When You Set Lousy Goals in Education, You Get Lousy Results

Since the disappointing results of the 2017 National Assessment of Educational Progress tests were made public on April 10, it has been puzzling that no one at the National Assessment Governing Board, including its chairman (former Governor John Engler of Michigan), has suggested that Common Core-aligned standards and tests might be negative influences on the nation's public schools. Many readers might ask why we should hear anything from the board that oversees the NAEP test about Common Core's possible influence on student scores. It's because the National Assessment Governing Board is supposed to help Congress to understand what is or is not happening in our public schools. But today it doesn't seem to be playing as strong a role as it could, and it's not clear why, given the results of the 2017 NAEP tests.

Congress created it in 1988 as an independent, non-partisan board to set policy for the NAEP tests, also known as The Nation's Report Card. Made up of educators, policymakers, parents, business representatives, and others, all of whose appointments must be approved by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education, the National Assessment Governing Board determines the content, frameworks, and achievement levels for NAEP assessments. By law it is supposed to make the test results more meaningful and relevant to the public.