NCLB Impact on State Test Budgets

[Bob Schaeffer <bobschaeffer@earthlink.net>]

This is from the nation's largest circulation daily newspaper.

   GAO: STATES COULD GET HIT WITH TEST COSTS
           USA Today -- May 9, 2003
              by Greg Toppo

Congress has set aside enough money for the national testing required by 
President Bush's No Child Left Behind education plan — if states rely on 
inexpensive multiple-choice tests that aren't geared to children's 
coursework.

Otherwise, states could find themselves spending millions of dollars to 
develop, give and score the tests, according to a long-awaited report by 
the General Accounting Office, the investigative arm of Congress.

While Thursday's report echoes long-standing complaints of state 
education officials, it also says states can save money by sharing test 
development expenses.

Under Bush's education plan, all 50 states must begin testing students 
in grades 3-8 in reading, math and science over the next six years. GAO 
found that such testing could cost as little as $1.9 billion or as much 
as $5.3 billion, depending on the complexity of developing and scoring 
the tests. Congress is slated to give states about $2.7 billion over the 
next six years.

Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, chairman of the House Education Committee, 
says the study shows that "Congress is providing more than enough money 
for states to meet the annual testing requirements in the No Child Left 
Behind Act, and education reform opponents have significantly 
exaggerated the actual cost."

Previous estimates by education groups have put the figure as high as $7 
billion.

David Shreve of the National Conference of State Legislatures says the 
report shows that states will be forced save money by developing a 
"bare-bones, minimum bubble test," rather than more in-depth tests that 
require written responses from students.

Bob Schaeffer of the National Center for Fair and Open Testing says, 
"The pressure will be to dumb down assessment to the low-quality, 
cookie-cutter, multiple-choice tests."