Statement on the National Assessment of Title I Final Report

U.S. Department of Education Press Secretary Samara Yudof today issued the following statement regarding transmittal of the National Assessment of Title I Final Report to Congress:

This report confirms what we already know about the core requirements of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) - states have made tremendous progress in meeting the goals of the law, but to ensure every student is achieving on grade level by 2013-14, we must accelerate our efforts to improve student achievement.

During the first four years of the law, states implemented reading and math testing in grades 3 through 8 and once in high school, more rigorous accountability systems, improved data collection and a comprehensive focus on increasing student achievement in chronically under-performing schools. In addition, states offered free tutoring for students in under-performing schools, ensured all students are taught by a highly qualified teacher and provided better information to parents so they could make more informed decisions about their child’s education.

With this core infrastructure in place, we are seeing widespread improvement in student achievement and a narrowing of achievement gaps, as measured by both state assessments and the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).

The report points to areas that require much more work, such as stagnant high school achievement, achievement gaps not closing fast enough and too few students receiving free tutoring.

These issues demand a bipartisan approach to the reauthorization of NCLB that asks more of us as a nation, not less. If we are to reach our goals, Congress should act now.