Media advisory: House education reform allows states greater flexibility, professor says

LAWRENCE — The U.S. House voted overwhelmingly earlier this week to scale back the federal role in education. The bill does not remove the controversial and highly unpopular testing requirements of the 2002 No Child Left Behind Act, however. The legislation would return the power on how to use test performances to the states.

The Senate is expected to vote on the bill early next week, and President Barack Obama is expected to sign it.

Neal Kingston, professor of educational psychology and director of the Achievement and Assessment Institute at the University of Kansas, is available to speak with media about the education reform bill, testing, assessment, standardized testing and related topics. An expert in educational measurement and research methodology, Kingston can discuss No Child Left Behind, criticism of the law’s testing component, states that have applied for waivers to the law, the federal government’s role in education and more.

“The proposed changes continue to require states to provide the public with information about the performance of students within schools but provides for greater flexibility of approaches to both state assessment and accountability systems,” Kingston said. “I expect many states to take advantage of that flexibility when the law is passed. States will be better positioned to take advantage of recent advances in the field of teaching and assessment, such as the use of learning maps.”

Kingston is a former classroom teacher and has worked in assessment for more than 30 years as a psychometrician, test developer and systems developer. He has managed educational testing for general and alternate assessments at all levels and has published more than 100 articles, papers and book chapters on assessment.

To schedule an interview, contact Mike Krings at 785-864-8860 or mkrings@ku.edu.