Summary: In February 1997, the Clinton administration announced plans to develop voluntary national tests for fourth grade reading and eighth grade mathematics. The tests were proposed as a way to provide parents and teachers with information about students' performance relative to widely-agreed standards of what students should know and be able to do. Concerns have been raised, however, about the need for such tests and the potential for inappropriate federal influence on school curriculum, which is established by states and localities. Although the Department of Education originally had complete responsibility for the testing initiative, Congress in November 1997 transferred responsibility for developing the tests from Education to the National Assessment Governing Board, a board originally created as part of the Education Department in 1988 to set policy for a program called the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). In addition, Congress directed the Department, including the Governing Board, to use no fiscal year 1998 funds to, among other things, pilot test, field test, or administer these tests. In response to a request related to the ongoing congressional review of the proposed testing program, this report provides information about the relationship between the Governing Board and the Department of Education, the costs of developing the national voluntary tests and procedures for hiring contractors, and possible explanations for the differences in scores on state achievement tests and NAEP test.
