[Pages H3083-H3085]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

CONGRATULATING NATIONAL ASSESSMENT GOVERNING BOARD

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to
the resolution (H. Res. 222) congratulating the National Assessment
Governing Board on its 20th Anniversary in measuring student academic
achievement.
The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
The text of the resolution is as follows:

H. Res. 222

Whereas the National Assessment Governing Board (the
Governing Board) is an independent, bipartisan board created
by Congress in 1988 to set policy for the National Assessment
of Educational Progress (NAEP), commonly known as ``The
Nation's Report Card'';
Whereas the Governing Board is made up of 26 members,
including Governors, State legislators, local and State
school officials, educators, researchers, business
representatives, and members of the general public;
Whereas when Congress established the Governing Board to
oversee The Nation's Report Card, it ensured that the NAEP
would be conducted independently and free from inappropriate
influences and special interests;
Whereas in overseeing The Nation's Report Card, the
Governing Board identifies subjects to be assessed,
determines the content and achievement levels for each
assessment, and approves all assessment questions;
Whereas The Nation's Report Card is conducted as a
representative sample and currently includes National NAEP
assessments (which assess the performance of students in
grades 4, 8, and 12 in reading, mathematics, writing,
science, U.S. history, geography, and other subjects), State-
by-State assessments (which are administered to students in
grades 4 and 8 to access performance in reading, mathematics,
writing, and science), Trial Urban District assessments
(which report on the achievement of 4th and 8th grade
students in 18 urban school districts that participate in
reading, mathematics, writing and science assessments), and
long-term trend assessments (which are administered
nationally every 4 years to students ages 9, 13, and 17 to
assess performance in reading and mathematics);
Whereas State participation in NAEP assessments is
voluntary with the exception of reading and mathematics
assessments, which States are required to administer to
public school students in grades 4 and 8 every 2 years in an
effort to measure student performance in reading and
mathematics;
Whereas all students who participate in NAEP do so on a
voluntary basis and NAEP is forbidden by law to maintain or
report information on individual students or schools;

[[Page H3084]]

Whereas the Governing Board works to inform the public
about The Nation's Report Card by communicating its results
to a wide range of Americans, including educators, the media,
and elected officials and policymakers at the National,
State, and local levels; and
Whereas the Governing Board has served an important role in
evaluating the condition and progress of American education
for 20 years: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) congratulates the National Assessment Governing Board
on its 20th anniversary in measuring student academic
achievement; and
(2) recognizes past and present members of the National
Assessment Governing Board for their service to the Nation in
improving elementary and secondary education.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from
California (Ms. Woolsey) and the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Guthrie)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from California.

