The following is a statement from Kurt Landgraf, President and CEO of Educational Testing Service:
PRINCETON, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE via COLLEGIATE PRESSWIRE)--Oct 9, 2001--As 125 of our nation`s top education, government, and business leaders gather for the fourth National Education Summit in Palisades, N.Y., Educational Testing Service and the many clients it represents would like to announce their support for high standards and improved testing, accountability and student learning.
Unfortunately, the anti-measurement organization FairTest is seeking to derail education reform efforts aimed at helping teachers and schools meet higher standards and improve student achievement.
They exhort their members to protest against our nation`s governors, business leaders, Congress and President Bush, who they describe as ''plotting'' the next round of educational improvement for America. They are wrong and their efforts do more to hurt under-performing students than help them. Their charges are based on fiction, not fact. They raise their voices in anger rather than
cooperation.
We believe that the President`s plan is not only the right thing for this country, but that it is doable. And we also know that the issues surrounding assessment - and standardized testing in particular - are complex. They require those of us in the assessment business to be rigorous in making sure that our tests are fair and that they accomplish what they are meant to accomplish. We also must work with educators and policymakers to ensure that tests and test results are not misused and that multiple measures are employed to measure student achievement.
There is something FairTest and the anti-testing movement should know - the American public is solid in its support for education reform and for educational accountability that is fair, data driven, and aims to improve services for all American students. They know that the measurement derived from testing will supply the information that students and teachers need to improve learning and instruction as well as provide solid benchmarks against which we can dependably measure progress and improvement.
Educational improvement takes a partnership of concerned, dedicated, and talented people working together toward a common goal. What education reform does not need right now is any organization throwing rocks from the sidelines rather than offering its help.
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