This week, the Senate began hearings about revising No Child Left Behind. Tennessee Republican Lamar Alexander---the chair of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee---has issued a draft text that would potentially reform testing standards. Currently under NCLB, the federal government demands a set number of tests each year. Alexander's proposal would potentially give states the option to devise their own testing standards and regimes. Many across the political spectrum have been critical of the current emphasis on standardized testing, though the Obama administration has continued to defend the importance of annual standardized tests.
Molly Hensley-Clancy has an interesting look at the implications of NCLB and the reform of NCLB for testing companies.