General Leave

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I request 5 legislative days during which
Members may revise and extend and insert extraneous materials on H.
Res. 222 into the Record.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from California?
There was no objection.
Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 222, which recognizes
the 20th anniversary of the National Assessment Governing Board. The
National Assessment Governing Board is a bipartisan, independent
Federal board that sets policy for the National Assessment of Education
Progress, or NAEP. NAEP assessments are often referred to as the
Nation's report card because these tests are the principal source of
data on student achievement nationwide.
NAEP is a congressionally authorized project of the National Center
for Education Statistics. The governing board created by Congress in
1988 is made up of governors, State legislators, State and school
officials, educators and researchers, all of whom oversee NAEP,
identify subjects to be tested and govern reporting of test results.
When Congress established the governing board, we instructed that it
be bipartisan and that it be independent, and it has lived up to these
expectations and the original vision. The NAEP assessment has been
invaluable in providing information on the achievements of students at
grades 4, 8, and 12 in reading, mathematics, writing, science, U.S.
history, geography and other subjects.
The NAEP State-by-State assessments, which are administered to
students in grades 4 and 8 in reading, mathematics, writing and
science, have also been helpful in charting what our students know and
providing information for a path forward based on real results.
This year, Mr. Speaker, the governing board commemorates 20 years of
learning and assessment. To mark this anniversary, the governing board
plans to examine the impact of NAEP over the past two decades and look
ahead to see how the assessment can continue to play a vital role in
measuring student achievement in the future.
In order to highlight these priorities, the board will host a
conference to discuss the achievement gap in college and work
preparedness with education and policy experts. The governing board has
served an important role in evaluating the condition and progress of
American education for 20 years.
I thank the governing board for its outstanding service to the Nation
in improving elementary and secondary education.
Mr. Speaker, once again I express my support for the National
Assessment Governing Board, and I urge my colleagues to join me in
recognizing their 20th anniversary. I also want to thank the gentleman
from Delaware (Mr. Castle) for bringing this bill to the floor, and I
urge my colleagues to support this resolution.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 222, which
congratulates the National Assessment Governing Board on its 20th
anniversary in measuring student academic achievement. Over the last
two decades, the governing board, better known as NAGB, has served an
important role in evaluating the condition and progress of the American
public education system.
The National Assessment Governing Board was created by Congress in
1988 to set policy for the National Assessment of Educational Progress,
or NAEP, which is commonly known as the Nation's report card. It was
established as an independent, bipartisan board so that the Nation's
assessment system will be conducted independently and free from
inappropriate influences and special interests.
The governing board is currently made up of 26 members, including
governors, State legislators, local and State school officials,
educators, researchers, business representatives and members of the
general public. In overseeing the Nation's report card, the governing
board identifies subjects to be assessed, determines the content and
achievement levels for each assessment, and approves all the assessment
questions.
It also works to inform the public about the Nation's report card by
communicating results to a wide range of Americans, including elected
officials and policymakers at the national, State and local levels,
educators and the media.
Because of this important work, the Nation's report card is one of
the most widely respected assessment tools in the country. Federal,
State and local officials rely on NAGB and NAEP to get an accurate
picture of the academic achievement levels of the Nation's students.
In 2002, Congress passed the Education Sciences Reform Act, which
reauthorized the activities of the governing board and largely
maintained its independent and bipartisan nature. While requiring
States to take part every 2 years in its reading and mathematics
assessments in grades 4 and 8 in an effort to measure student
performance, the bill continues the long-standing practice that State
participation in NAEP assessments are voluntary.
All student who participate in NAEP do so on a voluntary basis, and
NAEP is forbidden by law to maintain a report or report information on
individual students or schools. House Resolution 222 congratulates the
National Assessment Governing Board on its 20th anniversary in
measuring student academic achievement and recognizes the past and
present members of the governing board for their service to the Nation
in improving elementary and secondary education.
I want to thank my colleague from Delaware (Mr. Castle) for
introducing this resolution. Mr. Castle served on the governing board
when he was Governor of ``The First State,'' and I want to thank him
for his service and for his strong support for ensuring that students
have access to a high-quality education in this country.
I am pleased to rise in support of this important resolution and ask
all of my colleagues to support it.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to
the gentleman from Delaware (Mr. Castle).
Mr. CASTLE. I thank the gentleman from Kentucky for yielding, and I
would like to thank both of the speakers, Ms. Woolsey and the gentleman
from Kentucky, for rationally explaining a program not many people
understand.
Mr. Speaker, I did have the opportunity and the pleasure of serving
on NAGB, the National Assessment Governing Board, for several years
when I was Governor of Delaware, and it was not easy work, by the way.
I would call it a pleasure, but it involves a lot of difficult
meetings, discussion of testing or whatever it may be.
But the bottom line is that they do put together the National
Assessment of Educational Progress, the NAEP tests, which are given
universally as far as the States are concerned, in our country, and are
as good a measuring device as we have to the progress of education from
year to year. Some of this is quite voluntary, but all States
participate in it in grades 4, 8 through 12, particularly in the
reading and the math areas, and we can determine that we have done
somewhat better, perhaps

[[Page H3085]]

a lot better from year to year, as we look at these tests.
I can tell you that those 26 people, who change from time to time and
come from a variety of different backgrounds, are all very dedicated to
the concept of making this very apolitical, of making it so that it's a
fair standard in tests for all those who are going to take it, and
making sure that all the reporting requirements are met in a proper
way. This goes through the Secretary of Education and is reported by
them, and I think they would do a wonderful job with this.
This is, to me, a very important measuring stick. While
congratulatory resolutions may not be the most important thing we do in
the Congress of the United States, I think recognizing an entity such
as this, which is independent of us and independent of the White House,
for all that matters, and deals with preparing this kind of reporting,
this kind of background for the testing, is a very significant thing to
do to make sure that they are being honored for an achievement which I
think has been very helpful in terms of dealing with education.
All of us deal with education policy on a regular basis. We know how
important it is to understand that what we are doing is perhaps a step,
a small step or a large step in the right direction, and I think that
the NAEP tests do that.
For that reason I would hope that we could all support this
resolution. Again, I thank those who spoke on the floor for their very
thorough and excellent explanations of what NAGB does and what NAEP is
all about.
Ms. WOOLSEY. I reserve my time for closing remarks.
Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H. Res.
222, recognizing the 20th anniversary of the National Assessment
Governing Board, and I yield back the remainder of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey) that the House suspend the
rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 222.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be
postponed.

____________________