NWEA continues its efforts to help shape perspective on how academic progress should be measured. Our federal focus has been building support around our belief that the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) needs to be amended to permit adaptive testing which goes beyond grade level in order to accurately assess student achievement. We continue to support provisions that retain grade level information while recognizing that as a singular focus , it does not account for the progress many students make on their paths to proficiency We hope the information we provide here will help you understand our position and support our efforts.
- NWEA Position Statement on NCLB
- We believe each child deserves an independent measure of academic progress, with success determined by how much progress that child makes. We recognize the differences in children and the necessity for systems that support the need for differentiated education. A focus on grade level alone is not an appropriate standard for assessing success and assigning accountability. [Learn More...]
Updates and Resources
- A Letter for Our Partners' Use
- We invite you to share your support of adaptive testing with your Congressional leaders to ensure that any update to the NCLB best reflects the needs of our nation's kids. To assist, we have developed a letter that you can sign and send back to us or customize as you see fit. We will then hand-deliver your letter to your representatives. [Download the Letter...]
- Please mail letters to:
ATTN: Charles Merritt
Northwest Evaluation Association
5885 SW Meadows Road, Suite 200
Lake Oswego, OR 97035 - A More Accurate Growth Model: Using Multigrade Adaptive Assessments to Measure Student Growth
- The Delaware Statewide Academic Growth Assessment Pilot steering committee released the results of an independently conducted study comparing Delaware Student Testing Program and adaptive test scores. The study concluded that schools and students who failed the state test in fact did make significant growth but were not credited for the progress they achieved. [Read the Report...]
- The Assessment and Accuracy Improvement Act (HR 3979)
- US Representatives Tom Petri (R-WI) and David Wu (D-OR) introduced bipartisan legislation that would amend NCLB to allow states to choose an adaptive test to satisfy the law's reporting requirements. NWEA supports this legislation and is engaged in efforts to build support for this measure to improve NCLB. [Read the Legislation...]
- Response to Draft Amendments
- The US House Education and Labor Committee requested public comment on the draft of amendments to NCLB. NWEA President and CEO Matt Chapman presented the following response encouraging the Committee to allow states greater flexibility in the design of state assessments to provide for academic growth for all students. [Read the Response...]
Download our position statement as a PDF