shelf products have to come to the realization that the need to account for 100 percent student participation in assessments leads to longer time for results. 

With school choice ultimately hanging in the balance, it’s crucial that data files be reconciled before truly accurate school performance results can be finalized, Kahl said. He also pointed out that tight turnaround times mandated by NCLB are at odds with nonregulatory guidance by the U.S. Department of Education, which calls on states to “reserve extensive time in the schedule exclusively for assessment data collection and validation . . . ” 

Given that extensive time is not an option, Kahl expressed apprehension that parents are confronted with school choice decisions before final, accurate school data are available. “Many educators are calling for ‘services before choice,’” Kahl said. 

 “Delaying the choice option until the next year would allow the schools time to address issues the parents might have regarding the education of their children, to provide appropriate services to students in need, and to convince the parents that their concerns have been addressed effectively,” he said. The extra time would also enable schools to do a more complete job of data verification, according to Kahl.