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U.S. Commission on Civil Rights
Education Accountability and High-Stakes Testing in the Carolinas
Briefing Summary
February 2003
The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights is conducting a study of accountability issues in
elementary and secondary education. In focusing on the topic, the Commission hosted a briefing
on February 6, 2003, in Charlotte, North Carolina, to examine the effect of national and local
reform measures and high-stakes testing in North and South Carolina. One of the most
significant reforms to take place is the passage of No Child Left Behind. This legislation, signed
by President Bush on January 8, 2002, changes the federal government's role in kindergarten-
through-grade-12 education by asking America's schools to describe their success in terms of
what each student accomplishes. The act is based on four education reform principles: stronger
accountability for results, increased flexibility and local control, expanded options for parents,
and an emphasis on teaching methods that have been proven to work. 1[1] The Commission's
preliminary research on education reform and No Child Left Behind reveals that standards-based
education reform must not only hold students, parents, teachers, and administrators accountable,
but it must also provide them sufficient resources and support.
The Commission's briefing helped to illuminate several components of education reform that
require the attention of policymakers, including:
* sufficient funding for accountability and testing programs;
* proper alignment of curriculum and assessment;
* adequate teacher preparation to ensure quality instruction for every student;
* inclusive assessment techniques that guarantee English language learners and
students with disabilities will not be left behind;
* remediation for low-performing students; and
* information sharing with parents to encourage their involvement in the education
accountability.
The testimony of the parents, teachers, state and local administrators, policy analysts, and
advocates who presented at the briefing highlighted the importance of evaluating the use and
effect of high-stakes testing. High-stakes testing generally refers to standardized tests whose
results are used to determine a student's promotion from one grade to the next and/or graduation
from school. Specifically, the panelists underscored the need for schools, schools districts, and
policymakers to:
1[1] U.S. Department of Education, No Child Left Behind Overview, <http://www.nclb.gov>.](ViewImageLocal?handle=hein.civil/uscdfm0001&div=1&collection=&method=preview&ext=.png&size=3)